Is there a better way to start an 80’s festival on a glorious sunny day than Chesney Hawkes singing The One and Only?

The crowd was already pretty large for the 12noon start and were treated to some rapid fire sets from the aforementioned Chesney, Hazel O’Connor, Katrina (no Waves), Living In Box, Nick Heyward and Belinda Carlisle thanks to the house band providing the continuity and keeping the pace going. It’s a great way of keeping the time between artists as small as possible (about 5 minutes) and keeping the hits flowing one after the other.

Hosts Pat Sharp and Dave Benson Phillips are old hands at this format and keep the crowd engaged and bouncing as the day progresses.

As we moved into the late afternoon/early evening the house band bade farewell and the gaps between sets became longer but the hosts kept the 80’s tunes spinning. Hue & Cry and Kid Creole & The Coconuts both put on great shows and were followed by the excellent Imagination featuring original singer Leee John who delivered a great soulful set and the vocal performance of the day so far.

The weather can make or break a festival and as we approached the final three sets of the day it was obvious that some people were feeling the combined effect of the heat and the Pimms but were still determined keep those plastic Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury jackets on to the last note.

Howard Jones still sounds and looks as good as ever and if anything Tony Hadley’s voice has got even better as they both delivered their sets to the 11,000 crowd. All too soon it was time for the final act of the day as headliners Human League rounded off a great day with a visually brilliant set that included all of the massive hits and more beside.

I am sure a fair few people will wake up tomorrow with sore heads, arms and backs but the pain will be temporary where as the memories of a fantastic day will last forever. So put on your wigs, get out your fancy dress and join in with what will be one of the most fun days you will have all year.