Stand up and be counted
YOU know that summer has finally arrived when you find yourself sipping cider from a plastic bottle and sunbathing on the penalty spot on the pitch of a football club as part of a huge music festival.
And I was among a 20,000-strong crowd who descended onto the Britannia stadium in Stoke-on-Trent for the Love Music Hate Racism festival—a massive event which boasted a top celebrity line up, great music and a strong message.
The fun kicked off at noon and people from all over Britain—including a massive group from Rotherham, Sheffield and Leeds—came down to enjoy the festival and support the cause.
It was obvious that for some the festival was just a chance to see some top artists perform live on stage, as it would be a rare opportunity to find such a mix of music styles in one arena.
The teenagers all rushed down to catch a glimpse of Kano, Chipmunk and DJ Ironik, while the older generation were treated to performances Beverley Knight and the New Beautiful South.
This was a festival which was guaranteed to appeal to the masses.
But the Love Music Hate Racism message was strong throughout the day with the audience embracing the vibe by wearing multi-coloured T shirts all displaying the important slogan.
Rotherham will remember that back in September LMHR hosted a huge event at Magna—featuring the Kaiser Chiefs—in response the the BNP winning two seats on the borough council.
And the venue for this festival was also poignant as Stoke-on-Trent has nine BNP members on its city council—giving the far right group a worrying influence in local politics.
But the positive atmosphere and huge crowd in the football stadium just went to prove that the majority of people were there to stand up against racist values and attitudes.
And they echoed the emotions of a fantastic festival line-up, which included Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland, Babyshambles front man Pete Doherty and Sheffield's finest Reverend And The Makers.
It was a day for celebration and the audience got into the spirit by dancing around their picnic mats and sandwich baskets to the sounds of Roll Deep and Mick Jones and the Rottenhill Gang.
A highlight of the festival was from headliner Kelly Rowland who wowed the crowd with her impressive vocal range on the hits I Love You, Stole and the Bee Gee's classic Emotions.
Beverley Knight brought a soulful sound to the stage while rappers DJ Ironik and Chipmunk gave a cheeky, youthful performance with their number three hit Tiny Dancer being a firm favourite with the audience.
A mention must also be given to the artists who performed in the Delilah Room, which was situated away from the main stage, and added an extra party vibe to the fun-filled event.
Crazy Cousinz brought their unique funky style to the decks and Donaeo partied hard on stage along with grime artist Ghetts and Grammy-nominated artist Andy Moor.
But behind the music and the celeb-spotting there was an important message which was clear throughout: Love Music Hate Racism.
And the LMHR cause had brought about a hugely successful festival which was a celebration of multi-cultural Britain and showed that music has the power to unite people against racism.