Simone Reddington

Last weekend, the BBC Radio One Big Weekend music festival was hosted in Sunderland’s Herrington Park and I was lucky enough to secure tickets for the Saturday event.  I was even more lucky that the UK enjoyed a record-breaking heatwave over the Bank Holiday weekend; perfect weather for an outdoor festival. 

The BBC Radio One Big Weekend is an annual music festival that is held is a different location in the country every year. The event is a continuation of the Radio 1 Roadshow that was broadcast in various locations during the summer months between the 1973 to 1999.  The radio station adapted the roadshow into the ‘One Big Weekend’ in 2003, when it was first held for two days in Manchester’s Heaton Park.  I remember when I would listening to the BBC Radio One Breakfast show on the way to school as a teenager and was always desperate to attend when the presenters would announce who would headline it. When I saw that this year that it was to be held just 20 minutes away from me, in Sunderland, I knew that I owed it to my awkward teenage self to attend. 

If I’m being completely honest, I was initially disappointed by the festival’s line-up.  My friends and I opted to secure tickets for the Saturday event, as that was the only day that we could all attend. When I then saw that CMAT and Olivia Deane, two of my favourite artists were playing on the Sunday, I was a little bit gutted but then I reminded myself that the best live acts that I’ve seen are the ones whom I hadn’t expected to be brilliant. It was up to me to make the most of the day and have fun, which I certainly did.

We arrived at the festival just after the gates opened at 11:30am. The atmosphere was absolutely amazing. We had already started drinking at the pub before getting in the taxi and the weather was gloriously sunny. There were DJs on the main stage and we had a spin on the waltzer ride before the live acts started.

The first act that we watched was Ellie Goulding, who was arguably the alternative it-girl of British pop music in the 2010s.  I forgot how many bangers she had and I enjoyed a nostalgic trip down memory lane as I boogied to hits such as ‘Starry Eyed’ and ‘Outside’. 

She was followed by Sky Newman, who I’d never actually heard of until she was announced on the lineup. She was the perfect example of why festivals are great for discovering new music, as I hadn’t heard any of her songs before last weekend, but Ive now been listening to her on the bus to work. She was fab.

Next on was Louis Tomlinson, who was the act whom I was least enthusiastic about.  I always thought that he was the least interesting member of One Direction, and I don’t know a single song from his solo catalogue. He wasn’t my cup of tea but I did quite like his solo version of One Direction’s ‘Night Changes’ hit, which everyone in the crowd sang along to. He seems like a lovely lad, I wish him well.

The best act on the main stage, in my opinion, was Lola Young. I was not a big fan of her music until the weeks leading up to the Big Weekend, when I listened to her second album I’m Only F**king Myself in preparation to the festival. I had only previously been familiar with her smash hit single ‘Messy’, which I do still like but she has written much better songs since.  She sounded absolutely amazing and I can see the future only getting better for this extremely talented artist.

The headliner was Zara Larsson, who is currently enjoying the peak summer of her career, which she absolutely deserves. I do like her and her music, but she is not my favourite popstar. We caught the first couple of her songs, and she was good, but we decided to leave early in order to escape the mass exodus as everyone left. 

We were very blessed to have the sun shining all weekend for the festival, but the atmosphere was absolutely amazing. If there’s one thing that people from the North East love, it’s getting dressed up and having a party. Everyone looked amazing and everyone was so happy, it was like the more fun version of Coachella where everyone drank lager and weren’t afraid to dance. I was also surprised to hear so many non-Northern accents from people who had travelled from far to attend, but then again why not? Not only is BBC Radio One the biggest radio station in the country, but Sunderland is actually a great place to visit. I think there’s a misconception that the North East is a bleak, poverty-stricken dump and that Sunderland is a cesspit that lives in Newcastle’s shadow but that is actually far from the truth. While Sunderland (and the rest of the North-East) is desperately under-funded, it’s actually a beautiful area with gorgeous scenery, people and cultural heritage. In recent years, Sunderland has seen a regeneration in the city centre that fosters the creativity from the local people. Just one week before the BBC Radio One Weekend, Reform UK won control of Sunderland City Council and I just hope that last weekend showed them the importance of investing in the arts and culture. 

In today’s scary and uncertain world, it is more important than ever to take a moment to dance and laugh with friends, just to remember why life is worth living after all.