Preston: I went to BBC Radio 2 in the Park and weekend was incredible

Some of the biggest names in music descended on the normally quiet collection of fields just outside Deepdale to sign off summer in style.

As a bushy-tailed 21-year-old, I’d guess at least 80 per cent of the songs performed were written before I was born, so what did I make of it?

Bolton's Sara Cox, Paddy McGuinness and Vernon Kay were all at the festival.

Saturday kicked off with Travis and ‘Sing’, the perfect act to start with.

Travis kicking off Saturday (Image: NQ)

Fran Healy and his eclectic bright red hair greeted the crowd with such a warmness, Travis are by no means a minnow, but I’d argue not many punters were going into the day expecting to be as entertained as they were, they definitely surprised me.

After around 30 minutes they ended with their biggest hit, ‘Why Does it Always Rain On Me?’, Fran quipping: “Let’s hope it doesn’t…” prior to starting it, an ominous foreshadowing of Sunday’s weather conditions.

Next on – former All Saints star Shaznay Lewis, she was great and kept up the vibes from Travis.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph afterwards she said: “The crowd were great, and what made it so great was that it was just one stage.

“It was a perfect way to end the summer.”

Pixie Lott followed, by far the most energetic act we’d seen up to that point and such a fantastic entertainer – ‘Boys and Girls’ was her best song for me and it got the families up off their camping chairs at the back so it’s what we like to see.

It was around 2pm and I was having the time of my life – and it was about to get so much better!

A few more people had moved into the front section in anticipation of what was next as the stage was getting prepped.

“What’s Your Flava?” blurts out and none other than Craig David bursts onto the stage with huge applause.

‘Fill Me In’, ‘Rise and Fall’, ‘Seven Days’ and ‘Re-Rewind’, it was hit after hit.

Craig while speaking with the Lancashire Telegraph (Image: NQ)

He was brilliant and like Travis, has such a warmth on stage and connects so well to the audience.

“The crowd, the energy, the love, they were singing every word,” he said afterwards.

He even debuted his new song, ‘Your Hands’.

He said: “I’ve been holding onto that song for a while.

“It was either go big or go home.”

Sting, Saturday’s headline act, was also praised by Craig, who sampled the 72-year-old’s song, ‘Shape of My Heart’ in his song ‘Rise and Fall’.

“He instilled in me something I like to think I bestow on others, and that’s words of advice, he even gave me publishing which a lot of people wouldn’t have done,” Craig added.

Snow Patrol and Kim Wilde followed, if I’m honest I was busy with work duties for a large chunk of their acts so I can’t fairly judge them.

From what I saw they were very solid and carried the day through well to the last two acts.

The Sugababes, who are currently on somewhat of a resurgence with the original line-up back, had what was potentially the moment of the day.

The BBC brought a big wheel to the event (Image: NQ)

Their first six songs were good, but the encore of, ‘Push the Button’, ‘Round Round’ and ‘About You Now’ was pop perfection for 15 minutes or so. So catchy, so fun and the ideal trio for a festival like this. Just great.

But the time had come: Sting was next on. 

And if what had come before was pop perfection, he exhibited rock perfection.

Starting with ‘Message in a Bottle’ it was in a different league to the other setlists of the day – and that’s really saying something.

Even without Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland he smashed The Police songs, ‘So Lonely’ being the best – a friend said it could even be heard clearly from Fulwood!

Sting opening his set (Image: NQ)

‘Roxanne’ was the final song and after the day I’d had, I couldn’t wait to go again the next day.

After awakening and opening my blinds though, I knew it was going to be a different experience.

Rain! And it wasn’t showing signs of letting up, and what comes with rain? Mud, and lots of it on this occasion.

However, we and the rest of the crowd weren’t deterred as Haircut 100 kicked off a rainy Sunday – thanks Travis!

Haircut just screams the 1980s, or what I imagine the 1980s were like, the name, the clothes, the songs – Moor Park was filled with nostalgic 50-odd-year-olds rolling back the years.

Former Neighbours star and Aussie, Delta Goodrem was next to brave the conditions, she was Sunday’s Pixie Lott and brought an infectious optimism to a fairly dreary setting.

Paul Heaton was the third act of the day, joined by Rianne Downey, it was like they took the rain away, especially while they were performing ‘Happy Hour’, originally a Housemartins song – Paul’s former band from the 1980s.

In terms of how they transformed the day, they were the best so far, singing to a bunch of hyped music lovers in dry 22-degree conditions is one thing, but taking on the elements is another.

He said: “It’s a bit like Glastonbury here, you don’t know how big it is until you see it.

Paul performing 'Caravan of Love' (Image: NQ)

“It’s an enormous pleasure and privilege.

“It would have been foolish not to enjoy it.”

The next three acts epitomised the weekend, Shed Seven, Gabrielle and Sister Sledge.

They had big hits and suited the vibe of the audience to a tee.

The Manic Street Preachers came on around 7pm, ‘A Design for Life’ was probably the song of the weekend, frontman James Dean Bradfield is up there with the Gallaghers in terms of how to encapsulate life into a song and get the crowd to bellow it back out again.

I didn’t care about the mud, the Manics were recreating the Paul Heaton effect and removing the weather from the equation as they closed with ‘If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next’.

(Image: NQ)

There was then an hour or so to wait for the Pet Shop Boys to round off the weekend, the mud was really getting in the way now, and huge puddles had started to form.

But the crowd stayed strong and the synth act was a pleasant way to bring the curtain down on the event – hits like ‘You Were Always on My Mind’ evoked that recurring 80s nostalgia the crowd was craving.

And there we have it, an amazing weekend of music, not one poor act, a fantastic crowd and a shed (seven) load of mud!