“DESPITE the rain, the atmosphere has been first class.”
That's the message from Bingley Festival organisers as it draws to a close today.
Thousands of people have turned out over the weekend as top acts descended on the Bradford & Bingley Rugby Club.
The festival kicked off on Thursday (August 3) with headliners Happy Mondays and The Boo Radleys.
Happy Mondays' Bez, Shaun Ryder, and Rowetta got the crowd going.
“What was great was it was such a young crowd out there,” said Bez.
“It was really nice to see. Happy Mondays have stood the test of time because we were such an important part of musical history.
“We were part of a musical moment, a historical moment with the likes of Hacienda and Back to Basics."
Rowetta posted on social media to say there had been great feedback about the performance.
“Happy Mondays fans have been amazing these last couple of shows,” she said.
“So proud of all the band.”
Organisers hailed an “amazing first day” and told the Telegraph & Argus: “A massive thank you to everyone who turned out in their thousands.
"Happy Mondays were on fire and it was a perfect way to start the four-day party in Bingley.”
Friday’s line-up was just as impressive, with Jake Bugg, Kate Nash and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (NGHFB) performing on the main stage.
Kate Nash joined the crowd as she belted out her 2007 hit ‘Foundations’. She posted a montage of clips from her set on social media and thanked those who turned out, adding: “That was so fun!!!”
Excitement levels were high as Gallagher’s set neared.
David Clements, from Otley, was at the festival with his family and friends.
He said: “I have been a big fan of Oasis since their early days.
"I have seen him in arenas before but never a festival so they should be good.”
It was the second year at Bingley for The McDonald’s, from Bradford.
They said: “It is well organised and has a nice family feel about it.
"We’re looking forward to seeing Noel Gallagher and Kate Nash."
The set from HGHFB certainly seemed to live up to expectations. It kicked off with some of the band’s hits before Oasis tunes rounded off the night.
Gallagher even professed his love for Bradford in an exchange with a Bradford City fan in the crowd.
The band finished with ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ and the atmosphere was electric as the crowd sang along in unison.
T&A reader Kathy Broughton said: “A moment I will never forget! Just awesome.”
Rebecca McDonnell added: “It was incredible!”
Clare Evans described it as “amazing” while Matthew Dixon said: “Brilliant night, such a good atmosphere.”
Rebecca Skipp said: “We are so lucky to have this on our doorstep.”
“Noel and his High Flying Birds were incredible and it was so amazing to see everyone singing along to his solo songs and the Oasis back catalogue,” said festival organisers.
Andrew Cushin, who played the main stage earlier on Friday, said: "It was amazing.
“It was really nice to see some familiar faces who I've played for in the past who have been coming to my gigs. I spotted a few of them in the crowd. Hopefully I've made a couple of new fans as well.”
He added: "It felt like we cracked something on stage today. I feel like I'm beginning to zone into being that frontman.
Some concerns were raised about long queues for bars, but organisers issued an apology and worked to address the problems by Saturday.
In a statement, they said: “With a large amount of people arriving on site at the same time from their working week, we did struggle a little.
“But we wanted to let you know that we hear you, we’ve listened, and our team has been working through the night to build additional bars and we’re also bringing in extra staff.”
The Cribs, Razorlight and Ian Brown were among those who played Bingley’s main stage on Saturday, while New Model Army, The Zutons, James Bay and Travis are playing the main stage today.
Speaking on Sunday, organisers said: "Day three was going to be a tough act to follow, after seeing Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds in town on the Friday, but wow did the bands on Saturday rise to the challenge.
“The Cribs and Razorlight were incredible and the legend that is Ian Brown was on top form.
"Despite the rain, the atmosphere at Bingley has been first class.
“The crowd have really embraced the festival and have been super well behaved.”
"As we move into the final day, we want to thank everyone for being so amazing and we hope you enjoy James Bay, The Zutons and Travis."
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