Announced in April earlier this year, BBC Radio 2 In The Park took place in Preston at Moor Park with an extensive line up of pop royalty spearheaded by headliners Sting and Pet Shop Boys. The event marked the first time a BBC festival has reached Preston since 2007 when Radio 1’s Big Weekend took place. With ticket sales flying through the roof, the people of Preston were more than ready for two days of live outdoor music.

SATURDAY

Making my way onto the festival site for the first time, I was blown away with how Moor Park was transformed. Upon entry I was surrounded by stalls, rides, stands and a truly colossal main stage. The day of live music started with Radio 2 DJ’s Romesh Ranganathan and Rylan Clarke gracing the stage, hyping up the crowd ahead of the first act of the day, Scottish rock outfit Travis.

Chris Martin has described Travis as “the band who invented my band and many others” which was shown clearly in their set of feel-good rock anthems. With the band having been around for 25 years, you could possibly expect a sense of complacency in their performance, however the band brought heaps of energy throughout their set making it a perfect way to start the day.

Following Travis was All Saints’ Shaznay Lewis. Her powerful voice stood out positively over her amazingly tight live band. Whilst not being overly familiar with Shaznay’s solo material, tracks such as Kiss of Life and Got To Let Go surprised and totally held their weight amongst the All Saints classics that were also performed. A highlight of Lewis’ set was a cover of George Michael’s Freedom, prompting the first full on sing-along of the day.

Keeping with the pop perfection, up next was Pixie Lott. Introduced by Radio 2 DJ and close friend Scott Mills, Pixie took the stage and launched into a set that consisted of 2010s bangers and new material. Her energy on stage was absolutely infectious as she seemed genuinely excited to be performing at the festival, feeding off of the audience to elevate her performance even more. The stripped back cover of Shaboozey’s A Bar Song (Tipsy) was a welcome surprise in her set that was performed extremely well.

WHAT’S YOUR FLAVA?

R&B and UK garage legend Craig David wasted no time whatsoever, running on stage opening with 2002s What’s Your Flava; a track that immediately got the crowd dancing and singing. He continued to roll into song after song with each being met with riotous applause, especially tracks from his first two albums including Fill Me In and set closer 7 Days. With his impressive live vocals as well as his captivating live band, Craig David really brought the best crowd reactions of the day so far. A brilliant set, perfect for the day.

80’s pop legend Kim Wilde followed bringing a good change in sound and style with her blend of pop and new wave which added variety to the day of live music. She delivered a tight 30-minute set which included costume changes and choreography. It was an impressive live show which was received extremely well with plenty of fans with various Kim Wilde t-shirts being visible on the big screens.

As the day got darker, Snow Patrol unleashed a classic festival set with passionate singalong moments and infectious grooves. Tracks such as Run and Chasing Cars were expected highlights, however it was the opening song, Open Your Eyes, which stole the show. Its delicate, restrained first half that built to the glorious explosion towards the end. Another great choice for the festival’s varied line up.

POP PERFECTION

Following on from their extremely well received set at Glastonbury earlier this year, there was great anticipation for Sugababes set at Radio 2 In The Park. They did not disappoint. Their live show really elevated their songs to a new level with their breath taking vocals and incredibly powerful live band. Songs such as Hole in the Head and Overload in particular reached new heights, however it was the three-song encore of Push The Button, Round Round and About You Know which were the true highlight of not only their set, but of the entire festival. Absolute pop perfection.

The first headline slot of the weekend came from the legendary Sting. No time was wasted at all with the set opening with The Police’s classic Message In A Bottle to an overwhelming crowd reaction. The set continued to wow the audience going from classic to classic scouring the discographies of not only The Police but of Sting’s solo material.

The band accompanying Sting was truly fantastic, however a special mention has to go to the drummer who was absolutely relentless throughout the entire set. The overall highlight had to be So Lonely, The Police’s classic which generated the most amount of dancing and moving seen all day at the festival. Sting put on a brilliant live show which was a great way to close the first day.

SUNDAY

Arriving on Sunday, the heavens truly opened. The festival grounds had already started to become muddier with puddles spreading all around. The people of Preston refused to let it spoil their day.

Up first were 80s pop rock group Haircut 100; a band one of our favourite up and comers, Barbara, supported last year. They’re an extremely fun and light-hearted band which brought people up and dancing in spite of the poor weather. Going down extremely well with the crowd, they were a great choice to open the second day.

Australian singer-songwriter and television personality Delta Goodrem was next on the stage. Her positive spirit was infectious, even with the weather worsening throughout her set. She seemed so pleased to be back performing in the UK as she went through her array of hits. A really solid set overall that managed to keep the crowd engaged even with the harsh rain.

CARAVAN OF LOVE

Next up was the legend that is Paul Heaton. Like Sugababes, Paul had one of the most talked about sets at this year’s Glastonbury festival which increased excitement for his performance at Radio 2 In The Park. All in all, Paul, alongside vocalist Rianne Downey, brought what was possibly the most feel-good set of the weekend. It was the perfect solution to the poor weather. His on-stage banter and dancing got the crowd on his side as the set continued, culminating in a superb singalong of Caravan Of Love. Definitely a highlight of the whole weekend.

Sadly, I missed Shed Seven’s set so next was the amazing Gabrielle whose live vocals were possibly the best of the whole weekend. She just radiated positivity and warmth through each song with ease. It was a captivating and impressive performance that kept the spirits high. Her two tracks Out of Reach and Dreams closing the set was one of my most memorable moments of the festival as both songs were glorious to experience in a live setting.

IF YOU TOLERATE THIS…

The penultimate act and the biggest rock band playing Radio 2 In The Park was Wales’ own Manic Street Preachers. They brought the most energy out of any act, absolutely blasting from song to song of rock classics. Early on in the set, fan favourite A Design For Life was a real highlight prompting singing and dancing from all. However, it was 1992s Motorcycle Emptiness which had the best reaction from the crowd. It was a fantastic show and one that felt really like a headline performance especially with the two final tracks; You Love Us and If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next.

And like that, it was time for the final act of the weekend with synth-pop legends Pet Shop Boys taking the stage. Pet Shop Boys offered the most well thought out and impressive set of the entire weekend. Various different stage designs, dancers and lighting all made for a true headline performance. The set felt like they had put their all into every single part to make it as immersive as possible for the audience. Their setlist was littered with classics however It’s A Sin was a massive highlight. Pet Shop Boys put on an absolute spectacle, and it is hard to think of a better way to close out a festival like this.

Check out Pet Shop Boys performing It’s A Sin at Radio 2 In The Park below.

To find out more and watch highlights of Radio 2 In The Park, you can click here.

All live pictures: Harry Hodgson

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