R1 Big Weekend first day review and pictures

Lisa Singleton reflects on day one of BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Exeter.

I was over the moon to be attending Radio 1’s Big Weekend at Powderham Castle, if a little disappointed that I would miss out on the grand finale and Coldplay’s set on Sunday evening.

I was apprehensive about the journey to and from the event with 25,000 eager music fans making their way to and from the venue, but I have to say that the organisation was second to none, with minimal queues at both Exeter St Davids Station and at Starcross. 

Powderham Castle was bathed in sunshine on Saturday morning. We arrived to a stunning vista of fairground rides, food stalls with everything available from Hog Roasts to Lebanese and from Noodles to Cocktails and of course the music tents and stages. There was something there to suit everyone’s tastes and even a place to charge your mobile phone.

We made our way to the In New Music We Trust Stage first and enjoyed a half hour set by Craig David and then Twenty One Pilots. The atmosphere was incredible building even before the acts took to the stage with an eclectic mix of tunes from the 80s, 90s and 00s playing. The tent soon filled up and people were jumping up and down and dancing away to some great tunes.

It was good to get back out in to the sunshine and after a refuelling stop for some coffee and other refreshments we made our way down to the main stage. Meghan Trainor was performing ‘Lips are Movin’ as we made our way down throught the main field to the impressive main stage which had the stunning Exe Estuary as its backdrop. The weather could not have been better and people had set up their picnic blankets on the dry grass and settled down for a wonderful afternoon of music.

We made our way towards the front of the crowd and enjoyed some great upbeat tunes from Sigma including Coming Home and Nobody to Love who were then joined on stage by special guests Paloma Faith to perform Changing and Take That who performed their new single, Cry. The crowd loved these tracks in the sunshine with fists pumping the air and everybody jumping up and down to the beats. The set climaxed in a stunning shower of confetti over the crowd and Sigma and Take That taking a selfie with the huge crowd roaring and cheering behind them.

I had been looking forward to seeing Bastille and was not disappointed. They performed Things We Lost in the Fire, Of the Night, Flaws, Bad Blood and Pompeii. After another wander around, more resfreshments and recharging my phone, we took a turn on the big wheel. It was good to get out of the crowds for a while and to enjoy the views over the Castle, Estate and Exe Estuary. In a crowd of 25,000 you don’t expect to bump into people you know, but we did – and several too!

We enjoyed the second half of the set by electronic music production duo Chase and Status including the tracks NRG, Control, Let You Go, No Problem and Blind Faith. Their show finished with Alive featuring Jacob Banks. Their set included flames shooting up into the evening sky and the heat from these could be felt in the crowd!

The first day of Big Weekend concluded with an amazing show by British rock band Mumford and Sons. A mix of music from their three albums went down a storm and was the perfect end to the first day of a marvellous event for Devon. As the sun went down, the party atmosphere hotted up with the crowd wanting more as Mumford and Sons left the huge main stage. We enjoyed Tompkins Square Park, Believe. The Cave, I Will Wait, Ditmas and The Wolf with the hugely talented Marcus Mumford showcasing his talents both vocally and on the drums and guitar.

With aching feet we left the grounds of Powderham Castle still chatting and buzzing with everything we had experienced on the Saturday. What a hugely successful event for the organisers and for Powderham Castle and it was great to relive moments on TV when we got home. Was I still disappointed that I wasn’t attending on the Sunday? No. We had enjoyed a magical day in the sunshine and enjoyed fantastic music too.

Lisa Singleton