Review: Sunday night at the Wickham Festival - 10cc and others

Chart-toppers 10cc provided an apt crescendo to four days of live music and fun with an impromptu lyric to their hit Dreadlock Holiday: “I don’t like Wickham, I LOVE IT!”
Graham Gouldman led 10CC through a storming setGraham Gouldman led 10CC through a storming set
Graham Gouldman led 10CC through a storming set

The headliners thrilled the crowd at Wickham Festival with a string of hits, including Good Morning Judge, The Things We Do for Love, I’m Not in love, and, or course, their reggae-tinged anthem of Caribbean misadventure.

Lead singer and hitsmith Graham Gouldman was in fine voice and the band displayed their musical prowess with a shimmering set, finessed by the blissful mini-concert Feel the Benefit, and rounded off by a-cappella version of Donna, and a rip-roaring finale of Rubber Bullets.

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Earlier both Tom Robinson and his band and Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel had demonstrated what a blue-chip event Wickham Festival has become.

With music on three stages, and no end of sideshows, stalls and refreshments, Wickham is surely one of the most family-friendly festivals on the summer circuit.

Tom Robinson and his band provided the curtain-raiser to a fantastic final night, with rousing renditions of some of his early hits, and some newer material heralding his return to recording.

Gay or not, the whole crowd gleefully sang along to Glad to Be Gay, and the chirpy delinquency of Martin is an all-time great in the audience participation stakes.

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Steve Harley has written some brilliant songs and they were all brilliantly performed, from the jittery Judy Teen to the bouncy Mr Soft, and the all-time great he calls his pension - Come Up and See Me (Make Me Smile).

A shame that like all good things, it had to come to an end. But the Wickam faithful will be back in the field next year. They don’t just like it, THEY LOVE IT!

- ALAN COOPER

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