The Priory Summer Series welcomed some of music's biggest names to Hitchin last weekend, and our reporter Dan Mountney went along to one of the four days to see what it was all about.
It's safe to say that when the Priory Summer Series was announced late last year, the excitement in Hitchin was palpable.
The town was used to hosting a large-scale music festival in the form of Rhythms of the World, which proved incredibly popular throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, before being downsized in 2014 and then disbanded last March.
Although there have been a few concerts in the town since then, Hitchin has long been devoid of a sizeable music festival that it could call its own.
10 years on, festivals returned in the form of four-day musical bonanza, Hitchin Priory Summer Series, which kicked off on Thursday, with 2000s sensations Busted and support act Scouting for Girls wowing crowds.
Rap stars Dizzee Rascal and JME followed on Friday, with Saturday seeing Craig David take to the stage.
I attended on the Sunday, with soul and disco icons Sister Sledge, celebrate hip-hip stars De La Soul, and national treasure Craig Charles all on the bill.
As the baking afternoon sunshine shone down on Hitchin Priory, Charles' near two-hour DJ set got the crowd in the mood as he pumped out one funk, soul or disco classic after another.
Craig was clearly enjoying himself too, singing and dancing along on stage as the crowd joined him in a celebration of all things groovy.
Then came De La Soul, an act I was particularly excited about seeing.
I fondly remember listening to their seminal debut album, 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising while having somewhat of a musical awakening at university, so it was a real pleasure to see them live and in the flesh.
After achieving huge success in the 1990s, the group have had somewhat a revival in recent years.
Their back catalogue finally hit streaming services in 2023 following lengthy legal disputes over sampling, and their Hitchin performance showed they have clearly captured a new, younger audience while maintaining their core fanbase.
De La Soul had the Priory crowd in the palm of their hands at times, as the thousands massed in front of the stage sang along and waved their arms on command in a show of love for the group.
Sadly, the trio is a man short after the untimely passing of David Jolicoeur, better known as Plug Two, early last year, but Plug One and Plug Three - Kelvin Mercer and Vincent Mason - have still got the magic that made them so popular at the end of the last millennium.
They weren't a duo for a long, because after just a few songs, they welcomed another hip-hop legend and surprise guest to the stage, as Talib Kweli joined them for the rest of the show.
De La Soul played all the hits, including The Magic Number and Me Myself and I, but if anyone from the group is reading (unlikely I know), why didn't you play Eye Know?
The show ended with a tribute to their late member as the message "Thank You Dave" appeared on the big screen, and that was followed by a real show of love and appreciation from the crowd.
It's safe to say that more than 35 years after De La Soul was founded, they've still got it, and it was a real pleasure to see them in my hometown.
As night fell, it was time for Sister Sledge.
Originally made up of four sisters, Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy, the group started out in 1971, but it was their classic 1979 album, We Are Family, that shot them to chart success.
The LP including all-time great hits He's the Greatest Dancer, Lost in Music, Thinking of You, and We Are Family, which, of course, were all performed at Hitchin Priory Summer Series.
Although Debbie is the only remaining original member, it doesn't really matter who's in the group when you've got songs that good, and the crowd absolutely loved it.
No matter where you looked, there were people of all ages singing and dancing. I think it's safe to say they were lost in music.
As for the festival set up itself, I cannot fault it.
After three days of welcoming concert-goers, I wondered what state the Priory site would be in on Sunday, but it was spotless - including the toilets.
We've all had the festival experience of horrific queues for the bar and toilets, but that wasn't the case on Sunday, or as I've heard from others who attended on previous nights.
It was straight in and straight out again, allowing you to get back to family and friends to enjoy even more of the music.
There was a great selection of food on offer too, which was even reasonably priced, as well as plenty of space to move around, or find a spot to sit or stand.
I also have the fairly unique perspective of living on neighbouring Tilehouse Street, and as a resident I can say the Hitchin Priory Summer Series caused me little to no issue.
The sound of the festival was barely audible from my back garden, and while a few cars were backed up at the end of the street, this was somewhat expected due to the narrow, one way in and way out nature of the road.
On the whole, the flow of people and cars was really well managed.
There was also no trouble that I personally witnessed either. The event was certainly suitable for families and just full of people wanting to have a good time.
I, for one, would really love to see Hitchin Priory Summer Series return for next year.
The organisation and musical line-ups were very impressive, and the disturbance to those living nearby was minimal. Events like this can only be a good thing for the town, showing off what Hitchin has to offer.
Just imagine if word of the success spreads, and what other big names artists we could get coming to Hitchin. Hey, Oasis have just reunited, maybe they might rock up? (I'm being optimistic, OK).
Here's to, hopefully, the continued brilliance of Hitchin's new music festival.
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