SCORCHING sunshine drenched War Memorial Park as thousands of music lovers descended on the park for the first day of Basingstoke Live.

With acts from near and far, there was something for everyone.

The eclectic mix of artists was on display right off the bat as heavy metal quartet Acts of Winter got proceedings under way on the main stage.

With riffs and head bangs aplenty, this was a step up for the rockers who last year graced the Amped Stage.

Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Karl Morrissey said: “It was great to open this year’s show and to be on the main stage was really exciting for us, and people seemed to enjoy what we were doing.”

Mhari Netley, lead guitarist added: “It was nice for us to play a mixture of new material as well as some of the songs we included in our set last year.”

As families set out their picnic blankets and soaked in the sun, things were heating up over at the Amped Stage, with Reawaken getting the crowd rocking and vocalist Meg Parkinson showcasing a real pair of lungs on her. Their rendition of the Jay Hawkins song ‘I Put a Spell On You’ was both brutal and beautiful.

Throughout the day, the numbers coming on to site just seemed to keep going up and it was down to the creative, fun and always entertaining compere of the main stage Gary Myles to keep things flowing smoothly.

With his funny renditions of well-known songs in-between sets Gary put a smile on the faces of those in attendance.

He told The Gazette: “I feel like a bit of a charlatan, surrounded by all these talented artists, but if people find me entertaining that’s great for me.”

As the night draw in, the Sunrise Stage was absolutely jumping, and when Serial Killaz and MC Fearless took to the stage, the tent was like a can of sardines, with an almost one in, one out policy.

Before the first female headliner at Basingstoke Live, Paigey Cakey closed out the first day, it was the job of Basingstoke’s own Signal to get the crowd in the mood.

And it was something he did with ease, with fans singing back all the words to his songs and just having fun on stage.

After his set Signal told The Gazette: “I am so overwhelmed with the reception, this is easily the biiggest gig of my career so far.“To be main support to someone like Paigey was an absolute honour.”

When the Hackney MC took to the stage, she had the audience eating out of her hands, with her unique take on the hip-hop genre.

For the first woman to close the main stage, she has certainly paved the way for many more.