Live Review: BBC Radio 2 in the Park @ Moor Park, Preston

Photo Credit: BBC
All the performances from Radio 2 in the Park in Preston are available to hear on BBC Sounds and watch on BBC iPlayer.

BBC RADIO 2 IN THE PARK made a triumphant return for its summer finale festival, this time situated in the Lancashire town of Preston. The main stage featured a line-up that included huge artists from the last 30 years in addition to star-studded headliners. In between sets, Radio 2 DJ’s provided entertainment for the public in the form of DJ sets and introducing acts to build up the excitement.

With a new album on the horizon, PIXIE LOTT used her slot on the main stage as the ideal opportunity to remind her followers of her identity and include tracks from her album into the set. Beginning with one of her new songs ‘Somebody’s Daughter‘, it was the chart topping single ‘Boys & Girls‘, that got the place pumped up. Her latest track ‘Midnight Trash‘, was well-received by the Preston audience and with an enormous smile on her face, PIXIE strutted around the stage, soaking in every second of the performance. Radio 2 DJ Rylan Clark joined PIXIE for ‘Cry Me Out‘ who really brought the duet to life and gave it an extra flavour. The set ended with a more abridged rendition of ‘It’s All About Tonight‘, to a thunderous cheer from the audience as PIXIE left the stage whilst her band saw out the remainder of the song.

In order to keep up the summertime vibe for a little while longer, CRAIG DAVID made his much awaited appearance. He delivered a performance that included both new and old songs, including the live debut of ‘In Your Hands‘. The crowd was soon singing and dancing to the fan favourite ‘Fill Me In‘, with CRAIG covering the entire stage to give each area of the audience a little extra attention. ‘Ain’t Giving Up‘ and ‘Rewind‘ kept the party going, with the latter generating the most excitement from the audience as it unfolded. ‘Nothing Like This‘ was the ideal summer anthem, with its uplifting beat and lyrics, and ‘7 Days‘ was the perfect way to cap off an incredible performance by CRAIG DAVID.

Next up was the admired KIM WILDE and fans were naturally anticipating her famed breakthrough hit, so to build up the excitement, she kept them waiting by launching into a performance of ‘Chequered Love‘, which is also from her debut album. As the Preston crowd began to pack out the park, WILDE performed her latest single ‘Trail of Destruction‘. and with the support from BBC Radio 2 with airtime of the track, many of her fans had already started singing along. She continued her tremendous performance after a quick outfit change, and once again rolled back the years with ‘You Came‘ before finally ending with the powerful ‘Kids In America‘ to bring the whole audience together for one last singalong.

As their new album ‘The Forest is the Path‘ is only around the corner, SNOW PATROL made their stance on the main stage opening with the crowd-pleasing song “Open Your Eyes” and then treated them to two brand new tracks ‘All‘ and ‘The Beginning‘, only one week out from the release of their upcoming record. The heart breaking song ‘Chasing Cars‘ had everyone in the park singing along and embracing friends, lovers, relatives, and even complete strangers. Though the band concluded their electrifying performance with ‘Just Say Yes‘, they left with enormous smiles on their faces.

Now with a 45-minute performance at their disposal, SUGABABES were prepared to unleash all the classics. Back with their original line-up, they opened with a stunning rendition of “Freak Like Me,” which immediately raised the stakes, followed by one of their hits “Red Dress,” which further heightened the intensity. The trio’s choreography was flawless throughout their performance, and as they concluded the garage classic “Flowers,” they made their way to the back of the stage before returning for a three-track encore. “Push the Button” and “Round Round,” kept the crowd entertained, with the latter bringing in the loudest reception of the day. Offering the Preston audience one final chance to be heard, SUGABABES marked the end of their set with ‘About You Now’ and the crowd certainly did not pass up in getting involved one last time.

Closing out the Saturday with a ray of hit from his near 50 year career was none other than STING. The Wallsend native wasted little time in dropping the hits into the set, and with a pitch full of fans singing along to opening track ‘Message in the Bottle‘, songs from The Police’s catalogue were set to be the most well received. Fans of his solo work carrier on the upbeat atmosphere into the night with ‘Englishman in New York‘ and further hits from his bands days including ‘Can’t Stand Losing You‘, ‘So Lonely‘ and ‘Every Breath You Take‘ which truly rolled back the years. As the night wore on and the chill started to creep in, ‘Roxanne‘ arrived right before 10pm., giving everyone an early finish and a well earned rest in preparation for yet another action-packed day.

The legendary PAUL HEATON made his live debut in Preston, accompanied once again by special guest vocalist RIANNE DOWNEY, who together, performed a set filled with hits from Paul’s extensive discography. Fans of The Beautiful South were immediately captivated by his opening song, ‘You Keep It All In‘, and his most recent release, ‘Fish N Chip Supper‘, was the ideal pick-me-up right before ‘Rotterdam‘, which RIANNE sang flawlessly. With ‘Quicksand‘, the young Scot kept up her stunning vocal performance, and the upbeat tune was a terrific way to cheer people up during the downpour. ‘Don’t Marry Her‘ concluded the songs from The Beautiful South, but there was still time for Paul Heaton’s Lancashire comeback with a Housemartins classic, ‘Caravan of Love‘ to conclude a brilliant set.

After a hectic summer, Welsh rock group MANIC STREET PREACHERS thought what better way to end the warmer months than to give the Preston crowd one final dance before the main event on a wet Sunday evening. As soon as ‘Your Love Is Not Enough‘ began, the audience started to jump around in the mud. James Dean Bradfield’s energy during the 45-minute set was constant, all whilst the Preston crowd were dancing along despite the soaking weather. The band made sure everyone in attendance was having fun. Marking history on the day, the live premiere of their brand-new song ‘Decline & Fall‘ soon followed, and to keep the good vibes flowing, Bradfield sang a tiny rendition of ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head‘ to reflect the terrible weather that descended upon Preston on the final day. Fan favourites ‘Motorcycle Emptiness‘ and ‘If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next‘ made sure that fans of their earlier material were satisfied, and the Blackwood band noticed that Welsh flags were being waved across the front portion of the barrier with Bradfield nodding to his fellow natives.