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TWO vastly different but iconic performers headlined fledgling festival Together The People over the weekend.

Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and 1990s Britpop heroes Suede brought their classic sounds to a passionate crowd as part of a joyful nostalgia trip.

With Al Jardine, Blondie Chaplin and the rest of the band, Wilson performed the entirety of Pet Sounds as well as greatest hits including Good Vibrations and Surfin’ USA. The sunny Californian sounds were the perfect antidote to a rainy day.

Wilson remained stoic the entire time, the ravages of the past clearly showing in his slow movements and mellow mood. It was hard not to get emotional knowing how hard his life has been but it was heart-warming to see him light up while performing and the ensuing audience reaction. It was obvious just how much the band loved Wilson, and they made up for his stoicism through the sheer enjoyment for their craft. The band definitely made the set better; Wilson alone would have been too weak to hold the crowd’s attention.

Elsewhere, Nathaniel Rateliff And The Night Sweats, the double denim-wearing, bearded wonders, danced, swore and sang their way through an upbeat bluesy rock set that was not long enough to do them justice. Rateliff joked about the weather and toyed with the crowd. While their music wasn't everyone’s cup of tea, their energy drove their success.

The shoegaze post-punk splendour of The Horrors may not have drawn the largest crowd but those there adored them, dancing to some of the band's more upbeat material from newest album Luminous. It was hard to make out lead singer Faris Badwan’s vocals but this didn’t stop the fans having a good time.

The highlight of the festival was undoubtedly Suede’s set on Sunday, closing the main stage with immense energy and fervour. Lead singer Brett Anderson was constantly engaging with the crowd, at one point jumping into the mass, thrashing around in a hyper, sweaty mess of people who manhandled him throughout.

Anderson actively encouraged everyone to sing along to songs like She’s In Fashion, Animal Nitrate and Beautiful Ones. This was probably the most dynamic audience of the entire festival and it was obvious the band were having the time of their life.

There were far too many acts to see them all but other stand-out performances included Natty, Peter Hook and Songhoy Blues on the main stage, Fur on the Bimm stage and Martha Gunn on the Concorde2 stage.

Hook’s afternoon slot saw the classic hits of Joy Division and New Order. The bassist played with intensity and everyone sang along to hits such as Love Will Tear Us Apart. He chatted with people in the crowd and threw his T-shirt from the stage at the end.

Saturday was the more family-friendly day while Sunday was more rocky for the alternative crowds and reminiscent of bigger festivals. My only criticism would be a lack of activities for people to do during the day. While it was not overly busy, the atmosphere was relaxed and fun and every time I wandered past one of the stages there was always a decent crowd watching one of the bands.

There was a definite sense of unity across the weekend, everyone was approachable and even if there were lone attendees, they could be sure to make new friends wherever they were.

Becky Snowden