Magic Summer Live was a weekend festival in Guildford, Surrey sponsored by Magic FM. For one year, Magic took over this festival which is usually called Guilfest. Due to a shortage in ticket sales, it won’t be returning again.

Working there meant I didn’t see as many acts as I hoped- Chic and Soul II Soul played one day which would have been great to see, but I managed to see glimpses of both headliners, Jamiroquai and Bryan Adams. Jamiroquai famous for his funky tunes and his number of hats, teared up the stage making all members of the audience move themselves to the rhythm, which made his performance highly enjoyable. Bryan Adams, although a classic, I found his demand for “all areas that play music to cease” before his sole performance a little condescending. Although his performance pleased many mums who were die-hard fans and screamed in ecstasy when he came on stage.

The festival also had an AMC stage, (AMC is a music academy in Guildford whom has a great reputation for new music) which encourages young artists and bands to perform and get feedback. I really like this concept and how this is also prominent in festivals such as Reading and Leeds with the BBC Introducing stage and I feel all festivals should have a stage like this to introduce smaller artists to all.

Working on the bar at the VVIP area (I didn’t even know that was a thing) meant that I had the pleasure of serving the organisers, Magic and their crew. All were lovely and I saw Denise Van Outen looking stunning with her children and met the wonderful Verity Geere and Angie Greaves who are also presenters for the station. They were really helpful and gave me some wonderful tips to help kick start my radio career, which I really appreciated.

Although I experienced this festival from a biased view, I did enjoy it because of the good music and how kind the organisers were. I felt that it needed more of a personal identity to make the festival more prominent and individual, which then would have encouraged more people to attend.