Review - Monday (2)

Organised by Oldham Council to celebrate the opening of the £3.2million revamped Alexander Park (one of Europe’s oldest municipal parks) the Parklife Festival turned out to be a very enjoyable Bank Holiday weekend.

Spanning three days and with one main stage and a smaller venue in a large Victorian bandstand, Parklife was blessed with three continuous days of sunshine. The stage and arena were about the size of Glastonbury’s Jazzworld Stage, and Alexander Park definitely has the potential to host future one-off events in a Finsbury Park style, judging by the effective layout used for Parklife.

The main music days were Sunday and Monday, and the line up was pleasingly eclectic. MC Clint Boon ( from Oldhams’ very own Inspiral Carpets) introduced, amongst others, Nitin Sawhney, Desmond Decker, Courtney Pine, The Stands, I am Kloot and Miles Hunt (ex wonderstuff). Inbetween sets he kept everyone happy with his usual DJ set, encompassing the to-be-expected baggy classics with a scatterring of chart stuff and some old skool treats thrown into the mix. A bit out of place at 3pm on a sunny Sunday, but good nonetheless.



All girl band Sista kicked of the festival proper, with a nice line in Bob Marley covers, along with their own material. Parklife highlights included storming appearances by The Stands and I Am Kloot, both soon to be heading for the Other Stage at Glasto, and well worth seeing based on their performances.



Nitin Sawnhey and Courtney Pine lived up to expectations - superb musicians playing accomplished sets to happy fans, but Desmond Decker was the real surprise. Many I spoke to were, for some reason, expected a cheesy caberet style retro show, but Decker hit the stage lean and mean and obviously up for a good time, running through his impressive reggae back catalogue with infectious enthusiasm. After two numbers the field was alive, and he had the audience hooked. With a tight band and classic reggea attitude, the never still, slightly manic Decker played a blinder. Hits such as Cherry Oh Baby and the Isrealites kept everyone entertained to finish a memorable weekend in style.



Perhaps Oldham Council would consider holding Parklife annually - the 10,000 or so people who enjoyed a free (yes, FREE) festival would certainly be up for it. There was even a paddling pool for the kids !!

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