Summer has well and truly arrived at a baking hot Victoria Park, Warrington as the 2023 festival season kicks off with a bang on day one of the Neighbourhood Weekender festival.
Now in its fifth year, the ever-popular North West weekend has once again put together an impressive lineup, spanning three stages, bringing together multiple generations in a celebration of indie-rock and alternative music.
Under the scorching sun, the early crowds are drawn to the sounds of Cassia and The Mary Wallopers who set the tone for a day of live music amid the vibrant array of food vendors and plentiful drink stands.
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As the afternoon progresses, Scouting for Girls take to the main stage, treating the audience to their infectious brand of pop-rock. Crowd favourites She’s So Lovely and Heartbeat get everyone on their feet, setting the party tone for the afternoon. Recently reunited Sugababes keep the feel-good vibes coming on the main stage but over on the tented Big Top, it’s rising indie band The K’s who steal the show.
The Merseyside quartet are of the streaming era, unsigned and yet to release an album, but the packed in crowd still knows every word as they sing back in unison. Hailing from nearby Earlestown, just a few miles away from home, their set justifies their reputation as a must-see band this summer. Hoping Maybe is the highlight with its buoyant chorus before the fan favourite Sarajevo is followed by a storming Aurora as frenzied circle pits take over the tent.
Over on the main stage, after a short technical delay, Liverpool’s finest Jamie Webster takes the spotlight. Following his successful festival debut in the Big Top last year, Webster makes his debut main stage appearance with his live reputation continuing to grow. The Warrington crowd lap up every heartfelt word from the passionate Webster as the now traditional anti-Tory chants reverberate around the park.
This Place prompts a sea of hands adorned with rows of bucket hats and airborne pints, while multi coloured flares illuminate the early evening sky for always rambunctious set closer Weekend In Paradise. Webster departs fully justifying his promotion and hinting at bigger things still to come.
Meanwhile back in the Big Top, Reverend And The Makers continue to amplify the good vibes as the night descends into a nostalgic journey back to the mid-2000s. It’s a line up that would have felt at home at a festival 15 years ago with The Kooks graving the penultimate slot on the main stage and the recently reformed The Enemy back taking over the Big Top.
For The Enemy, this marked their first festival show since their reunion last year and their performance feels like they have never been away. Frontman Tom Clarke ignites the enthusiastic crowd as he rips into first album classics Aggro, Had Enough and Away From Here, causing unbridled chaos in the tent. A swift four song encore concludes with This Song as the sweat soaked audience relive their youth, belting out the main chorus well into the early evening as the band exit the stage.
Amid an electric atmosphere, local hero Paul Heaton arrives as the night’s main headliner. Unfortunately he’s without his talented singer partner, Jacqui Abbott, who has been ruled out of his summer shows through illness. Jacqui’s absence is filled by the brilliant Rianne Donney, who steps in for the second half of the show as the special guest singer. Iconic tune Rotterdam keeps everyone dancing as Heaton has the large crowd at his fingertips.
He dips into his large back catalogue with a memorable rendition of The Beautiful South's Perfect Ten complete with Donney’s vocals sounding exceptional. As the final notes of Caravan Of Love resonate through the air, the crowd have witnessed a special night from the Wirral legend. The night sky erupts in a dazzling fireworks display behind the stage, bringing a close to day one in style and setting the scene for Sunday at Neighbourhood when Pulp make their highly-anticipated live festival return.
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