I went to see Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley at Blackpool Tower Weekender and was just blown away
I’ve been a big fan of DJ Jo Whiley’s since the early 90’s, listening to her on BBC Radio 2 and watching her on shows such as Top of the Pops and the White Room, writes reviewer Peter Sims.
But it is not until you get up close with your idols you see how fab they actually are.
We attended Jo Whiley’s 90’s anthems on Saturday - a part of Blackpool Tower May Weekender.
The three-day event was a dream for music lovers with BBC Radio 2 Sounds of the 80s: The Live Tour with Gary Davies headling on Friday; followed by the chance to dance the night away to Jo Whiley's 90s Anthems, featuring a special guest DJ set by Dave Rowntree from Blur before finally enjoying the soulful sounds of The Brand New Heavies, with special appearances by Norman Jay's Norman Soul and Cut Capers on Sunday.
All the events were held in Blackpool Tower’s very impressive ballroom.
We had access to to the VIP room where indie legend Chris Helme (formerly of the band The Seahorses) was performing an acoustic set.
He belted out some of The Seahorses classics such as ‘Blinded by the sun’ and ‘You can talk to me’ which was an absolute highlight.
The main gig was in the impressive tower ballroom which left punters in awe. It’s traditional ornate balconies and chandeliers contrasting with the modern stage with its huge screens and lighting gear were a sight to behold.
Jo came on to a rapturous applause and played 90’s banger after banger!
She played indie classics such as Oasis’ ‘Roll with it’, Blur’s ‘Song 2’, The Verve’s ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and Pulp’s ‘Common People’.
Dance classics such as Gala’s ‘Freed from desire’, Corona’s ‘Rhythm of the night’ and The Source featuring Candi Staton ‘You got the love’ all ensured feet were moving on the dancefloor.
I can only describ the atmosphere ass electric as the whole crowd danced and sang along.
It was a real trip down memory lane and I loved every minute of it!
But the icing on the cake for me, has got to be when I met Chris Helme (the singer from The Seahorses) later on while watching Jo Whiley.
He was really cool and chatted for about 20 mins about the good old days back in the 90’s!
This event is an absolute calendar highlight - I certainly cannot wait for it to return in 2025!