Didn’t sleep well. The flat downstairs had music going in the early hours. Still, we were up reasonably early and on the bus back to the festival, where we managed to get our hands on a bacon roll and a coffee before things got going. The queue was moving, but the bacon wasn’t cooking quickly enough for demand. It’s my view that there are remarkably few bacon roll vendors for a festival.
First up on the Main Stage was Björn Again, doing a 40-minute ABBA tribute set: a total crowd-pleaser – big energy, lots of singalongs, and the kind of opening that sets the tone nicely for a Sunday. Then came Ella Eyre. I didn’t know her music beforehand, but the set was packed with great pop tunes. She kept saying the crowd would need to help her out, which, at first, I thought was just the usual festival banter – but part-way through, she ran off stage, leaving 15 minutes of her slot unplayed. She later posted an emotional apology on social media. I thought her vocals sounded great while she was on, so it came as a bit of a surprise to hear that her voice had gone.
Alison Moyet followed, opening with Nobody’s Diary – written when she was still a teenager with Yazoo. The rest of the set was a mix of lesser-known tracks, at least to me, but her voice was powerful throughout. Sadly, I think she lost the crowd a little bit with the less well-known tunes.
Like lots of people, we rushed across to The Big Top for Midge Ure. Scheduling him so close to Alison Moyet – but on a different stage – didn’t make a lot of sense. By the time we arrived, it was full, so we stood outside and watched the screen. Worth it, though. A brilliant set. Vienna was in there, obviously, but also Fade to Grey (which he co-wrote for Visage), which was a real highlight.
When we made it back to the Main Stage, Olly Murs was already well into his set, dedicating Dear Darlin’ to Caroline Flack. From our position at the back, the screens were essentially dots, but the energy still carried.
We stayed in the same spot for Texas, but the wind had picked up and the sound wasn’t really carrying. We were in a patch of crowd mostly made up of large seated groups, treating it more like a garden party with background music. That, and the wind, meant we couldn’t hear much of Sharleen Spiteri’s chat between songs – a shame, as I usually enjoy on-stage banter from the artists.
We looked at the rest of the line-up and decided nothing else was enough to keep us from the return trip, so we hopped on the bus back, picked up fish and chips, and watched Jess Glynne’s set on the telly. Much better sound, full picture, and no one setting up a picnic in front of us. Just a shame Sky Arts aren’t showing Justin Timberlake’s headline set – but still, can’t really complain.
Another festival all wrapped up.