Mighty Hoopla 2026: Americans' First Time at the UK's Biggest Pop Festival
CCTV: The Nonstop Pop ShowJune 14, 2026x
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01:10:41

Mighty Hoopla 2026: Americans' First Time at the UK's Biggest Pop Festival

We flew from New York to London for our first-ever Mighty Hoopla, and Brockwell Park did NOT play around. This is our full Mighty Hoopla 2026 recap: two Americans taking on the UK's biggest pop festival for the very first time, breaking down the sets that wrecked us, the surprise guests nobody saw coming, and everything we'd do differently next year. From Bardot on the Hoopla stage (the whole reason we booked the flights) to Appleton's first full set together in 23 years (and yes, THAT Heidi Range "Round Round" moment), plus Alexandra Burke commanding the main stage and Louise reminding everybody exactly who she is, we're giving you the honest, fan-first rundown. Join us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/CCTVPOPS Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cctvpops 0:00 - Intro 0:51 - Why did we go to Mighty Hoopla? 1:53 - Overall Thoughts 5:56 - Day 1 7:30 - Diana Vickers 11:45 - Say Now 14:40 - Meeting Steve Anderson 16:10 - Joel and David from Right Back At Ya 18:00 - MNEK 20:39 - Agnes 21:34 - Appleton (with Heidi Range) 28:03 - Matty from Can't Stop the Pop 28:50 - Todrick Hall 30:50 - Delta Goodrem 32:33 - Jessie J 35:37 - JLS 36:40 - Meeting MNEK 38:54 - Lily Allen 39:34 - Day 2 39:50 - JORDY 40:18 - Cascada 41:25 - Bardot 44:45 - Meeting Belinda and Tiffani of Bardot 45:30 - Jane McDonald 46:24 - Meeting Louise 47:00 - Meeting Heidi Range 48:00 - Liberty X 50:00 - Kerry Katona's Kerry-oke 50:40 - Estelle 52:25 - Five 55:30 - Louise 59:15 - Alexandra Burke 1:03:15 - Scissor Sisters 1:04:13 - Booty Luv 1:05:00 - Superlatives 1:09:20 - Would we go back to Mighty Hoopla References: Diana Vickers - β€œMy Wicked Heart” Live on X Factor (with subtitles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnOsAI_XuLs&pp=ygUnZGlhbmEgdmlja2VycyBteSB3aWNrZWQgaGVhcnQgc3VidGl0bGVz

We flew from New York to London for our first-ever Mighty Hoopla, and Brockwell Park did NOT play around. This is our full Mighty Hoopla 2026 recap: two Americans taking on the UK's biggest pop festival for the very first time, breaking down the sets that wrecked us, the surprise guests nobody saw coming, and everything we'd do differently next year.

From Bardot on the Hoopla stage (the whole reason we booked the flights) to Appleton's first full set together in 23 years (and yes, THAT Heidi Range "Round Round" moment), plus Alexandra Burke commanding the main stage and Louise reminding everybody exactly who she is, we're giving you the honest, fan-first rundown.

Join us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/CCTVPOPS

Follow us on social media: https://linktr.ee/cctvpops

References:



00:00:00 --> 00:00:24 there you go yeah i don't know what you can say but i was hearing it she was yeah and if you don't know what we're talking about we're talking about delta goodrim okay because we went to a pop festival in london just a few weeks ago

00:00:26 --> 00:00:45 And we are CCTV, the nonstop pop show, where we provide unfiltered, honest opinions on global pop music. But one of our main focuses is, of course, British pop music. Yeah. And Australian pop music, apparently. Yeah, because Bardell was actually his interview. That's right. So this is our first festival together.

00:00:45 --> 00:01:00 Oh my God, yes. And it was quite... First time in London, yes. And it was quite a last minute decision. Oh my God. Guys, you don't even know the story. Let's go back. Let's go back.

00:01:00 --> 00:01:22 Let's go back a little bit. So Chris and I were hanging out for our interview with After M-E-M-M. Look on our channel. We interviewed her and we went back to his house and we were chit-chatting. He goes, I'm going to Hoopla still. I'm like, oh, it should be nice. And then he's like, you should come. Belinda, Belinda Chappell of Bardot. She was asking about it. Mom. And then I was like, let me just double check.

00:01:24 --> 00:01:48 get the ticket get the get the bolt on at the bolt on so yeah it was literally like that it wasn't like a whole let's plan this like next year no from last year well also this wasn't i was also not planning on going i literally bought the ticket the second bardo got announced yeah he also he doesn't usually do this no i'm quite the planner very a-list not a-list i'm very type a you know you are a-lister yeah

00:01:50 --> 00:02:20 Oh my gosh. Okay, so... He went. What did you think of Mighty Hoopla? Just overall experience, the grounds, the activations. What did you think? Okay, so it's been my... It's been a couple years since I've been at a festival. Like, maybe like a year on drag. It's been a year. Even a couple. But it's been a year. I've been to Govball. Like, I was working Govball. I've, you know, covered it. And then also did Head in the Clouds, and I covered it. And I would say it's similar to, like, a Govball or Coachella's on a field. But where I say that they kind of...

00:02:20 --> 00:02:49 like I guess are a little bit better is that it's just strictly pop like you're a pop music fan you're gonna get that at hoopla and I think that's like the the one stand-up quality and unlike other festivals they're only two days so everything's like really jam-packed in it so I was like holy crap the activations were super cute and so are some of the models listen if you're one of the models um at the hey you bathhouse thing let you're cute I saw you waving at me wait I wave back um but yeah we're coming back to London so

00:02:51 --> 00:03:11 Oh wait! If you're new here, I talk a lot of spit, but I'm not really about it. All right. But yeah, I had a good time. I would say that again, because it was just so stacked, it was like, oh my God, where do we go? The activations were adorable. Grinder, I think probably had one of the best ones. The bussy.

00:03:11 --> 00:03:30 Dude, come on. That's amazing. We also recreated Madonna's Confessions 2 cover. Yes. Which, of course, we will review. So look out for that. We had to do that in the studio. We had to get a little organza, magenta organza. And we just sit there under there and introduce the album. The whole time. Oh, my gosh.

00:03:31 --> 00:03:57 I will say I had a really positive experience for sure. I think we were very lucky. The weather was beautiful. It was quite hot, especially the first day, but you know, London's usually quite gloomy. So to have the sun out was awesome. And I think the grounds were really easy to navigate. Um, the also just the way the park was as well. The stages were both, or I guess the, where the audience was, were both sloped up.

00:03:57 --> 00:04:23 Yes! Oh my god! So it was perfect because you could see. Even if you were in the back, you could see. Yes. Which was perfect. No flat grounds. Yeah, so I think the actual setup was really well done. I will say the only thing that caused a little bit of stress for us was everyone lost phone reception. Oh. Especially midday, right? Like when it got super packed, everyone lost phone reception. So it was like, you were holding on to everyone. Like, you can't get lost!

00:04:23 --> 00:04:38 We can't contact each other. But yeah, also, you know, we met a lot of our listeners. Oh, God, yes. We met some of our Patreon members. So yeah, shout out to all of those awesome people that we met. Jordan Stewart. That was really cool. Yeah.

00:04:38 --> 00:04:58 Yeah, especially. Oh my god. Yes, and George did have a little message, and he has some comments as well that we're going to read out, but he wanted to just say that it was lovely to meet us both. Likewise. And regarding kind of the whole setup, he said he would love to have gone to more of the different stages and tents and all the fun things, but of course he was prioritizing watching the performances, so he missed out on some of the other stuff, so...

00:04:58 --> 00:05:19 Honestly, of course, us too, right? We were prioritizing the performances and stuff. But like you said, it's such a clear, targeted lane. It's not like other festivals where it's just music. You know, just all types of music. This was so tailored, which was great in a sense because...

00:05:19 --> 00:05:38 you know you're going to see things that you want to see. But then the bad thing is there's definitely clashes. There's definitely artists and little things that we would have loved to have gone to. But we had to make some decisions. So, but that's a good problem. That's a good problem to have. And then, yeah, aside from that, things were cool. Love meeting everyone. Rant is our, like, podcast sister channels.

00:05:39 --> 00:06:06 Yeah. Oh my gosh. Yes. So much fun. And yeah, so we're going to go through kind of our experience and the performances that we saw, some of the awesome people that we met, some of who have been on the show, some who we hope to have on the show. So yes, let's start with day one. So we were, we were awesome. Like we got there right when it opened. Pro tip, get there early.

00:06:06 --> 00:06:18 yeah you definitely got there early which was fun because we got to go to all the activations there was like no one there yet so you know it's kind of a little private experience instead of catching print i caught things

00:06:19 --> 00:06:43 You did. You did. I caught pickles. Yeah. At the Grindr bussy. Grindr bussy. Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, we won some stuff. You won a Grindr fanny pack or a bum bag, as they say. I got a lot of fanny packs. You got also, shout out to Greggs, the VIP exclusive vendor. I got to Jane for picking us up.

00:06:43 --> 00:07:12 That's right. Yes, I love a sausage roll. Oh my god, I was good. I actually ate it like two days later. I was like, oh, this is so delicious. I want to eat it hot. Oh my god, it's really good. We'll get them again. We are coming to London again. Oh, that's right, guys. So let us know what we should do. Music-oriented things. If you're watching this and you're like, oh my god, I'm coming to London, tell us music things to do. Like, yeah, we can go to the club, like good clubs. Yeah, we can go to a party, but good parties. You know? Yes. One thing we do have tickets to, we are going to the Spice Bus Party.

00:07:12 --> 00:07:38 with Push the Button. And we will be on the Mel B bus. So please, if you see us, come say hi. I'm really excited. And you're going to get a full tour of London. You're going to pass all the sites. This is hilarious. I'm excited. We're going to New Cities bus for some music. I love it. Yes, yes. Oh, man. Okay, so the first set that we saw was Miss Diana Vickers. Yes.

00:07:43 --> 00:08:03 So I know you didn't really know who she was. I had watched X Factor at the time because she was one of Cheryl's artists. Uh-huh. And she was cool. She was kind of quirky. Yeah. And she's also known for, at the time, just not enunciating well at all.

00:08:03 --> 00:08:31 She's definitely sung in cursive, which has led to some very funny videos, which I will reference in a second. But she has a great pop discography, actually. Her whole second album was done with Zanimania. It's just fun pop music. So I was pretty excited to see her, and we had a couple friends with us that were excited to see her as well. But yes, what did you think of Diana? Okay, so I had no clue who this lady was. And you have always said, if you guys are new here or you've watched the show before...

00:08:32 --> 00:08:49 Or maybe you've never heard it, just period. But Chris has this thing where it's like, if I don't know who you are, you got to make me a fan. And if I do know who you are, make me a bigger fan. This is not the right phrasing of it, but essentially that is the ethos of what he says. And I think just watching Diana, she is so charming. Yeah.

00:08:49 --> 00:09:05 Because you've seen me perform. I was wearing wings for a performance, y'all. And the wings were falling off. So I was trying to sing with it. And when I was finished, I kind of just flapped off. You know? And I felt a kindred spirit in her. Because she had her X Factor video where she's, like, super sick. And Mariah Carey's like, oh, no. Oh.

00:09:05 --> 00:09:22 Oh, no, she's sick. Oh, that poor girl. Don't know who she is. But it was funny. She brought Christmas in the middle of summer, you know, so there was something very charming. But on top of that, she was singing. There were some people who say she was shouting, I don't know how your sound was, but up close against the barricade. It was really good.

00:09:22 --> 00:09:39 Sorry. I'm being smarmy. I'm joking. But I think she is talented and she's really charming. And then her dancers. We met Austin because of you before. We did. We met her early. And we saw him like two times. And he's like, oh, my God. Hey, guys. And then one of her dancers, I think, is that background singer guy.

00:09:40 --> 00:10:05 Yes! Who's actually doing shows in New York, I think, like right now, which I was like, oh dang, I would have loved to go to that. But yes, he's a star as well. Yeah. I just appreciate how camp the whole thing was. Like she was clearly just living her best life up there. You know, she had this really cute video, and she even said this on stage, but she was like, you know, it's hard when you're early in the day. You know, not everyone is there yet. You're not sure what kind of turnout you're going to get. But people turned out for her.

00:10:05 --> 00:10:24 Those grounds were full by the end of that set. And I think she was genuinely touched by that. You know, she hasn't performed much recently. She hasn't, yeah, you know, she's kind of just independent now. So I think it was really awesome to see how grateful she was for all of that. And her just constantly commenting on how hot her dancers were.

00:10:24 --> 00:10:48 yo she's me I was like every time they did something she's like oh like oh if somebody who's Americans watching who the heck is Diana I would personally be like oh it's kind of like a Sabrina but like older and like could belt her face off I mean Sabrina can also belt she's a musical theater kid but Diana can sing yes she can she was not playing yeah she was playing but not really

00:10:49 --> 00:11:13 Exactly. We also have some comments from one of our friends, Erin, one of our listeners, who also flew over to Mighty Hoopla from the US. Yes. So he also agreed with us, said that Diana was super charming and fun. He loved hearing how mature her vocals have become. And singing like the newer material. Of course, you mentioned she did sing All I Want for Christmas is You, which was a riot. Yes.

00:11:13 --> 00:11:39 And he wanted to reference the viral subtitled performance of My Wicked Heart, which is hilarious. I'm gonna link it here in the description where someone, as I mentioned, she sings in cursive, so someone kind of did subtitles of what she actually sounds like she's saying. So he was saying that he, that was the version he was singing along with, and when she sang that one. So... I love that for like her. Yes. I love it.

00:11:45 --> 00:12:15 Okay, so next up, we then ran to the main stage to watch Say Now. Yes, okay, so you are new here. We did, well, I interviewed them. I wish Chris could have had a chance, but he was away, I think, or you were working. I was working, yeah. But yeah, so I interviewed, my knee, desk, y'all. So I interviewed Say Now, and the girls are really sweet, and at the time, they were doing a lot of acoustic sets. Like, this is the first time in either a while or, like,

00:12:15 --> 00:12:43 just like in general that they've had a full like live mix set with like dance breaks and things like that so it was cool to finally see them in an element i think people aren't really like a lane that people don't really expect to see them in which is performance like yes they can sing but flow people think of flow at harmonies you know i'm saying but these girls were singing and dancing and they gave us a little bit of britney i was so proud to watch them i was like look at them and the outfits were super cute

00:12:43 --> 00:13:07 I love their little frilly outfits with the ribbons. It was giving Sailor Moon, guys. It was so cute. Maddie had pink hair. We're in a wig, honey. But that wig was lace. So shout out to the hairstylist. I'm not trying to cock at all. I'm not trying to cock at anything. The wig was clean, okay? Everyone just looked really good. And they looked like they were happy to be on stage, which is good. Like, if they had nerves, it's understandable. But...

00:13:07 --> 00:13:31 From what I could hear while we were running over, I was like, dang, they sound so solid. So I think they did a good job. I'm stuttering, but they did a good job. And they did a lot of the songs. They did. Can't keep a beat? I was like, yes! Yeah. No, they smashed it. Like, the harmonies were super tight. The dance breaks were very tight as well. Loved the Britney medley. Just perfect for the occasion. Yeah, and I think they've kind of...

00:13:31 --> 00:13:56 grown in their sound for sure like millions really went off um so yeah really excited to see kind of what they do um they're one of the newer artists because most of these acts that were there were legacy artists at this festival because this this festival is catered to kind of you know 90s 2000s pop fans for the most part i would say so you know i think they did a good job of of i think probably hopefully making some new fans

00:13:56 --> 00:14:22 I hope so. Because my thing is, I think what was probably missing from the performance, and it's not anyone's fault, is that I think where they are in their career is background dancers. Like, yeah, for the music video, it makes sense. But a lot of their dances go off. And people in, like, supermarket and things like that. And even with What Can't Keep a B, they had dancers in the video. So I think certain, like, effects and levels and moments that they could kind of just sit there and pop out a little bit more. That's just me coming from, like, a...

00:14:22 --> 00:14:44 Budget, I want to give you all the money, like, as a fellow artist. I wish that for them because it just looks really good. Even if it's just two per girl, it would have been a little bit extra, a little something. It doesn't mean the performance is bad at all. Oh, my God, at all. Cannot wait for an hour. For sure. Yes. And then we ran to meet our first guest.

00:14:44 --> 00:15:06 kind of big person we went to meet mr steve anderson yeah top legend yes so steve for those of you who don't know he has done so much for the pop music community he wrote uh britney's breathe on me oh my god yeah he wrote kylie's confide in me and many others yes

00:15:06 --> 00:15:36 He continues to be the music director for Kylie and Delta Goodrum. And he was there to also work with Appleton and do the musical direction for their set as well. And he has been on our show before. So we interviewed him about the Steps tour that he helped music direct a few years ago. So we finally got to meet him, which is just awesome. And he's just so friendly and just so talented. And he gave us some tea about the Appleton set that we are about to go see.

00:15:37 --> 00:16:02 That, and he also shared some feelings about, you know, certain music things that were happening. We were like, oh, we were in good company. We're not going to say what happened for us. But it was just really funny because we were both like, oh my God, us too. Yes. Yes. But yeah, it's just, he's so humble. And he genuinely seemed excited to meet us, which I really appreciate. Oh my God, he's the godfather of interviews, guys. Like, he's like our...

00:16:02 --> 00:16:32 Belinda's our mother. He's one of our very first. Yeah. Yeah. He's a mother. So lovely to meet him. And then at the same time, we also met up with, of course, David and Joel from Right Back At You. Right back at you. Come on. Come on. So we had actually met them the night prior because we went to Push the Button. Back at a full. The Beyonce and Lady Gaga event where David was DJing. Yes. And yes, just shout out to David and Joel. They were kind of our unofficial kind of partners throughout the show.

00:16:32 --> 00:16:51 Yeah. This whole weekend. Because, you know, we were kind of running around together for a lot of it and hanging out in the VIP section. So, yeah, they have such a positive energy. You know, they made a post recently. They were just like, pop music brings people together. And it's so true. Because it was just, we've never met them in person before, but it was just instant.

00:16:52 --> 00:17:22 connection i think yeah yeah i mean we just we ran we'll talk about another thing too we ran into them for the push the button thing it's just like oh my hey it was like really normal um but yeah i think that just comes with maybe them just being really settled in their work i don't know but something about them is very like confident and sure and i appreciate that like you know some people be beefing there is no beef between the pop podcast and i love that i just want to say that

00:17:22 --> 00:17:39 It's fun. I'll just say that. I'm just being silly. Yes. But yeah, I definitely enjoyed it. Because we can all talk about music. I mean, there was one moment I just didn't know who someone was. And I were like, oh my God, Shan. And I was like. Yeah. Another legend. Yep. Yeah. That was another legend. Yeah.

00:17:40 --> 00:18:04 Guys, I'm still learning. Just like you. But yeah, it was nice to meet them. It was just really funny. And we're probably going to see them again when we go back. I think we probably are. Yes, we are. Shout out to Joel. He was my little dance buddy. He'd be bussing moves. We were together. Yeah. Yes. Okay, so then we ran back out to watch MNEK. Oh, God.

00:18:10 --> 00:18:20 Can I just say I love that outfit with the little overall corset bodice situation with the skirt. Honey. Oh, you. Okay. All right.

00:18:21 --> 00:18:45 The whole background dancer thing, this is what I was talking about. Like, M.E.K.'s like, listen, I'm going to give you notes. I'm going to give you a little eight count. But you're going to get the movement. I'm not going to be sitting there hitting all the things. But you're going to know the song. You're going to enjoy the song. If you don't know the song, you're going to learn the song. You're going to love the song. And I think whoever put his set together did a really good job. And it's not me just, like, glazing. I think just watching it. Because people think that songwriters don't really have it.

00:18:46 --> 00:18:53 M&EK has it. It's just the focus has been, let me write for other people. I'll write some songs here and there for myself. I'll put some stuff out.

00:18:54 --> 00:19:18 mck has it you know the charisma like the whole like little tease thing that got you know so i really do appreciate what they have going on for sure and um he's fun he was very fun to watch it was nice to kind of get that like medley of here's the songs that i wrote it was like ryan tedder without being like ryan tedder because every show ryan does lord you know i wrote this one right i kind of like when he does it too yeah

00:19:18 --> 00:19:38 I mean, don't go to Ryan. If I get to work with him, I would be excited. But it's just the way he says it. And you know I wrote this one, right? You know? And look at those walls I built. He gets very excited. I'll just say that. M.D.K. is more just like, when I was 17, I started writing this song, and he just freaking did a whole medley. It wasn't like, let me stop every five seconds and tell you how much you love this shit. You know?

00:19:40 --> 00:20:07 Yes, so I have gotten a double dose of M&EK because I'm actually currently in LA. Lucky. And I went to Out Loud, where M&EK also performed. And he actually changed up the set a little bit, which was cool. So I got two different shows from him, which was awesome. I love that. And yeah, he's great. He has such a powerful voice. He knows how to write a good hook, you know. And he's been previewing a lot of new music. So super excited to hear what he's been coming up with, both for himself and for other artists. And we've...

00:20:07 --> 00:20:20 We'll talk more about him soon. But, you know, he's also written for so many artists that we talked about. You know, Flo, Sugar Babes. Beyonce, yo. Saturdays.

00:20:20 --> 00:20:39 Yeah. So also just shout out to his very first EP. I was excited. He did the rhythm, which I love. He also did a little bit of wrote a song about you, which is like my favorite song of his. So yeah, a good, a really strong set for sure. Enjoyed it for sure. You deserve me stage. Okay, my people are knowing what's up.

00:20:39 --> 00:21:07 So one artist we didn't see because we were prioritizing the next set we were about to talk about. But a lot of people mentioned Agnes to us, who, I'm going to be honest, I actually don't know her music very well either. But I think the story was that she's been booked for Mighty Hoopla many times and she just had to cancel every time. So everyone was like, will she actually show up this time? So anyway, our friend Aaron, he said in Sarah Harding voice, it's about time. Yeah.

00:21:07 --> 00:21:33 But he did say she sounded amazing. It was getting pure diva. She was excited to finally be performing at Hoopla. And it was a genuine case of not knowing if she'll turn up until she actually was on that stage. I'm into it. I mean, I saw some footage and like some pictures, like the whole like monotone situation. She's so chic. Oh, my God. I didn't know who she was either. I'm so sorry, y'all. But again, we are still learning as well. We are. Yes. Same. Yes. Yes.

00:21:33 --> 00:21:45 Okay, so then became one of my highlights of the whole weekend was Appleton. The two sisters, Natalie and Nicole, from All Saints.

00:21:52 --> 00:22:17 I love All Saints so much. We've reviewed the first two All Saints albums on our show. So, yeah, we're kind of getting through their discography. And they're one of the groups that I have unfortunately never seen perform together. Oh, yeah. I luckily got to see Shaznay a couple years ago, do a solo set. And I have seen the Appleton sisters because they were guests for Mel C's 50th birthday last year.

00:22:17 --> 00:22:47 where they did like two become one and stuff. But getting to see the Appleton sisters just do their first gig as a duo in years was pretty awesome. Yeah. So yeah, what did you think of their set before we get to the special guest? Had a crash course the music. I'm not gonna lie to you. Had a crash course. I remember talking to you about the All Saints music and whatnot. And I'm like, like listening to them sing as we were crash coursing, or me, I was crash coursing. I was like, oh, they're the ones singing my heart reset. So it was like pretty easy for me to like,

00:22:47 --> 00:23:12 latch on with all the audio the sonic latching was easy um but also i think it was very smart what they did because for not to have not performed for a really long time you got to do the singles you gotta you have to um you got to get to the songs that people know as well from all saints regardless of what you've told me there's some things going on so regardless of all the things that are going on figure out what the mechanical things are hey we need to buy

00:23:12 --> 00:23:39 and get that about because because what ends up happening is you're missing out on opportunity to connect and have people be like who's that oh it's the sister you know especially if you're super far away it creates something why do i know that song you run to the stage it galvanizes the the feeling for them it galvanized the excitement for them so i mean this was their first show for the summer i believe they're doing like a run right so i think it's good it sounded good um

00:23:39 --> 00:23:51 It's interesting. Like, I love their costumes. That navy or cobalt blue that they were wearing. Oh, my God. I still can't tell them. Oh, sorry. I'm still learning. But is it Nicole was wearing the pants and Natalie was wearing the cape?

00:23:51 --> 00:24:16 Yes. Yes. So now we noticed our sign and she was singing. She's like, mind you, she kept the notes were still clean, y'all. But she was like, oh, my God, you guys came from there and waved at us. Yeah. So I appreciated that. And then, like I said, the music was good. They hold it down very well. And then the production, obviously, not because Steve did it, but because Steve did it.

00:24:17 --> 00:24:39 I'm not giving a compliment because Steve did it, but because Steve did it, it was good. You know, like everything felt very flowy. And I hate that they had to rush through it because it's a festival set. And like, you know, you got to change the back line. I get it. I totally get it. But I was like, oh, my God, it went by so fast. I wanted a little bit more. But, yeah, no, it was huge. It was huge. And then we got surprises. Sorry.

00:24:39 --> 00:25:00 We did. Yeah, I was super excited. First off, they had a full live band. Yeah. Which is a bit, you know, it's a bit harder for these types of festivals. So I'm glad they did because everything just sounded super full. Yeah. Yeah, I will say everything eventually build up music was perfect. You know, I think the fans recognize that immediately. And yeah, you know, I think we've said this in our reviews, but...

00:25:00 --> 00:25:18 Especially in the first couple albums, both of them were quite underused, you know, vocally in their discography, especially Nicole, you know? And so to hear them just kind of sing the All Saints classics and, you know, claim their space, you know, a little bit.

00:25:18 --> 00:25:36 Yeah. I think they sounded great. And of course, you know, they have a very natural blend with each other, which makes sense, especially because they're sisters. But I think I have to shout out Nicole. Like, she has such a beautiful tone to her voice. And I think every time she sings it, it's just, it's so pure, you know?

00:25:36 --> 00:26:01 And there's a delicateness to it that balances Natalie, because Natalie's kind of like the belter. So they just balance each other super, super well. And I'm super excited for the EP that's coming out, and I love that they're doing this together. But of course, we have to mention the special guest that came out. So when Round Round started, I gasped. And I looked at you, and I think you were like, why do I know this song?

00:26:01 --> 00:26:27 I mean, Lola has it in on video. Yes. Oh, my God. I need to get it. Yes. One of our friends has it on video. Yes. And I was like, oh, my God. Yeah. Oh, my God. I sound crazy. And I turned to Joel. Joel was behind us. And I was like, it's Heidi. I was like, it has to be. Because I was like, it's not going to be one of the Shuka Babes. You know what I mean? Like, I was like, it's Heidi. And so, yeah, they started around. He loves the Shuka Babes.

00:26:28 --> 00:26:49 Not anymore. Uh, yes, Heidi came out to sing her iconic bridge. They did the full mic stand choreo, which it looks like Aaron from S Club Juniors was their performance director as well, which was funny seeing him back there. And then she also joined in on Pure Shores as well. So we got the return of Miss Heidi Range.

00:26:57 --> 00:27:27 So one of our other listeners, Stuart, he also wanted to say that the entire Appleton set was the highlight of the weekend for him. He did say he wished they did a little bit more of their own material, but like you mentioned, the set was pretty short. And I think for this audience in particular, I'm focusing on kind of the All Saints stuff and highlighting Heidi. It makes sense. I'm curious that they do have longer sets in these upcoming shows that they're doing, because I agree that their album...

00:27:27 --> 00:27:53 is so good. Like, I can't wait to review it on this show because they really balanced kind of experimentation with kind of the rocky kind of pop sound that we know that is their main influence. So there are some gems on that. So, yeah, I hope they do perform some of those. I can't wait to delve into some apples, guys. Go bobbing for some apples. Oh, shout out Jim. Yes. Not Jonah. Was it Jonah who introduced them? No, it was Don. Don.

00:27:54 --> 00:28:13 Okay, I'm glad you remember that. Yeah, because I remember to say, I'm bobbing for some apples. And I was like, that's a sweet little joke. Yes. Oh, man. So then, going back to our podcast friends, we ran into Maddie from Can't Stop the Pop. Oh, my God. Yes. Yes. So we missed you, Craig.

00:28:14 --> 00:28:40 Yeah, hopefully we get to meet you someday. But, you know, I was actually trying to coordinate with Maddie for a while. But as I mentioned earlier, we just kept losing reception. So it was kind of just like... We ran to him because we were trying to escape. Yes, that's right. It was like, oh, wait, and you hear Chantel, Chris. I didn't know where the voice came from. I said, back outside, who knows his ear? Oh, my gosh. Yes. Maddie, I went, oh, yeah.

00:28:40 --> 00:28:54 Yes. So yes, he's another one. We'll definitely, hopefully we get to hang out for longer next time we're in town. Yes. Okay, so then we ran to the main stage and we caught some of Todrick Hall's set. Oh, yes.

00:28:55 --> 00:29:25 Okay. I, um... He did his thing. You know what? I met a very nice couple back there. A nice Portuguese couple. We were talking a lot. But thank goodness for that. Because we got to the set when he was going through his, like, beautiful gowns, beautiful gowns, beautiful gowns moment. Yeah. And then he decided to do a medley, almost like a YouTube lampooning of himself. Like, he was lampooning himself. And the whole, like, you're a...

00:29:25 --> 00:29:38 you know, a punk, I can't say it. Basically, he was just saying like, you know, you ain't ish, you ain't ish, you ain't ish in different genres of music. And it's like, yeah, that's the gag. I get it. But the gag lasted about around maybe three to four minutes.

00:29:39 --> 00:30:01 I think it was longer than that. Maybe a little bit longer. I was over it by then. I'm going to be honest. I was over it by the end of it. Yeah. I mean, I wish you had seen the whole thing. If you guys saw the whole thing, please let me know if you performed House Party Part 1 and Part 2. I think those are, like, I love Glitter. Glitter is such a fun song. He did his lips, nails, hair. Yeah. Y'all, I'm so sorry. I have a little bit of, like, a switch around with the words right now.

00:30:01 --> 00:30:28 But yeah, the point is, though, it wasn't like the best representation of him and his art, in my opinion. But if he feels like that's what he wants to do, that's on him. Let him do it. I'm not going to say, oh, my God, you're not an artist because you want to sit there and sing a hootenanny version of You Ain't Ish, a opera version of You Ain't Ish. You know, hip hop is not my business. But yeah, I'm trying to think of like anything else that stood out to me about the performance. Yeah.

00:30:28 --> 00:30:47 oh yeah during one of the songs somebody came up to me and said the n-word if you are not black i don't care what you are you're not don't say it okay we have a guitar audience please don't ever do that again so shout out to that one lovely gay man that i met but just don't ever do it again yes that was uh interesting i was like okay he's like what happened

00:30:49 --> 00:31:13 Yeah. So then we were very excited to see Miss Delta Goodrum fresh off her fourth place at Eurovision 2026 representing Australia. So she had a little 10 minute set where she sang Eclipse, which Chantel also sang earlier.

00:31:15 --> 00:31:41 We also got a fun new remakes of Lost Without You that Steve did. So yeah, the whole performance was fun. It was pure camp. Just Delta just belting her face off literally for 10 minutes. Yes. So for people who are listening, if you've made it this far and you are an American or you just don't know who Delta is and you're a Brit, whoever, if you don't know who Delta is, she's essentially the Australian Celine Dion. Steve had said it to us and I didn't listen to enough of her to be like, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:31:41 --> 00:31:58 But the, yeah, yeah. If they ever do a musical, like My Heart Will Go On, the musical, get Delta. Ooh. You know what I'm saying? Because you know how they have Alex Bader's work for like the Whitney Houston, like the Yeah, Chaka. Chaka Khan. Get Delta. She's good for it. Yes. Yes.

00:31:59 --> 00:32:21 Yeah, so our listener said that Delta looked gorgeous, sang her heart out. She did scream the whole second half of Lost Without You, which was a bit unnecessary, but it was a really fun surprise set. And he says, come to the States to tour, though, queen. That's hilarious. She was out there. I was like, girl. She was. She was. My favorite part was when she tossed her hair and started playing the piano. I was like, that's you sexy, not the piano.

00:32:21 --> 00:32:35 Yes. She was, the piano. I keep screaming, piano. It was so amazing. Girl, you better go in with your little hot self. Yes, and then speaking of singing. We then got Jessie J.

00:32:43 --> 00:33:01 Yeah, so Jessie J, I've seen her a few times, but mostly in intimate venues, like doing acoustic stuff. Yeah. So seeing her do this huge festival was pretty fun. She kept saying how she was fresh off the flight from China. And she did talk quite a lot, which was one of Erin's main comments for her.

00:33:01 --> 00:33:30 But, you know, I love Jessie J's first album. I'm going to be honest. And, like, most of the set list was that. So I was kind of excited for that. I hadn't listened to those songs in a long time. And her band was very talented. They had some cool arrangements. For sure. So I appreciate her set. You had never seen her before, right? No, I haven't. I've only seen, like, me. I've listened to music. I was there for her ball. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Like, I've been there for, you know? Yeah.

00:33:31 --> 00:33:54 I was there for her bald era, you know. I was there where she was, like, married to Luke James or whatever the fuck, whatever the heck they called themselves. They were not married. They were dating. You know, after that, I'd sit and pay attention. I did know that she went to China to perform on that show. Because Shante Moore also went on that show. And they were like, whoa, she can sing. It was like, yeah. Yeah. She can sing her face off. But, yeah, no. She was a fun little person.

00:33:56 --> 00:34:02 She was a fun little moment. I love her Prince hybrid with, was it Domino?

00:34:03 --> 00:34:32 Oh, my God. Oh, I forget which song it was. But yes, there was a little Prince moment. I perked him. I was like, wait. I love this song. It was Party Like It's 1999. Yeah. Like, what song are you talking about, girl? It was Prince. And I was like, OK, hang on. I feel revived. But she was great. And I would say that she's an amazing singer. I'm not going to ever tell a singer to not sing well. But there are times where I sit there and I'm like, girl, you ain't got to do all the runs. Like, you're falling down the stairs doing runs, right? She didn't do that.

00:34:32 --> 00:34:35 I'm not saying I've ever said that about her, but there's some singers where I'm like...

00:34:36 --> 00:35:02 Girl, I mean, early Beyonce, y'all, y'all know, she used to look at her little fake imaginary watch and go, hee, hee, hee, hee, with her throat. And I'm like, girl, please, you know, you can sing. But yeah, Jessie didn't do that. It was tasteful. Yeah, it was very tasteful. It was so good. It was like, mm, mm, chills, chills, chills, which is what you want. You want to maybe look like, ooh, yeah. I can't feel that I remember much else of anything because, like, it was fun. She had really good moments. Yeah.

00:35:02 --> 00:35:15 But I don't know if I was like, wow. Not because she's not talented. But there's something like huge. So considering where she came from, though, I don't think we need anything huge. I love the fact that she was talking to people. Like, if you don't know the words, please not sing along. Yeah.

00:35:16 --> 00:35:35 Yeah, she said that at every show I've ever been to. I didn't know that. Yeah. I think that's fine, but she also tells people not to sing too loud because she's like, if you're off-key, then I'll go off-key. It's true. I was at the festival. No, look. It is true, but it's just kind of a funny thing to say to your fans who are excited to see you and sing along. But anyway.

00:35:37 --> 00:35:57 So we did then attempt towards the end of her set to actually run to the Hey You stage to see JLS. However, it was a literal stampede. It was horrifying. So we let our friend run off towards the front and we heard the opening chorus of The Club is Alive. And we were both quite tired by then. So we were like, I think it's time to go.

00:35:58 --> 00:36:27 Yeah, not for nothing. I don't know these guys well enough. And it's like, yeah, it's cute. You guys love these, what's it, five of them? Four. These four handsome black dudes with their cheesy club pop. But it wasn't worth the death that was impending. We kept going in. Yeah, I mean, look, they're good performers. And I would love to see them one day. But it was just a little intense. And, you know, we knew we had day two as well. So we were kind of just like, let's not be in this right now.

00:36:27 --> 00:36:57 Yeah. It ended up... It's all for the joke, but it's just for me, I rather see you in a seated venue, y'all dancing and shaking and thrusting in my face. I'm not trying to... Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So I'm sure the performance was great next time for us. But it ended up working out because we went back towards the exit. We started filming some content. Chantel lost her sunglasses. We were looking around for her sunglasses. And then we looked up. And M&EK was right there. Is that M&EK? So...

00:36:58 --> 00:37:22 Anyway, so we were kind of awkwardly like staring at him. And then he looked up and he pointed at us. Like this. Yeah. Both arms outstretched. And we were both pointing at him. And then we like went up to him. We were like, you're so awesome. And he was like, I know you. Yeah. I know you. We're like, you don't know. And we were like, I don't think you know us. Yeah. My first instinct was. Yeah.

00:37:22 --> 00:37:47 You were a lot more nice about it. I was like, I don't think you don't effing know us. It was fun. But yeah, it was interesting to hear somebody say, I know you and to be so talented and to be an artist that we respect. We don't like just say like, oh, yeah, we like them. I like it. We listen to the music. We appreciate we've he's even he listed a bunch of reviews that we've done, like for a flow for the album that he executive produced. It wasn't like, well, eff y'all. He was like, I listen to it.

00:37:47 --> 00:38:06 But the reason he listened to us, or the first episode he sided with us was like the Mel B episode. Which is crazy. Sometimes we sit here and we're like, we just want to do it because it's fun. And we don't expect a lot of people like, if it does well, cool. If it doesn't, cool. We want to do it. So to have someone say, I wanted to hear your opinion. I don't know.

00:38:07 --> 00:38:34 you want to hear our opinion and you watched our episodes like man honored seriously definitely american artists stop acting like this like acting like stink okay yes yeah yeah yeah oh man so yes that was really really cool like to have him yeah recognize us is is wild crazy um so yes shout out to m and k super friendly uh and yeah hopefully we can get you on the show sir

00:38:34 --> 00:38:50 That'd be fun. I guess I tagged him in every... I'm joking. Don't tag him. Don't tag him. Do not harass this person. But yeah, no, I feel like Chris and I were like icing on the cake. We left the JLS. We were like, oh, man, we can't see them. Okay, I guess fine. Whatever. So again, that was a nice little icing.

00:38:50 --> 00:39:18 It was. And so, if you couldn't tell, we did miss Lily Allen. Aaron, who was our listener, he did say that he did think it was a bit of a scream, that it was literally her West End Girl tour. Oh, really? But, you know, I think the big gag, I guess, surprise for her was that Jade did come out to do the new remix of that song. Yeah. So, yeah, I think, again, we were ready to just...

00:39:18 --> 00:39:44 go eat food and prepare for day two where we had a lot of artists we wanted to see. So yeah, that was the choice that we made. It was, I mean, I wasn't, I wasn't trying to be inside of the wussy palace that night. I'm so sorry. Maybe another time Lily catches on the flip side. Yes. Okay. So let's move on to day two, which was very important. Yes. For us. This was a stacked lineup. So again, we got there the second it opened. Yeah.

00:39:45 --> 00:40:01 And we went straight to the Hey You stage to get in the front center for Bardot. But before Bardot performed, actually, Jordi performed, fellow American. Yes. Yes. Super fun. Loved the rock and kind of pop punk influences in his music. And we got to meet him afterwards as well.

00:40:01 --> 00:40:31 Yeah, didn't know who he was, but I definitely know now. Shout out to Jordi. Like, wow. Like, honestly, talented. I love the punk pop. I was like, I love the gay pop punk. Come give it to me. So I'm here for it. Would love to have him on the show. Like, he's so fun. Yes. Oh, my goodness. Yes. And then while I held down the barrier, you got a chance to run over to the main stage to see a little bit of Cascada. She can sing her face off. The mic was on. Like, she was, ugh.

00:40:31 --> 00:40:56 dream to interview her i know it's super strange like i don't really say much on the show chris is like oh i want to do this person's person i'm just like i'm just happy to be here i'm you know this makes like i'm a passive participant i'm not but i'm very much like whoever comes if they're open to us speaking about their music will do it that's gotta would love to talk about all of it because like how the heck do you turn that to your career like your whole your whole life is your vision uh

00:40:57 --> 00:41:24 So she was great. Everyone loved it. Her set was full, bro. I was like, yeah, I got to the side. Another pro tip stands to the right side of the stage. Don't give people pro tips. No pro tip. Well, yeah, I can know our secrets. This is true. You know, she is great. Loved her. Yeah, it's amazing. Super talented. I love the bodysuit. Love the dancing. She was saying it. Nice. Nice. OK, so then became. Oh, yes. Yes.

00:41:25 --> 00:41:39 You gotta run back quickly. Yeah. Because the emotional highlight of the trip for sure was the whole reason we booked tickets to this, really. Was to see Australian pop stars, Bardo, in just their second reunion gig.

00:41:49 --> 00:42:05 So for context, I've loved Bardo since I was a kid. They aired Australian pop stars where I was growing up. So I was obsessed with that first album, and I was thinking back, and I was like, I'm pretty sure the very first thing I ever ordered internationally online was a VHS of Bardo.

00:42:05 --> 00:42:21 Stop. Oh, my God. Anyway, so I was super excited to see them. One of my other friends also flew over from New York to see them as well. And, of course, we have interviewed Belinda on the show. She was our very first interviewer ever.

00:42:21 --> 00:42:50 Yes. And yeah, the performance was so short. But it was everything I could have wanted from them. The harmonies were super tight. You could tell they were so excited to be there. Just the energy was awesome. Like the fans flew from so many places. There were people from Brazil, all over the U.S., all around. Yeah, all over the Europe as well to see them. And you could just feel the energy from the crowd. Yes.

00:42:50 --> 00:43:05 Yes. Yeah. I think it was nice to see them all together in different colors. The purple, the pink, the red, the blue. Like, they look like a girl group. It just looks so pretty. I love the jewel tones. It stands out. It represents everyone's personality. Our mom looked beautiful on stage.

00:43:06 --> 00:43:28 Yes. And she sounded great. Yeah. Oh, my goodness. I thought they weren't going to perform because a couple of them were a little under the weather. But they showed up. They held it down. It was so fun. I am a little upset I didn't perform a certain song. I get it. It's a short set. But aside from that, love the performance. The remix is fun.

00:43:28 --> 00:43:45 Yes. Shout out to that intro. We got some a little dirty water and play it like that and an empty room in there. They did that new remix of I Should Have Never Let You Go, which I love as well. So yeah, I'm super excited. Sounds like they're hopefully planning to do more. So maybe we got to go to Australia next.

00:43:45 --> 00:44:09 yes and shout out to george because we met him yes he was one of our patreon members and um he's been riding down since like we first started patreon it was so nice to meet you um we looked so cute because he was wearing all green he was deck he was stylish yeah so cute yes and yes he felt the same as well he loved to see them perform he also wishes their set was a bit longer and he did say he wished asap was in there

00:44:09 --> 00:44:31 That is his jam, yes. Okay, your mama's in your bed. Yes. Aaron also wanted to shout out Higher Than Heaven, which, as we know, was actually a Kelly Bryan from Eternal. Yes. Original. So they got to do Higher Than Heaven. The harmonies were so good for that. Bardo have recently put up an acapella version of them, just doing it for the set.

00:44:31 --> 00:44:53 And it killed it. So yeah, that was such a beautiful set. It was so worth flying over there for, honestly. But yes, I was definitely, my nine-year-old self was very happy watching that. Yes. And we eventually got to meet him that day. So that was amazing. Me and Blaine were like, okay, you're like, oh my god.

00:44:54 --> 00:45:24 what it was but yeah you can tell good people and tiffany was also with miss belinda but you can tell good people who just want to do it loving it and i think that's what we felt on stage everything felt just so good so i did yeah action but check out the whole thing on instagram guys you know we can go the whole deal but it was just nice exactly yeah we got to spend a good 10-15 minutes with them as well yeah just yeah which was awesome just just yeah and yeah again like just my nine

00:45:24 --> 00:45:41 You know? Yes. So another set that a lot of people were telling us about was Jane MacDonald, who I know she's like a British gay legend, I guess. I'm gonna be honest, I don't really know who she was. But we did catch some of her set. And dang, she can sing.

00:45:41 --> 00:45:58 Yeah, she can. I was like, what the heck? Yeah, I was like, the mix is either really good or she can sing. It's like, no, she can sing. But yeah, Aaron calls her Dame Jane. But he said he found out about her when he entered a gay bar and heard her version of APT. APT.

00:45:58 --> 00:46:17 So, I mean, he said he loved it because it was like a nice community moment for Jane. It was so camp, so fun. And the song choices, which I also agreed, was amazing. And aside from another performer, Erin has said that she ate everyone up vocally, which is so funny. You know what? It's true without a take. You know what? Yeah.

00:46:17 --> 00:46:41 Go off. You know. Yes. She was good. We saw from the video. She was really good. Mm-hmm. Crazy. And who was dancing right next to us? Oh, yeah. It was Louise. We were all acting as cool. It was Louise. We looked over. Oh, it's Louise. And her fine ass dancers. Oh, my God. I won't go into too much details, but y'all, if you watch the videos, pretty boys, pretty all of us. Mm-hmm.

00:46:42 --> 00:47:02 Yeah, she was just hanging out, just dancing to Jamie Dalla, was very gracious, excited to meet us, which was awesome. And yeah, we'll talk about her set in a second, but she is a genuine British pop legend. So that was very cool to meet her. And during that little moment, we also met Heidi Range.

00:47:03 --> 00:47:32 Oh, yeah, because we were like, we have to go to the next stage. We got to go to, you know, go see Liberty X or something. And then Heidi's back there like, no, no, no, no. And Chris is like, it's Heidi. And I was like, Miss Heidi? I think it was David. It was David. David saw her first. Yeah. Miss Heidi? Miss Heidi? I'm getting respectful, y'all. I may talk a lot of mess. You know, Miss Heidi? Miss Belinda? Yeah. Yeah. Miss Louise? Yeah, no, she's very sweet. She's so teeny tiny. She's short. I know, I wasn't expecting that at all. Mm-hmm.

00:47:33 --> 00:48:02 Yeah, good for her, though. You know, like, she really got her flowers, you know, from doing that performance. And it was good just to kind of show her some love. You know, she hasn't performed in a long time. So, yes, that was really cool. I never expected I would ever see her or meet her. So here we go. Yeah. Y'all, I've been caping for her on this show for years. And she was the first sugar baby I met. Ain't that something? There you go. Yes. Yes. So then we ran to the Hey You stage to see the woman of Liberty X. Yes.

00:48:02 --> 00:48:12 L to the I to the B to the E to the R to the T Y. X. I did it. I can't spell y'all. You did it. Never spell it right. You did it. Yes. Gorgeous. Gorgeous.

00:48:21 --> 00:48:47 Oh my god. They are sexy. Hey. Yeah. I enjoyed their set. It is a lot to sing without the guys in terms of like the range and where everything sits. So shout out to them for like putting it all together, getting the choreography. I hate those little trains that they had because it almost killed Jessica. Yes. And Kelly. No, no, not Kelly.

00:48:47 --> 00:49:03 Oh, Michelle. Michelle. Michelle caught it first. She got it out all the way first. But Jessica, honey, I said, you better not kill my queen. You know, so it was fine. They looked great. I love the outfits. Yeah, exactly. Some strong harmonies there as well. Like, I think, you know,

00:49:03 --> 00:49:30 is something missing without the boys? And they did, you know, shout that out as well. They mentioned that, and George also mentioned that he hopes that they do a reunion with the boys for the 25th anniversary next year. But, you know, I had seen them do, like, a three-song set or something, like, at some other thing, like, a few years ago. So see them do a full 30-minute set where they did, like, all the singles that I love. Yes. You know, we've reviewed the first Liberty X album. I love Liberty X. I think they are so underrated. Yeah. Um...

00:49:30 --> 00:49:55 I can't wait to get to the rest of their albums. They have such a strong catalog. So to see them celebrate that and just to, you know, singing just a little with everyone is always a fun time. That was so amazing. Oh, my. I can only dream of having people sing my words back to me. That was so cool. And it was so pain. We were next to these, I don't know if they were Spanish or Portuguese, but these guys, these three guys, we were all...

00:49:56 --> 00:50:18 Yes, we were matched in the dance moves. Yeah, it was fine. I was like just feeling it and feeling themselves. So shout out to them. Yes. For sure. For sure. So one thing that we unfortunately missed was Carrie Katona's karaoke. She was in a tent that was like kind of far away. She did. So unfortunately, you missed her performing right now and whole again.

00:50:18 --> 00:50:48 But Aaron, our listener, did go He said it was an absolute must-see Of a hot mess, and he wouldn't have it Any other way, she is a national treasure And he says You don't think you can do hoopla without the whole crowd Doing a mass sing-along to the whole again To the whole again chorus Yeah, so we missed that this time So maybe next year, you know Yeah, maybe And so instead of Carrie Instead of Carrie, we ran to the main stage To go see Estelle

00:50:49 --> 00:50:54 I'd like to go someday I want to go Take me to the outside But to see

00:50:56 --> 00:51:22 Oh, my God. If you haven't watched the episode yet, what are you doing? Okay, after this one, go watch Estelle and also subscribe to our channel because we're fun. We do album reviews. Yes, we interviewed Estelle. Yes, we interviewed Estelle from the top to bottom. We talked to her and to talk to her right before performance, I feel like, I don't know, either way, if we would have seen her perform before or after this interview, I would have been wowed anyway. She is so good. She is so good.

00:51:22 --> 00:51:51 She's an emcee in the rap sense and also in the traditional sense of the master of ceremony. She had the crowd swaying, singing, dancing. The crowd was full. So for those who think that Estelle has fallen off, honey, no, she is, you know, another in a cloud at this point. It's not going to fall off of. She's above whatever it is that people, the doubts, whatever. But no, she is, oh. Yeah, she has such a great energy. Yes. She has enough for everybody. Yeah.

00:51:52 --> 00:52:20 Yeah. And, you know, we went, if you watched the interview, you know, we mentioned a lot of just about Joy. And, you know, she has nothing left to prove. She's doing this like purely our love for music and performing. And her set was so well put together. Her band was killing it. She mentioned a lot of metalies and the pacing was perfect, especially for a festival setting because the momentum was there. And you got just so many different genres being incorporated. So, so yeah, her set was awesome.

00:52:20 --> 00:52:48 Yeah. For sure. Oh my god. So after that, we took- we cooled down a little bit. Not really cool. I sat down. I was like, I can't do this. We stood by the bear cave still to watch Five. So Five came out and I gotta say, them old dudes was getting it. Okay? What?

00:52:50 --> 00:53:08 They're not spring chickens anymore. They're full on roosters just sitting there. I was like, this is what I want to see. I don't need you to sit there and bust out a whole leg formation. I want to see some little footwork. I mean, if the temptations are in their umpteenth iteration.

00:53:11 --> 00:53:31 The Jax even just were on Staten Island. I think it was. Yeah. You know, just put a little two set together. Sing the song. Sing the song. And that's what they did. Like their set was so good. And I was thinking to myself, oh, oh, hang on. I'm going to have to get into this because I love NSYNC. I love a little bit of Snowtown. I thought, you know, I do.

00:53:31 --> 00:53:47 I think it's interesting that Five, being who they are, they all adopted Black American acts. Let's be so effing for real. Okay? It's not about it. Yeah, for sure. Right? It's not terrible. Definitely. Oh, wow. Like, oh, yeah. I'm not going to say they make a big deal about it. That's not what I'm talking about. The fact is, the fact that they can still do it and sound good.

00:53:48 --> 00:54:10 That's the thing. Because I was listening. I'm like, the accent that you're singing in is an American accent. The accent you're rapping in is still in it. And it still had a swing. There was nothing sticky and awkward about it, in my opinion. I mean, we were up close. So maybe the sound was lagging. But I was actually very impressed with them. And yeah, that's it. Whoever daddies they are, fathers and husbands, shout out to them.

00:54:10 --> 00:54:27 Yeah, you know, I think, look, their songs are made to be performed. You know, they have, it's stadium energy. It's super powerful. And so I think, like, yeah, there's just a power to their songs a lot of the time. And...

00:54:27 --> 00:54:51 Yeah, I had seen them as three, and even then it was quite good already. So to see them as a five and just killing it and united, they did have quite a lot of drama. So to see them just up there, just kind of doing their thing. And I was talking to, I think it was David, or I forget who it was, but they were like, they're kind of the blueprint for a K-pop group. Two rappers, three singers.

00:54:51 --> 00:55:09 you know come on um oh yeah and their discography is awesome like we should get into into their for sure yeah yeah um so yeah i i thought it was great like i i really appreciated it and um yeah they have some bops for sure

00:55:09 --> 00:55:36 Oh, no, I got to add another Snowtown group to my freaking list. And now about the time I get into them, are we done touring? Oh, my God, I don't need the heartbreak. I already got this. I mean, take that. It's not Snowtown. But they're whimsy white, man. I do enjoy good whimsical white, man. I enjoy take that. There you go. But, yeah, guys, please don't give me any more after five. I love boy groups. I think we should. Oh, man. Yes. Yes. Okay, so then we ran to the Hey You stage because we needed to catch Louise's.

00:55:45 --> 00:56:11 Louise. So George, our listener, he loves Louise. He's the one who requested us to do our eternal pop 101. He's the one who was like, guys, you got to listen to Confessions, Louise's album. It's so, so good. And of course, our listeners have great taste. So he was absolutely correct. Yeah. Like Louise's album. It's so good. And her greatest hits is awesome, too. Like there's so many bops in there. And her set was so well balanced. Yeah.

00:56:11 --> 00:56:38 Oh, yes. Oh, my God. It was also very sexy. I know it sounds a little strange, but I think, Chris, you and I looked around. We were like, are we the youngest folks in the crowd right now? It was just so funny because he asked. You guys would be surprised. It wasn't me. He's like, I think we're really cool. And I looked around. But, like, think about it. You have these older men and older women here and there, and they are still, like, grooving and moving. There's something to be said about a woman getting on stage with...

00:56:39 --> 00:57:03 feeling good about herself, being sexy. She had two background singers, I think, Bianca and I forgot the girl's name. Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. But those two backgrounds, and they were just owning the stage, and everyone felt good. There's something to be said about that, you know? Because I think what ends up happening in pop, oh, you're too old for it. But there's something about British pop acts that just seemed to stand the test of time. I don't know what it is in the water over there, y'all, under the London Bridge, I don't know.

00:57:03 --> 00:57:31 But it gave y'all some grit and y'all love your artists down. So yeah, she was fun. I love the reveal with the little red thing. Yeah. Delicious. And also, shout out to her dancers one more time. I've never seen such pretty men. It was like a flavor for everybody. Okay. That's all I'm going to say. Yeah. I like all the flavors. Yeah. You know? Chris and I look at each other like, get set. Get set. Get set. Get set.

00:57:31 --> 00:57:47 There was a lot to look at, which is great. Yes. But yeah, Louise killed it. Like, there's something about watching these just more seasoned artists, where they're just up there, and they don't need to try it too hard. They know they got it.

00:57:47 --> 00:58:03 And the way they built the set was really well done, as I mentioned. Like, she has so many hits that she needs to kind of get in there. But of course, you've got to promote the new stuff. So the way that they kind of weaved everything in and out, the momentum was there. And yeah, there was just an ease to her performance.

00:58:03 --> 00:58:21 And they kind of... The way they had, like, the dancers come in and out, the two background singers come forward in and out, and then Louise kind of building and adding more and more dance routines until you get to naked, and she's doing the full thing with everybody at the end. Just the way they built that whole set was so, so well done, and it's just...

00:58:21 --> 00:58:37 That's what experience gives you. Uh-huh. You know? Yes. That newer song was called to the No One. When she was throwing the shirt. No. I love that song. I love that song. Yes. And it was done by Miranda Cooper and John Shave, two legends as well. So excited for the new stuff, for sure. Yeah.

00:58:37 --> 00:58:59 And that's what Aaron said as well He said, Louise is a live performer Now that he's seen the most I guess in his life, which is awesome And yeah He also mentioned that he's super excited For the new material as well And his favorite part was the transition Between one kiss from heaven into naked So shout out to John Shave Who I think did the mixes for this

00:58:59 --> 00:59:22 Yes, and shout out to her for not sitting too long in the eternal thing. Like, you did it once at this point. Like, y'all know who I am. One song you get. This is the one song. That's why I started here. Here's where I am now. So shout out to y'all for that, Eredra. I like that one. Uh-huh. Mm-hmm. Okay, so then our headliner of day two was Miss Alexandra Burke.

00:59:31 --> 01:00:01 who I love so much. Even when she was on X Factor, I was like, she is a star. And of course, everyone remembers kind of her performing Listen with Beyonce. But, you know, I followed her pop career. It deserved so much more than it got. I think there's a lot of dynamics to it, I think, of what happened. But to see her reclaim her pop star self was amazing to watch. I started crying. Yeah. Mm-hmm. You did. Yeah. You saw me?

01:00:02 --> 01:00:28 Yeah, I saw you wipe that deer. I was like, yeah. Also, if you guys want to check out Alexandra, she posted like a recap of the performance and both of us are in it like in slow-mo. Yeah. Yeah, living our best lives. I look stupid. My mouth is just wide open like a rabbit and a carrot. Chris is like, you know, I'm like, yeah. Whatever. Whatever. But the point is, video. But yeah, I did a little, I was like,

01:00:29 --> 01:00:43 It was so good because one thing about a good singer is that you can never stop a good singer. Even if they don't hit the household name, their voice is still their voice. So yeah, she was amazing. I loved the...

01:00:43 --> 01:01:12 her performance her classic hits she danced a lot but it wasn't like on some i'm gonna hit this crazy account think beyonce for those who don't know alexandra burke is where she's hitting like uh the bigger moves the more like um synchronized movements she's hitting those that was fun i love the um the background like graphics like the elephant in the room like the i love the all five of her from different eras uh

01:01:14 --> 01:01:37 But she did it with the medley for Whitney. And I was like, okay. I mean, Whitney, Shaka, she did. Yeah. It was like a weird, like, hey, why not do both of them? Because they both belt. And, you know, one did a tribute to the other. So I'll do a tribute to, you know. So she promoted herself very well, too, by the way. Because she said, I want to be Shaka Khan. I'm everyone. Yes. Yes.

01:01:37 --> 01:01:55 yes oh man but yeah i thought it was so good like her doing kind of all the main singles that she has which are all just they're they're so like they should have been global hits these songs it's tough man broken heels you know bad boy oh man yeah

01:01:55 --> 01:02:25 So our listener, Aaron, he said, what a superstar, an amazing set, and a true example of someone completely done dirty by the industry. She's a full package pop star, voice, looks, dancing, energy, so much star power and raw talent. He does wish that more songs in her back catalog were performed in place of part of kind of the quite long, I will say, Chaka and Whitney medleys. But she is just so talented. Like, this is stupid, but clearly has the X factor.

01:02:25 --> 01:02:53 like just no question yeah you're right yeah yeah it's hard i mean if you're gonna sit there and be on a show like that you better have it yeah so yeah i mean that's the goal of that show is to look for it yeah you said it you've said it before yeah not her but you always say you can always chris is very good at pinpointing it he goes this person has the x factor and i never think of this show but because she came from it's a little bit more like okay exactly this is on brand for you so aside from me kind of a bit that was actually on brand for you yeah

01:02:53 --> 01:03:09 No, she's a star and it's unfortunate, but she does give me hope because I was like, one day I'll make it out my mama's basement and you can totally help me if you guys decide to subscribe to our channel for one cent a day. Yeah. $3 a month on Patreon.

01:03:10 --> 01:03:33 Oh, man. Yes. So she was our headliner. The main headliner, though, was actually the Scissor Sisters, who our listener, Stuart, that was one of his highlights of the whole festival. He said, he wanted to mention, when Jake Shears introduced a guest by saying, we're bringing on a friend of the Scissors who hasn't performed this song live for 20 years, and even before the intro started, he screamed...

01:03:33 --> 01:03:56 It's Kelly Osbourne doing one word at the top of his voice. And he started crying. Oh, it's the word. Yeah. Yeah. And I believe Belinda Carlisle also came out for the Scissor Sisters. So Mighty Hoopla brings out these surprises, which is really cool. You know what? These pop surprises. Again, Hoopla is the pop mecca. I am sure. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

01:03:56 --> 01:04:19 I mean, you went to Out Loud, so maybe you can tell us about that another time during our, like, year-round, like... Well, what I can say is Mighty Hoopla was much more well-organized. Okay, so I want to make straddles and give out titles that are not okay. Hoopla, you take the call. Yes. So for our listener Aaron, though, his headliners was Booty Love.

01:04:19 --> 01:04:39 who was on our list as well but honestly we were done by then and we wanted food um and the tents were kind of far away but Erin said that everyone was a living for them in there they're always a ton of fun to watch yes um so so yeah that's awesome it's really cool how much was going on there

01:04:40 --> 01:05:07 Um, so yeah, so then that was our Hoopla experience. One shout out I did want to also mention, because I believe Chantel, you met him, but I did not. It was Lucas from the Oops, I Ranked It Again podcast. So he's awesome. He's such a fun show. So hopefully we can hang with you next time too. We're going to see if we can coordinate something. Um, but yes, let's do a quick list of superlatives. Oh my God. Best set.

01:05:08 --> 01:05:30 is in between um louise and appleton i'd say it's tough that one's tough um god dang it i think for me emotionally of course bardo but i think as a show it would actually be between alexandra and louise oh that's val yeah uh-huh

01:05:32 --> 01:05:48 evil you don't have to fully choose it's just like a fun like you know guys you do cut a keep here i'm trying to be more definitive of my answer i can't choose between those two so you know it's okay so that's that oh my god sorry you know what it's hard i don't have a best everyone's a winner

01:05:48 --> 01:06:14 there you go there you go okay biggest surprise biggest surprise would obviously have to be heidi heidi coming out for appleton was yeah that was insane best look okay i gotta give it to bardo like i'm not just saying that oh yeah because those jewel tones in my memory say now it was kind of close but again it was pretty simple and cute like i was giving like the bloke core but bardo those outfits yes oh my god

01:06:15 --> 01:06:44 I'll agree with you. Ugh. Okay. Slept on Act. Everyone should stream. Ooh. Huh. I will say I have since gone back to revisit all of Louise's discography. All of Alexandra Burke's discography. Mm-hmm. And so I would say those two were kind of the most, like, impactful in that way. And, of course, Bardo. Bardo.

01:06:44 --> 01:06:58 Yeah, that's valid. Certain people, I'm just like, I hate you, stay. There's nothing wrong with being there, but there is a switch in prestige that comes with mainstay. And a lot of the girls had crowds. So I get what you're saying. Thank you. So that act that everyone should stream, hmm?

01:07:00 --> 01:07:27 And I kind of go at this from the angle of we're in America. So most people, like when I was posting all that stuff, I was getting a lot of messages that were like, who is this? You know? So a lot of it for me is like, these are the people who I feel like should have made it here to, you know? Yeah, that's valid. Let me think. I mean, I wish Alexandria Burke would have had a stronger shot here in America. I feel like maybe it's a no offense to the UK. I don't think that we're really checking for her. Like, yeah.

01:07:28 --> 01:07:54 Unless you were. Unless you were. My bad. I'd say there was other stuff that happened. There was other stuff that happened? Okay, my bad. Might as well kind of turn, y'all. But I just feel like, you know, something would have happened. She probably would have got changed into a quote-unquote urban artist, but she would have had more of a chance. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my thing. That's my thing. It's one of those things where it's like maybe just trying to change in countries would have been like, okay, girl, we'll take you. But you'll see. Slept on Act. Everyone should stream. I would say...

01:07:55 --> 01:08:22 Because Alexandra Kinsey, but I think the whole like 2010 like Euro pop thing, Gaga had taken like that over. So I wouldn't say you have to lose because you missed out. I would say like she's talented. So I would say Louise, I think. I think she's one of those artists where it's like you don't really Kylie, Madonna. Hey, this is this is chick named Louise who came from a girl group and like smashed it out of the park. So I think, yeah, Louise is mine, too. Yeah. Nice. OK, set me wish we'd caught the mist due to a clash.

01:08:22 --> 01:08:42 I think we saw everything that I wanted to see. I do wish I could have seen, oh, what's her name? Chase Icon. Ooh. I love 808. That one was fun. 808 is fun. But also she's a doll and I love to see the dolls performing because they're putting music out and it's good. It's freaking good. Yeah. What about you? What about you?

01:08:43 --> 01:09:04 There are a few. I do wish we got to see some of Perry, you know, because she is such a great singer. I will be honest, some of her solo material, not my favorite. But, you know, she's a great singer. So I was a little sad we didn't at least get to hear a song or two from her. And honestly, as an Atomic Kitten stan, seeing Carrie Katona scream right now would have been pretty great.

01:09:04 --> 01:09:25 I'm kind of singing, y'all. Leave her alone. Y'all leave my carry alone, because hold her hold again version, I liked it. Yeah. Listen, guys, I cape for the girls that no one capes for. You know what she's talking about? I do, because look who I brought out. Yeah. Mighty Hoopla this year, y'all. Sure. Get me? Okay. So, final verdict. What did you think of Mighty Hoopla? And would you go again?

01:09:25 --> 01:09:45 It was cool. It was cool. I'll go again. It was cool. It was cool. Me too. Me too. So look out for us next year, guys. Yes. But also, Mighty Hoopla, you do owe us something. You owe us press passes because we would love to interview your artists because we will do it like no other. We're not going to ask stupid questions. We're going to ask the real questions about the music, the music that you guys love to hear. So, you know, that's my only thing. Hoopla, put us on.

01:09:47 --> 01:10:09 There you go. There you go. Come on, Glenn. We're here. Yeah. Oh, man. Okay, so who else went to Mighty Hoopla? We'd love to hear about all of your thoughts on all of the sets. Let us know in the comments below. Also, huge shout-out to our CCTV crew on Patreon. Hillary, Lily, Emily, Darius, Phoenix, Ren, George, Julianne, Jonathan, Janelle, Luke, Ivana, Wyatt, Ryan, Celeste, and our newest member,

01:10:09 --> 01:10:38 Nicholas. Nicholas. Yay. So great to meet you, George. Ren, I know you were there. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it work. But hopefully next time we're in town. And everyone, you can follow us at CCTV Pops on all social media. If you're watching on YouTube, don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn notifications. And if you're on a podcast app, a follow, a rating, and a share really helps us out. Yes. Yes. Okay, so until next time, that's Chantel. That's Chris. And we are CCTV, the nonstop pop show.