Headlined by Gabrielle, the legendary soul sensation captivated a crowd of over 3,000 with a hit-packed appearance, including the upbeat When a Woman, Give Me a Little More Time, Sunshine, If You Ever, and Don’t Need the Sun to Shine. The Bob Dylan sampled Rise had everyone swaying as Gabrielle showcased real heartfelt emotion. Out of Reach sounded as timely as ever. Dreams, another timeless classic, ended the set on a high.
Ash opened with a dramatic intro from latest album Ad Astra and power track Fun People before belting out all the hits from their number one album, 1977, and beyond.
Rock band Starsailor drew a big crowd as they delivered a set packed with hits and fan favourites including Four To The Floor, Good Souls, Silence Is Easy, Alcoholic and Fever.
The Allergies got the enthusiastic crowd up and dancing in the sunshine with feel-good funk, soul sampling and infectious hip-hop beats.
Also performing on the main stage was Alex Spencer, an indie artist from Manchester, widely seen as one of the UK’s most exciting new voices.
Local band K-ESTATE played an energetic set of house-pop, funk and indie disco. From Middleton, they were chosen for the line-up by London based international music agency Free Trade.
There was an impressive debut from another local band, Metro, that got a great reception from the crowd. Only formed last year, Metro won this year’s Rochdale Music Service Battle of the Bands com-petition.
