The night crowd at Wave 105 Night Air at the Piers
Thousands of music fans flocked to Boscombe Pier to watch the all-star line-up presented by Wave 105 for ‘Night Air at the Piers’, in association with Corona and Magellan Aerospace, on Friday 30 and Saturday 31 August.
The 7,300-strong crowd gathered on the beach for the sell-out Friday night show, featuring girl band of the moment Stooshe and X Factor graduates Lucy Spraggen and Diana Vickers. Shane Filan received a warm reception and showed that there really is life after Westlife with his new material. British pop rock band The Feeling kept the party vibe going so the audience was in high spirits by the time Blue hit the stage and had everyone singing along to their classic R&B hits for the grand finale.
New girl band Neon Jungle kicked off the Saturday night show in style with their high energy performance and catchy pop tunes. The girls were followed by one of the stand-out performances of the night, courtesy of Newton Faulkner, who thrilled the delighted near 6000-strong audience with his set including the hits ‘Dream Catch Me’ and his own cover version of Massive Attack’s hit ‘Teardrop’.
Britain’s Got Talent stars Loveable Rogues entertained the crowd with their own brand of cheeky pop, before the legendary Lisa Stansfield proved why she is an international superstar as she performed hit single ‘All Around The World’ amongst others in her soulful voice.
Fresh from over 30 festivals this summer, Irish rockers Kodaline then proved a spectacularly worthy headliner as they transformed the mood to more of a festival vibe, and got the whole crowd talking about “the new Coldplay”. Almost like clockwork, the band finished just as the fireworks started on Bournemouth beach – what a way to end the night!
Keith Penny, Wave 105’s Night Air event director, said: “As part of the evening offering of this award-winning festival, we are delighted that our contribution towards ‘Night Air at the Piers’ was such a big draw once again, entertaining more than 12,500 people over the two nights on Boscombe Beach.
“Our aim was to deliver an event that was bigger and better than ever before, with our usual “something for everyone” family friendly vibe, and from the public’s reaction I think we managed to achieve that – a fantastic complement to the amazing air show! Thanks to the public for turning up, and thank you to Boscombe for welcoming us so warmly!”
Adding a new dimension with her fun and engaging style, Wave 105’s Kate Weston was part of the Air festival TV presentation team covering all the action. Wave 105 programming also covered the event with news, travel and weather on air, online and streamed the air displays live through Wave TV. Hundreds of people had a go at testing their skills and competing for the top score at the Wave 105 Air Zone while the ‘Hop On Inn’ Pub offered refreshments as well as deckchairs and a good view to watch the show.
The Corona Beach Bar proved extremely popular, giving people the opportunity to meet the Wave 105 presenters as they broadcast live from the sand and chat to festival organisers, including Red Arrows engineers, RAF Typhoon display pilot and Royal Naval personnel, along with representatives of the Royal Marines and Army.
Jon Brooks, commercial director at Wave 105, said: “Our objective was to deliver strong, engaging opportunities throughout the entire Air Festival. This stretched from the Wave 105 Corona beach bar and air zone, right the way through to the fantastic Night Air events. Our listeners and visitors could experience us on many different levels and based on the response we have received from listeners, visitors, organisers, artists and record company executives this proves that our contribution to the event was a real success.
“We all had a wonderful time and we’re proud to be part of an event which well and truly puts Bournemouth on the map”
Lisa Stansfield performing at Night Air