sugababes

Carfest 2026 – Reviewed!

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Author: Natasha Molar

When the opportunity to experience CarFest headed my way, it may seem particularly daft for me to say that I didn’t realise there would be so many cars… In my defence, the line up poster I came across on Google was music heavy; live music acts at the top, DJ’s next, comedy / celebrity listings and then a line towards the bottom actually mentioned cars, just above the cookery masterclasses and mindfulness. But the location being Silverstone circuit – a new venue for CarFest – told me there was more to bargain for than that line on the poster suggested.

Established in 2012 by that ginger bloke off the radio and telly, Chris Evans, CarFest calls itself out as the UK’s largest family fundraising festival. If you need an extra excuse to go out and have a good time, 10% of every ticket sale goes to UK children’s charities, 100% of CarFest profits. But will you have a good time? Well, along with my able 8 year-old assistant, we certainly tested as many things as robustly as we could. Including my wallet.

Saturday

(…and genuinely sorry to have missed the vocally stunning Jessie J on the Friday)

Thanks to thunderstorms not agreeing with planes just a day before the festival, we were running very behind schedule. Perhaps a blessing in disguise that we were still sheltering in the car park as the heavens opened very enthusiastically onto the poor folks of CarFest. Still, by the time we joined the fun, the organisers had been out with the bark chips and we just got away with not having to bring out the wellies. Between Kart Silverstone and Young Driver – having both the Firefly Sport Car for ages 4-8 and instructor-led driving lessons in a Suzuki Swift (or similar) for ages 9-17 – we had barely made it off the starting line and I knew I’d need deep pockets!

I managed to wrangle the child into the festival proper, starting out at Kidfest. CarFest is sectioned off into the many different areas of the festival, a handy way to experience similar things you are keen to visit – not so useful if the whole family has ideas of doing different things in the moment. But the festival site overall is easy to navigate, so get yourselves sorted for a meet up point and make the most of what you want to do or you might run out of time. We found ourselves in a controlled area with wooden pallets to saw and nail into making dens. This is the most thrilling thing to do with real tools when you are 8 years old and also hard work when you’re the mum doing the actual sawing. I did repay by repeating ‘mate, we could’ve done DIY at home.’ Always good to confirm that you are, in fact, a parenting cliché.

To move into the other festival areas, you need to cross the race track, so you can’t just head in and out at any time; it’s closed for 30 minutes at four scheduled times during the day because it is understandably frowned upon to mix pedestrians with race cars. We took this time to head up into the stand and watch some cars whizzing past before exploring the enticing promise of the tents beyond.

First up SpaFest, centre for all things relaxing, including yoga, pottery, dance, sound baths, paint and crafts, with guests such as Mr Motivator, Sally Gunnell and Mo Farah. But relaxing with an excited youngster at a festival was not on the cards, so we snuck through RetroFest – me looking back longingly at the Vintage Tea Room and the Retro record Fair – but gladly able to appreciate some absolutely gorgeous car club motors in the Classic Quarter. Seeing people being able to bring their passions along and chat to people appreciating them is I think what gives CarFest some of its friendly family vibe; and we love to hear it.

Much as I could stare at a VW Karmann Ghia all day, I pressed us forward, blinkers on to finally get to the music arena. I feared we wouldn’t catch a single act, as there was so much to do. But catch we did, with James Morrison celebrating 20 years since his debut. What a voice! As a rocker, I’ll confess that I only know his classics like You Give Me Something and Broken Strings so I was pleasantly surprised to be impressed by his vocal tone and live performance. As I looked around the arena, families that had split off for different activities earlier in the day had re-met to make the most of the rare sunshine along with the music. I was struck by the multi-generational family set-ups as people settled into their camp chairs, and that solidified for me what CarFest is about – being there with your niece who is 18 months, your Dad who is 65 and every family member in between.

Rick Parfitt Jnr was up next with his band and as I was distracted by huge bubble blowing machines on poles adding to the atmosphere, my kid was rocking his socks off. Rick plays cover songs, mostly medleys, be it I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas to Seven Nation Army by White Stripes. I can be a serious old musical sausage at times and the thought of hearing more songs in this mash up monstrosity made me itch, until I looked around. Seeing so many happy, smiling faces sing back at each other, I succumbed to getting the little on my shoulders and dancing around. It’s what its all about after all. I switched the torch onto my phone and passed it to kiddo to wave in the air to Coldplay’s Fix You and Prince’s Purple Rain. In a sweet tribute to his Dad, recognising it being 10 years this year since he passed away, Rick Jnr shared that he’d bumped into his dad’s guitar tech who was there working with Tom Jones. Soon CarFest was Rockin’ All Over the World with the advice of ‘if you don’t know the lyrics, there aren’t many, you’ll soon get the hang of it.’ Too true Rick. It felt like the band couldn’t quite finish as they moved to one more song, followed by one more song and CarFest lapped it up.

I am of an age where I recall the joke about the Sugababes was that anyone might be in them by next week, but the line-up is back to the original members performing here at Silverstone. Despite my expressed fondness for rock music, I will frown upon anyone who doesn’t admit that Freak Like Me is an absolute banger and it was great to hear it live. Focussing on our stomachs, we stayed in earshot for hits such as Hole in the Head and Push the Button – it’s not hard to figure out why the Sugababes are a pop sensation. Of course, I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole to discover that all of the band were contributing songwriters. Bravo.

James Morrison might’ve been my biggest surprise of the day, but that’s only because I already had expectations of the headliner’s legendary voice. He was even on a TV show called The Voice for goodness sake! Unsurprisingly, stalwart 86-year-old Tom Jones knows how to entertain and charm a crowd. The guitar-based ballad he was singing – I knew the words, but somehow my mental filing couldn’t quite place it until ‘Sex Bomb, Sex Bomb, you’re a Sex Bomb!’ And as the crown sang back It’s Not Unusual with gusto, it in fact was not unusual that my little man was quite tuckered out and we headed out to rest up for…

Sunday

A short walk in and we were greeted by Rock Choir near the Kart track – thank you for the warm and uplifting welcome. Back to Kidfest – of course we could not walk past – and a paid activity this time of what I can only describe as being put in with a load of balloons in a snow globe! We found ourselves with far too many things to do – from the Adrenaline Area with a climbing wall and zip line, to Pudsey’s Spot with BBC Children in Need – the little was scooted away from his new potential future in limbo to look at cars…

And boy, did we embrace being at Silverstone! Heading back across the track, we got a peep of the funny little Ford Pops (don’t @ me, I love them) racing around and doing a drift show.

Then we walked the Cars @ CarFest, adding onto our in-head car shopping wishlist. Ambling past the corporate sponsors, car makers, rally cars, everything shiny and slick…

…until we did hit a section in my price range – Hot Wheels! Alas, I had my eye on the rather wonderful full-size versions, but we played with the toys for some time while friends watched the supercars on the track. If you were quick off the mark with pre-booking, you could even run 3K of the track as part of the Festival Dash, but tickets sold out in advance. Shame. Who am I kidding? I wasn’t running…

This full size Riddler Hot Wheels Legend is a VW Beetle! Can you believe it? It was given away somewhat from the rear engine view, but even I didn’t twig initially from the front and I’ve spent long enough dealing with their special brand of nonsense as an owner…

Supercars hung out in the International Paddock and although you could look from the barrier, this wasn’t a place to get up close, as the cars were heading in and out to the racetrack. If you wanted to queue up for a Grid Walk, there was the opportunity to walk among the cars on the track once they were lined up and in position. And what does a fancy-pants person do when they want to show off their car even more? For a £100 pre-bookable donation, you could meet the owner in the paddock and sit at the wheel. If you were feeling flush – you could book a track ride for £600 upwards from Sporting Bears Dream Rides or with Road Rides starting from £20. All money in the bag for the good causes supported by CarFest.

If you wanted something a little faster, the drag teams had it covered, including the lovely folks from Santa Pod Raceway and the Junior Dragsters. I love a drag strip – the noise, the flames, the speed – but I wasn’t sold on letting my precious angel start racing, which is possible from age 8 apparently. Yeah, let’s gloss over that one…

Last bits of track action for the festival and we were thrilled to catch the drift show, where the tyres are genuinely mostly left on the track…

….as you can see clearly on the final laps of the day.

As the weekend drew to a close back in the music arena, I caught a moment of the Proclaimers who got folks up out of their chairs and singing along, which was no mean feat after a long weekend. But the kids had other ideas and so we caved and spent a small fortune in the funfair, and after too many rides the kids laid on the ground feeling sick, which tickled me more than it should as someone who gets motion sickness! Shamefully, we departed ahead of Rick Astley and headline act Nile Rogers & Chic but sometimes with kids at festivals, you just have to put their needs first. It’s a different experience but one that’s still worthwhile. As we wound our way out of the festival, 90s pop star Gabrielle was entertaining the crowds, singing perfectly Out of Reach, which is honestly how we felt about finding where we’d parked – organisers, more signage and lights for this please.

I’m not a veteran of CarFest, so I can’t compare against the previous events and what this meant for this first year at Silverstone. As a first timer, I noticed a few things I would consider before heading back. As corporate sponsored fundraising festival you definitely don’t want to be there on a budget. It’s possible, but it would affect just how much you could embrace all the fun things available (and the strain on your earholes if you are sensitive to repetitive requests of ‘I want to do that Mum!)’ and of course, you will want to be add to that lovely charity total. There’s a real feelgood factor to supporting the causes by having fun.

There is absolutely so much to do at Carfest, I haven’t even got to talking about the many stalls set out in FoodFest, the book store by Waterstones, The Author’s tent, the Tasting tent… I’d regard pre-planning as essential if you do want to attend specific events, such as the Festival Dash, and I suspect that slots to book a car ride may be limited or booked out on the day.

Overall, a jam-packed action weekend, suitable for all the family providing they have the energy or you seek accessible support – we did 17,000 steps both days and did not have the to and fro of the campsite to consider. You’d do well not to like all things and ditch folks by the track while you do a soundbath for example, but for those of us who do like all things, it’s best to accept that you won’t do all of them. And you’ll need some organisation and bags of energy to embrace as much as you possibly can.

Natasha Molar for SFG

Reminisce & Retrospective Festival – coming this September

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Friday 11th & Saturday 12th September

Sherdley Park, St Helen’s

https://www.reminiscefestival.com

REMINISCE FESTIVAL

25,000 tickets are almost sold out as hundreds of acts across 9 arenas, head to St Helen’s for Reminisce on Sept 12th, the adults only festival with great vibes & fab food including Tik Tok sensation Spudman, who will be bringing his tasty potatoes to the area for the very first time!

Reminisce Festival returns for 2026 with another huge celebration of dance music nostalgia, bringing together some of the most iconic club artists, DJs and performers from the 90s and 00s for one unforgettable day in the sun. Set in the heart of Sherdley Park, St Helens, this is where old-school anthems, hands-in-the-air moments and feel-good energy collide with a crowd that knows every word, every drop and every tune.

From rave classics and chart-topping dance hits to legendary clubland favourites, Reminisce has become one of the UK’s biggest throwback festivals, uniting generations of music lovers for a day built on pure nostalgia and non-stop atmosphere. Party goer’s of all ages, have made Reminisce a sell-out success.  Now one of the North West’s, most popular festivals, consistently growing in number with a reputation for being an exceptionally well-organised, friendly, festival with optimal consideration for the local community.

Alongside the huge main stage performances, the festival once again delivers a packed lineup spanning classic dance, trance, hardcore, clubland and pop crossover favourites. From iconic vocalists to legendary DJs and live performers, every stage is designed to keep the atmosphere alive from the first tune to the final anthem, packed full of dance music royalty and legendary names from across the decades. 

Amelle presents Sugababes Overload, East 17, Liberty X, N-Trance and Phats & Small, will beentertaining the often neon clad crowd in the Fezzy Pop arena, whilst Gok Wan makes a happy return and other popular regulars such as K Klass, N Trance, Oceanic, Basshunter, Julie McKnight, Dave Pearce, Jeremy Healy, Jon Pleased Wimmin, Tall Paul and so many more will be playing across this 12 hour party!

If that wasn’t enough – there’s great food and hospitality on site. This year it will include Tik Tok’s International Superstar of Potatoes with over 4.2million followers – Spudman’s debut appearance in the Liverpool area!  He will be bringing the hottest spuds in the country to Reminisce for a delicious eat to the beat experience – Everyone say CHEESE!

RETROSPECTIVE FESTIVAL

Tickets & full line up: https://www.reminiscefestival.com/retrospective

Bought to you by the organisers of Reminisce Festival, Retrospective returns for it’s second year to Sherdley Park in St Helens on Friday 11th September.

Presenting some of the very best pop acts from the 80’s and 90’s performing live on the main stage and Reminisce favorites, residents and classical orchestra in the Woodland, Retrospective kicks off Liverpool’s, biggest retro party weekend in style!

Heading to Sherdley Park in St Helen’s on Friday night for a full colour, pop extravaganza on the site of Reminisce festival, which happens the following day for a 12-hour party of 90’s bangers. Retrospective is the perfect warm up for the weekend or as a stand- alone show with some of the most exciting acts from the 80’s and beyond, belting out all the biggest chart-topping pop tunes of the decade.

B*witched join the line up for a pop extravaganza of bubbly chart- topping pop songs. C’est al Vie!  The Fizz original members of Eurovision winners Bucks Fizz Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston will be Making their minds up in the land of make believe. All part of the act – those skirts still get whipped off mid show and they have the greatest legs in the business!

Carol Decker of TPau with her powerful voice will be performing China In Your Hands, Sybil will be crooming about the love she lost, Nadine Coyle will be singing some Girls Aloud smashes and the amazing Heather Small will be searching for the heroes inside with hit after hit from her solo career and M People. Pete Waterman will be hosting, Pat Sharp bringing his party DJ set and everybody’s free on the dancefloor with Rozalla. 

Reminisce Classical Orchestra will be bringing their amazing high energy strings to club classics and the whole evening will be a fun filled night of nostalgia, making memories that will last another lifetime.

In Demand Radio will once again be the official radio partner and will be broadcasting exclusive content with the artists and DJs performing at the event.

Retrospective is a one-night multi bill event celebrating the best in classic pop.

IN IT TOGETHER FESTIVAL ANNOUNCE 2024 HEADLINERS

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Daily Mirror ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Sun “…a weekend party like no other”

 

The countdown is well and truly on for Wales’ biggest family festival as ‘In It Together’ announce their headline acts for 2024.  Set to make for an unforgettable weekend  – Sugababes, Rag’n’Bone Man andDizzee Rascal have today been unveiled as the headliners for the festival, which returns to Margam in South Wales next May.
 
Sugababes are one of the most successful British girl bands of the 21st century, scoring 6 UK number 1 singles, millions of global sales, and multiple multi-platinum albums. Joining them on the bill is 3 time Brit Award winner Rag’n’Bone Man, whose 4x platinum selling 2017 debut album ‘Human’ became the fastest selling debut album by a male artist of the decade.
 
Also announced today – Cat Burns, Eliza Rose, Craig David’s TS5, James Morrison, Diversity, Joel Corry, Eats Everything, and Sigma are joining a stellar line-up of international stars includingRazorlight, Sam Ryder, Billy Ocean, Blue, Scouting for Girls, Sister Sledge and Gruff Rhys. 
 
With budgets in mind, and cementing their status as the biggest family-friendly festival in Wales, In It Together are also launching their ‘Kids Go Free’ campaign – where children can now attend the festival for free as part of a family ticket.  This means access to 150 artists playing over the weekend – plus over 100 free family activities included at no extra charge.
 
Among the activities are the Climbing Wall, Tic Tac Skate School, Outdoor Cinema, Sports Academy, Science School and Junior Jungle all making a welcome return.  Joining them for 2024 will be an Extreme Sports Arena with BMX, Parkour and Volt Stunt Shows and Workshops, Live Wrestling, a designated Baby and Toddler tent and brand new Street Food Village. So, whether you’re an adrenaline junkie or fancy yourself as the foodie of the family – there is sure to be something to satisfy your cravings.
 
Another returning fan favourite is Steelworks which will be bigger than ever in 2024.  The stage will showcase the best world music –  everything from Reggae, Funk, Soul, Afrobeat to Dub and more.  On Sunday the stage will be hosted by crowd favourites Chai Wallahs.
 
The festival’s iconic dance tent Panchaia will once again see the worlds of House, Techno and Drum n Bass collide in 2024.  Elsewhere on site, the popular Rewind arena is back after an epic 2023 debut, playing the very best of 90’s and 00’s anthems.  Garage Nation, Noughty 90s and Judgement will all host over the weekend.
 
As well as welcoming some of the biggest international names to the Welsh Valleys, the festival will once again be a proud supporter of upcoming local talent – with the Padlock Stage hosting over 30 Welsh artists, showcasing the country’s finest exports.
 
Speaking about this year’s festival Mark Hopkins, Head of Festivals said: ‘‘After much hard work behind the scenes, we’re thrilled to finally be able to announce Sugababes, Rag’n’Bone Man and Dizzee Rascal as the headline acts for 2024. “
 
Earlier this year the family-friendly weekender well and truly cemented its status as the number 1 festival in Wales, with headliners The Kooks, Anne-Marie and James playing to sold out crowds under the glorious May sunshine.  A remarkable achievement for a festival which only made its debut in 2022.
 
Tickets for In It Together 2024 will be available from 10am on the Monday 27th November– register atwww.inittogetherfestival.com. Prices start from £159 for a weekend ticket or £319 for family tickets (2 adults with 2 kids going free).  Secure your ticket for a £20 deposit and pay nothing more until after Christmas.

BST Hyde Park – Take That, REVIEWED!

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© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST

Back to Hyde Park again this sunny Saturday for some true British treasure in the form of Take That – the band that broke the nation’s heart when they broke up, and then came back as the ultimate zaddies of pop to woo all the mums again.

Before we all get too hot under the collar, Will Young is giving everyone at the main stage a huge wholesome hug. Not my usual fayre by any means but his voice is excellent, the vibes are funky, and I really like his frilly shirt and braces. Though he’s battled through extreme anxiety and more than his fair share of difficult times, Will is possibly one of the nicest men in pop music today. It’s hard not to smile through this performance, particularly when he goes over to hug the Great Oak stage tree, and then says “Hope you’re all hydrating yourselves, it’s hot today!”. Yes Will Young, I will do as you say because I think you’re darling.

© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST

Doors cover ‘Light My Fire’ has the whole arena singing along (and I must say it’s a very respectable crowd for this time of day) but ‘Leave Right Now’ and ‘Evergreen’ are the hits everyone came for, and he delivers.

Over on the Cuban Garage stage we witness the joyful beats of South London Samba, and some frankly incredible rainbow feathered moves from the carnival dancers (two of whom can jump drop into a split, amazing) before we grab some much needed dinner. There are a ridiculous amount of options here for a festival this size, but we try out a Buffalo chicken bowl (way spicier than I’d anticipated) and some ginger tofu Bao (faaaancy) – both great.

Sugababes hit the main stage with a set that surprised me, for the simple reason that I had no idea I knew *that* many of their songs. Starting strong with Adina Howard cover ‘Freak Like Me’ they come out looking every bit the pop princesses they always did, and are absolutely owning the stage for ‘Red Dress’. ‘Hole in the Head’ is fantastic, but if you’re a certain kind of person – even hearing the intro to ‘Too Lost In You’ will both make you think of Christmas AND make you irrationally angry… if you know you know.

“It’s an absolute honour to be here! Look at the weather, the sun is coming out!” they yell, before hitting us with classic trio ‘Push The Button’, ‘Round Round’ and ‘About You Now’. It’s a very clean and precise set, I think I’d like to see them loosen up a little but musically – it’s great, and I appreciate their long battle to reclaim their name and their lost music, to get here.

Ireland’s The Script are fun, and there’s a nice roundness to the fact that they used to tour with Take That back in the day too, but I can’t get by the cringeworthy bit that took a full ten minutes out of their set time to orchestrate. “I wanna call someone’s ex! Who right now is crazy enough to give me their phone?” yells frontman Danny O’Donoghue before grabbing one passed up by security. He proceeds to phone someone’s unsuspecting ex-boyfriend, tells them who he is and lets the crowd scream at them before singing ‘Before The Worst’ at him. Following the serenade, he has the whole arena yell “Goodbye Asshole” at the phone, which is just… not that funny and kinda gauche. ‘If You Could See Me Now’ is dedicated to the memory of their guitarist Mark Sheehan, it’s a great song, but they’ve kinda lost me with the stunt if I’m honest.

© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST

Heading into the final event, the arena has now swelled with people to the point of bursting. The toilet queues are out of control and stretch halfway around the arena, the bars are all loaded and the merch stalls are still going strong. We catch The Cuban Brothers doing another brilliant set on the Cuban Garage stage, but when heading over to grab a tshirt we find that the BST have racked the price up by a tenner since yesterday. Price gouging isn’t a good look for an event – especially when The Cubans themselves just said the tees were £20 on stage and would be when they hit the online shop. Not cool.

Heading down to the Golden Circle area to find a good place to watch Take That, we are immediately pulled into the throng alongside an excited lady wielding a giant face cut out of Gary Barlow (a little disconcerting) and we can see another woman in a Take That patch jacket down the front. This particular person was spotted last night, camping out in Hyde Park ready to be right there today, the dedication is on point.

As intros go, this one is pretty epic. A hoarde of dancers enter the stage seemingly from everywhere, and set themselves up all over the giant lighted staircase that runs from the backdrop right down to the main floor, in front of which a giant runway ending in a second smaller stage area has been set. The band emerge to ear-bleeding levels of frenetic fan screams all around us. The cacophony of the mums knows no bounds. Include me in that, because I cannot get enough of their fashion ensembles tonight. Howard is wearing something that I can only describe as… Newscaster-school-football-kit-in-the-seventies. It is ochre, striped and flared, and I want it. Gary has decided to come as Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty, and Mark is… well Mark is wearing an ostrich. A whole one.

© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST

There might only be three of them now (no sign of Robbie despite him also being on tour… boooo) but right out of the gates ‘The Flood’ sounds absolutely brilliant, seems like they’re going to be on top form tonight. Yelling “Good evening Hyde Paaaaaark!” the trio head down the long runway to the middle of the pulsing crowd, “…this is gonna be an amazing night tonight, we want you to sing along and dance along!” and huge blasts of ticker-tape confetti erupt from around them as fireworks go off along the front of the stage. It’s pretty clear they’ve come here to party and I’m instantly all-in.

‘Could It Be Magic’ brings glittery screens and their OG boyband dance moves, and I am shooketh to my core as I myself (ten years their junior) have injured myself getting out of bed, why only this morning. Special guest Calum Scott of Britain’s Got Talent fame, joins the band for ‘Greatest Day’ as he had been part of the reworked song for their film which was released last month, before taking the stage to himself for his cover of Robyn’s ‘Dancing On My Own’.

BeeGees cover ‘How Deep is Your Love’ and ‘A Million Love Songs’ are the catalyst for a whole lot of overwhelmed fangirl sobbing, and my sister who had nipped to the loos at an opportune moment belted back to us to sing “AND HERE I AAAAAAM” in our faces. ‘Shine’ heralds a delightful outfit change, including a fancy white top-hat (which is later thrown out into the crowd, what an excellent bit of memorabilia for some lucky person) for Mark, a green velvet biker jacket for Gary (I would also like to own this) and a tux jacket with golden-winged lapels for Howard. They are taking this photo opportunity very seriously and I love it.  Despite the air of professionalism, they joke “We might miss a few of our cues tonight, the runway is way longer than we thought… it takes ages to get back up there” and then mention how appreciative they are of everyone coming back to gigs after some weird years during the pandemic.

© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST

Stopping for a quick break to read some of the signs being held up in the front rows, we are treated to the truest representation of the British wit… “This song is older than us” Gary reads as two kids scream holding the sign, and another “I think of you when I shag my husband” with (presumably) the husband standing alongside the woman laughing. “I left my husband in hospital to be here” has the entire crowd in agreement on the state of her morals, but the best one by far was “Today is MY Greatest Day – I made it! F U Cancer!”. Having an arena full of thousands of people cheer you on and celebrate with you must be phenomenal in itself, but when the band dedicate the next song to Laura, holder of the sign, she looks absolutely beside herself with joy. It’s a lovely heartfelt moment.

Telling everyone this is the “Song that brought us back”, we are treated to a little acoustic guitar for ‘Patience’ before a huge singalong for ‘Pray’ and the most incredible original video dance moves, an absolute highlight. ‘Back For Good’ is also brilliant, and I can’t help but dance to Sigma cover ‘Cry’ under an obscene amount of ticker-tape spewing into the air above us.

© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST


Another quick outfit change into the most ridiculous giant white furry coats and it’s time for ‘Relight My Fire’ with the actual for-real LuLu, who is sporting some excellent sparkly flared trousers. ‘Hold Up A Light’ sees the crowd holding up phone torches across the arena, but ‘Never Forget’ is the true epitome of Take That-ness and every single person has their hands up for it. “You know the choreography, join in!” hardly needs to be said because we are all totally invested at this point of the proceedings.

Going out in style with ‘Rule The World’ leaves me in no doubt that Take That are making yet another triumphant return, following their performance at the Corrie-Nache earlier this year. Looking over to see my sister and her sister-in-law doing a little cry and singing along, I reckon they’ve gained another confirmed fan in me tonight, it was a bloody brilliant show, so Take That.

© Credit Dave Hogan / Hogan Media for BST