10 July 2015 (gig)
14 July 2015
IT'S not often you can say a band looks and sounds exactly the same as 30 years ago, but Sister Sledge knocked all misconceptions out of the park at this year's Chilfest Festival.
The sisters smashed out hit after hit, with no sign whatsoever that time had moved on three decades.
From Lost in Music to Frankie, Sister Sledge brought a slice of 80s soul magic to the thousands of people who had travelled to the beautiful setting of Tring in Hertfordshire on Friday night.
And for the lucky few, they were even given the chance to join the family group on stage to dance with them as they sang He's The Greatest Dancer.
Extreme excitement ensued as people were handpicked to scramble over the security fences to make it on the stage, with one man even being carried to the front on someone's shoulders in a desperate attempt to be a chosen one.
It really was a tremendous party atmosphere, especially as Sister Sledge finished their set with their party favourite We are Family, a song that has well-established itself as a must for djs at discos and celebrations.
Sister Sledge was a great headliner to what had already been a fantastic night of 80s soul and reminiscence.
Shalamar had already brought festival-goers a slice of club classics with Take It To the Bank and There It Is bringing the crowd to their feet.
And their version of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk also had a great reaction, with people scrambling for their phones to record it.
It was a Night to Remember certainly, with their perhaps most famous song doing what it says on the tin!
For many, the highlight of the night may have been hearing Joceyln Brown sing her classic Somebody Else's Guy.
Her voice is unquestionably strong and effortlessly despite sitting down.
As festival goers listened to her incredible tones, it was evident that everyone was waiting on tenterhooks for the start of the famous intro to Somebody's Else's Guy.
And when it came, the sound of the Tring crowd singing it in unison with Jocelyn brought shivers.
The other bands on Friday's Chilfest did not disappoint. Odyssey certainly did their utmost to Use it Up and Shake it Down as they brought a real party flavour to the event.
Hit after hit followed with tunes such as Going Back to My Roots, Native New Yorker, If you're Looking for a Way Out and Inside Out getting the crowd on their feet.
And Shakatak had got the beautifully sunny evening off to a soul-funk start with songs like Night Birds and Down on the Street.
For the festival goers, the next five hours had flown, ably helped along by fabulous compere Kym Mazelle who unfortunately did not perform this time around. Next time Kym?
