Pixie Lott, a riotous Labrinth and the dubstep queen Katy B make Chester Rocks

I arrived into Chester on the train, with dark clouds looming into the horizon, I was sure this was to be a day for wellies and waterproofs, however to my delight I was to be proven wrong!

As I walk through Chester city centre on the twenty minute walk from the station to the racecourse, it strikes you how beautiful a city Chester is inside its Roman fortified walls. These walls provide one wall of the racecourse, which is a beautiful site for a city festival, it proves the perfect venue with its facilities proving to more than stand up to the test.

This was already the second day of the festival, I regrettably couldn't make the first, but I more than intended on making up for it. The site had seen its fair share of rain on the Saturday, but the staff team had been working hard to keep the site at a very high standard, spreading wood chip and bark all around the field to soak up the mud, ready for day two.

On arrival the stage was occupied by a very excited local girl group called Indigo City, very much of the Girls Aloud ilk, but musically a little more urban, the local lasses seem to provide just what the crowd was looking for, with a nice mix of covers and tracks they had written and produced themselves, as they only unsigned band on the days bill they more than held there own on the big stage. I wouldn't imagine it will be long until a record label decides to take a punt on them, with the end of there set ticking over, a local radio DJ came on to talk the crowd up into a hype, extracting screams from the predominantly female crowd, at the mere mention of the "stars yet to come". It gave the event a real party in the park vibe, completely different to the previous day I was assured by another punter.

Next to come onto the stage was a very talented singer songwriter called I am Tich, a very talented young girl who played the keys whilst singing ballads and pretty little ditties which she had written through her teenage years. I can see this girl going a long way, she reminded me of a younger Kate Nash, but not so irritating and vastly more talented.

As Tich finished her set, hunger was setting in, with the racecourse in use all through the year the catering facilities and amenities were of a very high standard, queuing times were minimal and the food available all looked very nice. I opted for a marinated chicken breast fresh from the bbq stand with a salad. It certainly hit the spot, and kept me full all day.

The Loveable Rogues of Britain's got talent fame were next on stage. These 3 cheeky chappies had the girls in the palm of their hands, and to be fair they didn't put on a bad little performance, with their tongue in cheek self written lyrics about posh girls having better manners and going like the clappers, they keep the crowd entertained, with women swooning and men laughing.

Straight after the Rogues was the grime superstar Tinchy Stryder, he came out determined to party and he wasn't leaving until he got what he wanted, with a relentless set packed with hit singles. He led the audience like a pocket sized conductor. He's a good entertainer with plenty of banter for the audience and he goes down a storm, but that storm was about to be taken to the next level.

"Labrinth come in," chant the crowd, and come in he does. This man is like a freight train live right now, in real form, as he smashes up every show in sight, and today is no exception! Bouncing around the stage, he rallies the Chester crowd into a bouncing frenzy, with a performance of tracks from his debut album, 'Electronic Earth', plus a few collaboration tracks thrown in. He reels in the crowd and places them firmly in his pocket. Stopping the show only for 2 minutes to point out a fight to the security team, and plead with the parties involved to calm down, and that he came to Chester rocks to party and to "have fun not fight", for which he gets a huge ovation from the rest of the crowd. He then surprises the crowd by almost melting the face off his guitar with a mind blowing solo along to 'Frisky'. Then to finish the show he treats the crowd to a superb rendition of his number 2 hit, 'Earthquake' with the immense sound system on hand at Chester rocks leaving the crowd thinking they are actually witnessing an earthquake as the ground rumbles from the bass. Lab leaves the stage with a grin from ear to ear after posting one of the performances of the day, it wouldn't surprise me if he returns next year on top of the pile.

Maverick Sabre is the next to take to the stage, bringing his unique soulful voice to Chester racecourse, as great a performance as he gives it just doesn't seem to be hitting the spot with the crowd as many people take the time to go to refresh themselves. I cant help but think it was a great booking but maybe in the wrong position on the line-up, as he is sandwiched in between the riotous Labrinth and the dubstep queen Katy B. I personally really enjoyed his sunny day, soulful melodies.

But the crowd were hyped and ready for the penultimate act of the day, Katy B, and she really hit the crowd running with a plethora of drum and bass and dubstep hits. Only stopping to have a battle with her DJ over what tracks the crowd would enjoy the most to party to. It was a bit of a pantomime but she pulled it of well, and showed a stage presence more expected of a performer far more experienced than her years. From this she jumped into a cover of Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams', which brought about one of the sing-along's of the day, before dropping it into a huge dub break, leaving the crowd in pieces.

Which led us to the headline performer of the Sunday night, the gorgeous Pixie Lott, She came on stage at half 8 in a stunning dress. Leaving all the girls in the audience screaming and all the men smiling, and to give her the deserved dues she is not just a pretty face, boy, this girl can sing! Including songs from both her albums and various collaborations, she really pulls off a great performance, with what feels like the whole of Chester singing back to her. Delivered with a huge smile on her face, she was clearly enjoying the evening. She plays a medley of the songs which made her fall in love with music and want to sing with a 15 minute Motown medley including Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and the Jackson 5, with her beautiful voice she made these classic songs feel like they were written for her. There is not a single person not dancing and singing through out, as she brought the show to a close with her number 1 hit 'All About Tonight'. The crowd gave her a very much deserved huge ovation.

In all it was a thoroughly enjoyable event, in a great venue, in a very welcoming city. It's the only big music event of this calibre Chester hosts, so I hope it continues on for many years to come, as the city seems to really embrace the event. Hopefully next year I will be there for both days.

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