This year marked the 10th anniversary of Irlam Live, and somehow, despite living only 40 minutes away and loving live music all my life, this was my first ever year attending. After this weekend, I can say it won’t be my last. From the moment I stepped into Prince’s Park, I understood why people talk about this festival with such affection. There’s a warmth to it. A friendliness and sense of community that you don’t always get at bigger events.
Prince’s Park has been the heart of Irlam since the late 1800s, a green space gifted to the community and used for everything from fairs to football to family celebrations. When Irlam Live began here ten years ago, it wasn’t just about music. It was about bringing people together again. This weekend, I felt that in every corner of the park.
We do like a decent tribute or covers band, but unfortunately we didn’t make it to the Friday, but for good reason I promise. After spending five days at Bearded Theory the previous weekend, covering the festival from morning to night that my husband had taken time off work for whilst I worked and kept the house going, we really needed to be back in our respective work places before diving into the Irlam Live weekend.
Even though we weren’t there, you couldn’t be anywhere near Irlam without hearing how brilliant the tribute day was. Friday has always been the festival’s traditional “tribute day”, a nod to its early years when cover acts were the backbone of the line up.
The Main Stage featured Lady Gaga (Donna Marie), Smiths Ltd, Pink (Stacy Green), Elvis (Tom Holland), Erasured, and headliners Noasis, who apparently had the whole field belting out Oasis classics like it was 1996, they’d wrote them all, turning Prince’s Park into Knebworth for half an hour! Over in the Big Top, the party kept rolling with Ed Sheeran (Daniel East), Annie Lennox (Stacy Green), Arctic Mankeys, Avril Lavigne (Cortney Reddy), Eminem (Michael Mathers), and Abba Revival.
Saturday was the day I’d been waiting for. Soul. R&B. Disco. To dance to music is everything that makes me feel alive and the Main Stage lineup was incredible.
Twisted Soul, who are a high energy soul collective known for big vocals, tight grooves, and well known covers that get everyone dancing.
American Four Tops. A highly polished Motown tribute delivering silky harmonies and classics like Reach Out (I’ll Be There) and Sugar Pie Honey Bunch with real authenticity.
Disco legends Odyssey. Famed for silky smooth vocals and feel good anthems like Native New Yorker and Going Back to My Roots.
Boney M. A party starting disco group known for huge singalongs like Rasputin, Daddy Cool, and Ma Baker, bringing pure fun and nostalgia.
Sister Sledge ft. Kathy Sledge. Iconic soul/disco royalty delivering powerhouse vocals and timeless hits like We Are Family, He’s the Greatest Dancer, and Lost in Music.
Every act brought something different, but all of them brought me absolute joy. The one thing I’ll remember for ever was the mysterious 5pm slot marked simply as TBC. When Jaki Graham walked out, the whole field lit up. Her voice was flawless. She sounded warm, powerful, effortless, and her set was a perfect mix of greatest hits and crowd pleasing covers. Collective R&B/Soul Royalty sharing the same stage on the same day. It was like a dream.
I danced as much as my condition (Osteoperosis) allowed me to. Sometimes I had to slow down, some I had to breathe, but I never stopped moving. I couldn’t. The music wouldn’t let me. I was fortunate to speak briefly with both Jaki and Steve from Odyssey after their respective sets and they had both noticed me dancing at the side of the stage through their whole sets, and they told me how lovely it was to see someone enjoying their music so much. They didn’t know anything of my condition, they didn’t know how hard some days can be, they just saw joy, and that meant more to me than they will ever realise. This the true power of music. It makes you move even when it hurts to do so and doesn’t just entertain you, but transforms you.
Whilst the Main Stage was serving up soul, disco, and sunshine on Saturday, the PJD Paving Big Top Stage was busy creating a pulsing, glowing, bass driven world of its own where the energy never dipped for a second. If the Main Stage was all about nostalgia and live feel good classics, the Big Top was where you went when you wanted to dance, sweat, and lose yourself in a club night that just happened to be pitched in the middle of Prince’s Park. The lights, the smoke, the lasers, and the atmosphere were all electric, and you could feel the beat through the grass.
Sunday brought with it slightly less beautiful weather than Saturday, but it didn’t slow down the party any. While the Main Stage was all sunshine party and nostalgia, the PJD Paving Big Top Stage was busy creating a completely different world. A pulsing, neon lit haven where the bass never stopped and the energy never dipped. From the moment you stepped inside it felt like walking straight into a club night that just happened to be pitched in the middle of Prince’s Park. Fash & Jiggy kicked things off with a burst of personality and pure fun, getting the whole tent bouncing within minutes. Reiss Faz kept the momentum rolling with a slick, high tempo set full of dance and house flavours, and was the kind of music that grabs your feet before your brain has time to argue.
It was later in the evening when the Big Top truly erupted. Ultrabeat sent the place into full scale euphoria with “Pretty Green Eyes” turning the tent into a single, unified voice. The Blackout Crew followed with their trademark cheeky chaos, whipping the crowd into a frenzy, and by the time Flip & Fill ft. Karen Parry closed the night, the atmosphere was electric. Karen’s vocals soared over a sea of glowsticks and smiling faces, and “Shooting Star” became one of those festival moments you feel rather than just hear. Sunday in the Big Top wasn’t just a side stage experience, but more a celebration of club culture, nostalgia, and pure, unfiltered joy.
The day on the main stage started with MancUnion, who are a tight four piece original indie/rock band from Manchester, known for blending the heavier riffs from the likes of Queen of the Stone Age with the definate self assured confident swagger and groove that only the mighty Manc faves Stone Roses can summon. Despite my description please don’t be fooled into thinking these guys are a novelty or cover band. They sit firmly in the newer wave of Manchester guitar bands thst aren’t yet in the mainstream, but clearly carving out a space in the local circuit. They’re the kind of band you’d expect to see rising through grassroots venues such as Deaf Institute, Night & Day etc, quietly but firmly building a good and loyal following through live shows, so please keep an eye out for them.
Then came Let Loose, bringing a wave of 90s nostalgia that hit the field like sunshine. Smooth vocals, polished harmonies, and those feel good pop hooks that everyone secretly knows brought a lift into the afternoon before the Cuban Brothers turned the field into a party within seconds. People who’d been sitting on picnic blankets were suddenly on their feet. If you’ve never seen The Cuban Brothers, nothing can prepare you. They’re outrageous, ridiculous, and absolutely brilliant at what they do. A proper injection of energetic funk, comedy, breakdancing and chaos.
For those that had bought tickets for their boyband fix, A1 delivered a slick, harmony rich set that had the whole field singing along. They sounded tight, looked like they were having the time of their lives, and the crowd responded to every chorus. No guilt, no irony, just hands in the air fun and pure pop joy.
Alison Limerick brought the soul back into the day with a gorgeous, warm, uplifting performance. Her voice is still stunning. It’s rich, effortless, and full of heart. “Where Love Lives” turned the field into one big dancefloor. For me, she was the perfect bridge between Saturday’s soul takeover and Sunday’s more pop themed party.
If you wanted guaranteed smiles, you book Bradley’s S Club Party. The moment he hit the stage, the atmosphere flipped into full scale singalong mode. everyone knew the words from kids, parents, grandparents, the lot. It was colourful, energetic, and completely infectious.
Bus Stop are one of those acts who pull the entire crowd into the show. They’re built for festivals like Irlam Live due to their upbeat, cheeky, high energy, and totally unpretentious set. Plenty of singalongs, hands in the air fun, giving way to “Mini Freddie” at the end of their act. If you’ve ever been to Irlam Live, you’ll know him as the tiny Freddie Mercury with the big attitude, the half mic stand, the outfits, the crown, and the confidence of someone who’s already headlined Wembley twice. He’s pure joy in a little yellow jacket, and honestly, he brings as much happiness as some of the acts on the bill.
And then, as the sun dipped and the lights came up, Matt Goss stepped onto the stage to close the festival. Smooth, charismatic, and backed by a band who gave everything despite what some of them were carrying inside. Matt seems to have that rare ability to make a huge outdoor crowd feel like an intimate room whilst still bringing a touch of Vegas glamour to Prince’s Park. It was elegant and emotional. His vocals were effortless, the arrangements were very lush, and the whole set felt
like a proper 10th anniversary finale.
As we walked out of Prince’s Park towards the car for the final time this weekend, I realised just how special Irlam Live truly is. It isn’t just the music, as incredible as it was, but the people, the stories, the unexpected moments of kindness and connection, the laughter, the dancing and the memories that you don’t see coming.
Words: Nunzia Debiase
Pics: Gregg Howarth
