I HAVE fond memories of racing to my sister’s bedroom and rifling through her CD collection until I found it.

The CDs would all be stacked in alphabetical order so it was a swift crime to commit.

Once I reached ‘O’ I could get my devious little hands all over the cool CD featuring the big gates and the man with the big frizzy hair.

The year was 2000 and Onka’s Big Moka by Toploader was everywhere.

Older sisters have a considerably better taste in music after all, and sat working my way through a university reading list that included a short story about a woman going mad in a small room decorated with yellow wallpaper, Toploader were the saving grace from a long summer.

It wasn’t only Dancing in the Moonlight that I loved, but the keyboard-led Just Hold On and Let the People Know.

Fourteen years later, having elbowed my way to the front for their set at Forever Sun, it was like so much had changed yet remained the same.

Unveiling a new short haircut that makes him look younger than ever, the band’s lead singer Joe Washbourn pulled off a Peter Pan in both appearance and performance.

It’s not easy to make playing the keyboard look entertaining, but he does it with aplomb.

Towards the start of their set, the Eastbourne foursome launched into the high energy Time of My Life.

For those festival-goers making their way over from some of the more obscure acts in the Curiosity Tent, the song got the crowd going, with some even breaking into a run to get to the main stage.

The years haven’t quelled the band’s enthusiasm and Joe’s voice, still boyishly vibrant, continues to evoke the feelgood vibe everyone remembers from Toploader’s six top 20 hits. I foolishly thought this crowd would be too cynical to have a Dancing in the Moonlight moment, but they did and then some.

It seemed as though everyone remembered all the lyrics and no-one was above dancing in the fading daylight – almost the moonlight. The band raced through an evenly weighted mix of hits and new material. I particularly enjoyed the pacy A Balance To All Things and This Is The Night, the band’s newest track.

They may not have been the festival’s main headliners but Toploader, ever the professionals and giving their all, were the perfect lead into the Happy Mondays’ big festival finale.