Southampton stars shine at Common People

But, more than anything, I've once again made so many brilliant memories from another really special weekend at Common People.

Rob da Bank's bank holiday shindig is great for the city, bringing a host of top names to the Common and giving a huge boost to the area's economy from restaurants to hotels with the pubs around the Common doing a roaring trade.

Pete Tong's appearance to play a host of Ibiza classics, backed by an incredible 65 piece orchestra, was the undoubted highlight of the musical offering for me.

But, it was the sheer amount of brilliant local acts gracing the various stages which filled me with pride.

They're all so lovely and talented they made my heart hurt a little bit.

Sean McGowan feared his brother might miss his early set because he had trouble dragging himself away from the bar prices at Wetherspoons in Shirley, but he got there in the end to witness a special moment on the main stage.

Calum Lintott made a spectacular dash across the site on a golf buggy for a surprise taste of the big time on the Common Stage when another artist was stuck in traffic.

And The Novatones, fresh from breathing life into the early Sunday morning crowd on the main stage, spent the rest of the weekend doing what they do at every festival they play and enjoying all the other Southampton bands in action.

There's a great sense of camaraderie among the city's many rock bands and a fantastic local music scene right now.

We have dozens of truly talented individuals playing week in week out on our doorstep and events like this, featuring international superstars, only serve to highlight that.

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