Festival review: BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend at Burton Constable, Hull

Headlined by Katy Perry and Kings of Leon, the weekend featured performances from the pop worlds top artists including Little Mix, Zara Larsson, Clean Bandit and many more.

Based in the beautiful grounds of Burton Constable Hall on the outskirts of the city, the festival was host to around 50,000 revellers over the bank holiday weekend.

With a heightened security presence, the grounds were heavily patrolled by armed police and sniffer dogs, along with increased event security to make this event as safe as possible. Law enforcement and security mixed really well with festival-goers, with lots of positive interaction over the weekend putting many at ease after the recent horrific events in Manchester.

Saturday brought glorious weather although one obligatory brief downpour did make an appearance.

Zara Larsson took to the main stage first with an uptempo set to make a great start for everyone attending. Followed by artists including Galantis, James Arthur, Imagine Dragons and Lorde, the afternoon hurtled through an A-list of artists, with many being their first time playing on the east coast.

With many artists paying tributes through their sets, the crowd did stay silent for one minute to pay their respects and show that terrorism will never win.

With later performances from Kasabian, Emeli Sande and the outstanding Biffy Clyro the first day was drawing to a swift close with only the headline set from Katy Perry outstanding.

At just after 9pm the crowds went crazy with American pop queen, Katy Perry taking to the stage. With a cleverly designed set, Perry wowed the crowds with some neat dance moves and played tracks including Roar, I Kissed a Girl and Chained to the Rhythm. Part Of Me, a beautifully dedicated song to last week’s bombing victims in Manchester, helped to bring the set to a close and the end to a great day one.

Sunday, again brought some more beautiful weather and was met by a lively crowd all patiently queuing from the hundreds of busses that had been organised to ferry in the thousands of day two attendees.

First up on the main stage was X Factor favourites Little Mix with a well choreographed set. Slightly blighted by the use of the f-word from Little Mix’s Perrie Edwards to the young crowd, the band went down a storm and a great introduction to day two at the Big Weekend.

With performances from grime artist Stormzy, teen heart throb Shawn Mendes, Sean Paul and and Bastille, the day continued with the sun blazing on everyone’s backs.

Continuing the day with sets from Blossoms, Circa Waves, Dua Lipa and a special short inclusion from Charli XCX, the next highlight of the weekend was from Rita Ora. Showcasing what appeared to be a new brand, Ora mesmerised the crowd with an outstanding set.

Royal Blood, The Chainsmokers and Clean Bandit all entertained Hull’s music lovers until the final performance from Kings of Leon. Nashville’s very own rock four-piece took to the stage to end what’s been another amazing day.

With songs including Waste a Moment, Use Somebody, Walls and Sex on Fire, Kings of Leon brought to a close a fantastic weekend of music and establishing a testament to the joys of how live music events can bring together thousands of people to create great memories, some which will stay with people for the rest of their lives.