There aren't many places where you can spend a Sunday watching world-class drum & bass while commercial airliners pass a few hundred feet overhead, but that's become part of the charm of WAH In The City. Silverworks Island sits directly beneath the flightpath into London City Airport, and for the first hour or so I found myself looking up every few minutes as another aircraft drifted over the main stage. Before long, though, the music took over and the planes became little more than part of the backdrop.

The weather was impossible to ignore. By early afternoon it was already properly hot, the sort of heat where you know you're going to spend as much time thinking about water as you are about who's playing next. Thankfully, WAH seemed ready for it. Water points were easy to find, bars kept moving, and welfare teams weren't tucked away waiting for people to find them. They were out in the crowd throughout the day, checking in on anyone who looked like they might be struggling. On one of the hottest Sundays of the year, that mattered.

Big line-ups are almost expected these days. What impressed me just as much was everything around them. Entry through Custom House was straightforward, getting home afterwards was surprisingly painless, and the whole site felt like it had quietly evolved rather than been completely reinvented. None of it shouted for attention, but it all added up to a day that simply worked.

Silverworks keeps getting better

Silverworks has really settled into being a drum & bass venue. It still has that industrial docklands feel that makes it different from London's parks and green spaces, and there's something about hearing heavy basslines bouncing around old warehouses that just feels right.

The main arena remained gravel underfoot, which meant the familiar festival dust was still very much part of the experience. By the time I got home, there was the usual gritty reminder every time I blew my nose. Anyone who's spent a full day at an outdoor rave will know exactly what I'm talking about.

The VIP area, on the other hand, had been covered with woodchip this year, making it much more comfortable underfoot. It was well laid out too, with a clear view of the main stage, plenty of space to step back for a breather and easy access back into the crowd when you were ready to dive back in.

None of those things make the headlines afterwards, but they're exactly the sort of details that make a ten-hour day feel enjoyable rather than hard work.

Two stages that both earned their place

I actually liked the decision to stick with two stages this year. Rather than trying to cram as much as possible onto the site, both arenas felt busy from start to finish and each developed its own personality over the course of the day.

The main stage was where you'd expect the huge festival moments, while Stage Two offered something slightly different. It leaned further towards rollers, jungle and longer sets that gave DJs room to breathe. There was never really a wrong decision to make. If one stage wasn't quite doing it for you, the other was only a couple of minutes away.

By the middle of the afternoon the site had really come alive. Bou and Eksman had the main arena bouncing, while Mozey drew one of the biggest crowds of the afternoon with exactly the kind of high-energy set you'd expect. As the day gathered momentum, artists like Kanine, K Motionz and SOTA kept the energy levels exactly where they needed to be.

Over on Stage Two, things unfolded at a slightly different pace. Kings Of The Rollers, joined by Inja, made full use of their extended set time. Rather than racing from one big moment to the next, they let the music breathe, gradually building and resetting the energy without ever losing the crowd.

That contrast between the two stages was probably one of the day's biggest strengths. One was built around those huge festival moments; the other rewarded anyone happy to settle in for a longer journey. It meant there was always somewhere worth wandering over to, and I found myself moving between the two far more than I'd expected.

Andy C still sets the standard

There's a reason Andy C remains the benchmark for so many DJs. We almost take the technical side of what he does for granted now, but watching him work a festival crowd is still something special.

His Alive set had exactly the right balance. Big moments arrived exactly when they needed to, familiar records were given room to breathe before the next surprise arrived, and somehow everything felt completely under control despite the pace he was working at. Plenty of DJs can play great records. Very few can control a crowd quite like Andy C.

By the time he finished, the site felt like it had shifted into another gear. The sun was beginning to drop, the heat had finally eased a little, and attention was already turning towards the final chapter of the day.

When Pendulum came on, even the planes disappeared

Pendulum have always occupied a different space within drum & bass. They're a live band first and foremost, and their shows are built accordingly. Massive visuals, live instrumentation and an energy that feels every bit as much rock concert as rave.

With the Royal Docks behind them and the last of the evening sun lighting up the stage, everything seemed to click into place. Earlier in the day I'd found myself looking up every time another plane crossed overhead. During Pendulum's set, I honestly forgot they were there. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give the performance.

The only downside? The timetable. While Pendulum were closing the main stage, Dillinja, DJ Hype, Mampi Swift and IC3 were still absolutely tearing it up over on Stage Two. I ended up abandoning my wife at the main stage so I could catch part of that closing set before heading home. Judging by the number of people weaving between the two arenas, I definitely wasn't the only one trying to squeeze every last minute out of the day.

More than just a lineup

Anyone can put together a strong lineup with enough budget. What really stood out to me was everything around it. The sound held up all day, queues never became a talking point, getting a drink wasn't an expedition, welfare teams were constantly visible and, despite the heat, the whole event felt remarkably relaxed.

The crowd played a huge part in that as well. More than once, I saw complete strangers offering water to people who looked like they'd overdone it in the sun. There were plenty of smiles, plenty of "you alright?" moments and very little aggro. For a festival of this size, that's never something to take for granted.

As the lights came up and people started drifting back towards Custom House, I realised I hadn't really stopped all day. I'd wandered between stages, bumped into people I hadn't seen for ages, discovered sets I'd never planned on watching and somehow managed to clock up nearly 20,000 steps without giving it much thought.

I walked back to the station absolutely shattered, slightly sunburnt, with gravel in my trainers and the usual festival dust still finding its way out of my nose. That's probably as good a summary of the day as any.

WAH In The City has quietly become one of the standout one-day drum & bass festivals on the calendar. Yes, people buy tickets because names like Andy C and Pendulum are on the poster, but they come back because the whole thing just works. Great music, a friendly crowd, sensible organisation and enough variety that ten hours somehow disappear before you realise they're gone.

Same time next year?