Thousands of music lovers partied by the beach over the weekend at Wave 105’s ‘Corona Night Air at the Piers.’
Friday night opened with energetic bubble-gum pop of Alexa Goddard, followed by a band bonanza of Loveable Rouges, Rixton – fresh from supporting Justin Bieber on his America tour –and Rizzle Kicks.
The wind and heavy skies didn’t darken the atmosphere: from the top floor of Urban Reef to the beach huts, every available surface was heaving with tweens, teens and families dancing and jumping with delight.
Rixton charmed the crowd with their cheeky chappy charisma and skill. Sigma followed with a club vibe – a booming atmospheric DJ set of dance classics and their own smash hits ‘Nobody To Love’ and ‘Changing’.
As the fireworks exploded and the planes zoomed overhead, the party mood kicked off for headliners Rizzle Kicks, who belted out crowd pleaser after crowd pleaser, backed by their band which included a fantastic live brass section.
Saturday night started with a more relaxed feel, perfectly kicked off by Jack Savoretti’s mellow voice. He was followed by New Yorker Nell Bryden, whose angelic voice was in complete contrast to the roar of the Typhoon that had just completed its fly past!
The Struts ramped up the energy with their colourful rocky set. Front man Luke Spiller had an infectious, charismatic stage presence and really got the crowd involved throughout, jumping into the throng to lead a joint rendition of ‘Rebel Rebel’. He then went on to convince Wave 105’s Mark Collins to conduct his interview with them on his hands and knees while he sat on Mark’s back!
Sophie Ellis Bextor played an eclectic mix of her disco classics and songs from her more folk-inspired new album, ‘Wanderlust’.
And Tony Hadley, accompanied by a full band, rounded off the night perfectly, with thousands of fans singing along to his repertoire of Spandau Ballet hits and covers. The evenings’ entertainment was a perfect complement to the air show.
Jon Brooks, commercial director at Wave 105, said: “Planes, fireworks and some of the best performers around – it doesn’t get much better than ‘Corona Night Air at the Piers’, and this year was greater than ever.
“We pride ourselves on putting on an event for all ages, so it was fantastic to watch thousands of people singing and dancing to hits from the 80s, 90s and today, after a jaw-dropping day of air displays. What a brilliant end to the summer.”