THE weather may have been poor, but hundreds of racegoers braved the elements for a Paloma Faith party.
The singer-songwriter kicked off Haydock Park Racecourse’s summer music nights last night, Friday – although at times it felt like winter in the chilly wind and frequent showers.
A well-known figure in the music industry, as well as for her time as a TV judge on The Voice UK, the 40-year-old sang some of her biggest hits in front of passionate fans who flocked to the front of the stage.
Paloma was greeted with a warm welcome when she appeared at 9.15pm after an evening of racing action, dressed in her signature unique attire.
While those who attended the racecourse may not have known all her songs, it would be hard to not appreciate her singing talents and impressive voice.
And who could not smile at her complimenting the Haydock crowd, who the London singer admitted were better than crowds in the south.
Renditions of big chart hits Picking up the Pieces and Crybaby were followed by a medley of tracks from her first album – stopping briefly in between for a cup of tea and chat with concertgoers, who she described as ‘glorious’.
Further songs were performed, including tributes to her children and former band member Kevin Banks, who sadly died following a terminal illness.
This led to a cover of the iconic track Piece of my Heart, which has been performed by countless artists for decades, to kick start a dance segment of the gig.
The loudest reaction of the night was Paloma’s performance of Lullaby, which had fans singing and dancing along.
The night then ended with potentially her most well-known hit – Only Love Can Hurt Like This – with the crowd encouraged to wave their phone torches in the air.
Haydock Park will host two more music nights this year, the next of which will be popular ska band Madness on Saturday, July 16.
Hopefully warmer and drier weather will return as they perform iconic hits including One Step Beyond, Baggy Trousers and It Must Be Love.
Then on Friday, August 5, BRIT Award-winning band Rudimental will be in attendance for a headline DJ set.
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