Thousands of music lovers descended on Bingley at the weekend for the town's music festival, which continues its emergence as one of the most notable music events in the UK.
A star-studded line-up of 22 bands performed for up to 15,000 people over three days for the fourth annual Bingley Music Live in Myrtle Park.
Organisers yesterday said they were pleased with the way the event had gone over the three days.
Andrew Wood, events manager for Bradford Council, said: “It’s gone really well. Everything has come together in terms of the infrastructure and the management of the festival.
“The artists have praised the festival and the team, as they have had a good time – it’s been beyond what they had expected.
“Without a doubt having John Lydon and Public Image Ltd in the line-up has increased the profile of the festival.”
The weekend got off to a flying start on Friday with veteran Manchester pop-punk band The Buzzcocks headlining the free night.
Saturday began with a more local flavour with Batley singer Jasmine Kennedy and Halifax indie rockers The Mexanines. By the time Example took to the stage however the crowd were well primed to bounce along to his electro-pop tunes.
Glastonbury rockers Reef went on to show why they continue to entertain with an energetic performance, although the loudest cheer was for the resilient party-anthem Place Your Hands.
Most of the band, who emerged but never sat easy with the mid-90s Britpop scene, looked as if they had hardly aged, with frontman Gary Stringer engaging the crowd throughout the set.
Fronted by punk-icon John Lydon, Public Image Ltd (PiL) served up enough evidence to back a claim for their influence on a diverse range of bands over the last three decades.
The experimental sound, fusing a wide range of influences including rock, dance, pop and dub, accompanied by snarling Lydon’s acerbic lyrics, reminded many there of the part the band played in the development of post-punk rock music throughout the years.
Inevitably, Lydon himself was the centre of attention, with his biting comments to the odd bottle thrower and ordering the stage hands to turn off the smoke machine, as he wasn’t allowed to have a cigarette!
Headliners James are the kind of band that can open with the ultimate crowd-pleaser Sit Down and yet manage to keep up the momentum throughout their evening set.
The band, whose sound is enhanced but not necessarily defined by Tim Booth’s unique vocals, were performing at Bingley as one of a select festival appearances in the UK this year, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
On Sunday, Seasick Steve must have left a lasting impression on the majority of the crowd with his stomping slide guitar blues, which can comfortably drift from the chaotic to the wistful in the space of a couple of songs. Bringing a suitably anthemic end to the weekend was Coventry Brit-rockers The Enemy.
The group, who shot to fame in 2007 with their debut album We’ll Live and Die in These Towns, ripped through a raucous set of sing-a-long choruses and deceptively catchy melodies.
A fitting end to a successful weekend.
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