Little Simz at Cross the Tracks festival [Luke Dyson]

IN a park in south London, chants of “we hate Tottenham” rang out. Not outside the Crystal Palace stadium, but at a music festival in Brockwell Park.

Brixton-born Joy Crookes sported an Arsenal shirt while hanging out in the VIP area, later dedicating her set to “Palestine, Arsenal, and bad bitches everywhere”.

Headliner Little Simz, who grew up in Highbury, removed her jacket to reveal a red top to raucous whooping and applause.

Indeed, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were at the Emirates, as act after act at Cross the Tracks proclaimed their love for the Gunners as the Islington team lifted the trophy just a couple of miles away. Apparently, it’s cool to be a Gooner now.

It was the first time that Little Simz, who attended Highbury Fields School, performed material from her new EP Sugar Girl.

The sweltering 30-degree heat had become more manageable by the set time and thousands of people packed out the main stage to get a glimpse of the rapper’s powerful performance.

A much more intimate gig at an off licence in Upper Street earlier this month had seen the Mercury award-winning musician whistle through set favourites like Gorilla and Selfish, crowd-pleasers which went down equally well with the festival audience.

Joy Crookes had changed into a glittering silver headscarf by the time she took to the stage to give an energetic and lyrical performance of some of her best-known hits.

Feet Don’t Fail Me Now, Perfect Crime, and When You Were Mine all made it onto the set list, boosting energy levels and getting the suncream-clad crowd bopping along with her captivating stage presence.

A standout show also came from charismatic Australian soul singer Don West, who looked relaxed as he sailed through songs like Send It Back, Julia, and Day to Night, accompanied by a five-piece band.

Meanwhile, rising rap star Knucks, from Kilburn, drew an enormous crowd to the D-railed stage where he gave a memorable performance of tracks from his album, A Fine African Man, which was released in October and examines his Nigerian and London identities.

Logistically, the festival was well-organised and there were never long queues at the bar, which made a difference during the weekend heat wave where festival-goers were particularly dehydrated.

There were plenty of spots to take a break in the shade when the dancing got too much, and the sound systems were solid.

Cross the Tracks is well worth crossing the river for.