THOUSANDS of music lovers flocked to War Memorial Park for the annual closer of Basingstoke Festival at the weekend.

Basingstoke Live has become the final showpiece of the month-long festivities and revellers were in high spirits on Saturday as people filed into the music extravaganza.

The two-day free music event has gained a reputation of showcasing some of the town’s brightest talents and this year’s festival was no different as Basingstoke teenager Riley Kudirka, better known as Riley K opened the Main stage on the Saturday.

Speaking to The Gazette after his set he said: “I played the Unplgd! stage last year, but to open the main stage this year is a dream come true.

“Playing something like this in my home town is just incredible and is a great chance to showcase the town’s talents.”

From the shredding guitars of Dream Overkill on the main stage to country-pop singer Shannon Dawes captivating audiences on the Unplgd! stage, there was something for everyone across five stages.

West London ska-punk sextet, Lead Shot Hazard, got the crowd swinging over at the Amped stage.

With their high energy stage presence and brass section, their upbeat vibes could be heard across the whole site.

If it was a party you were looking for then the Sunrise stage was bouncing non-stop from the early afternoon. With a constant flow of grime and hip-hop acts including WOWBROS, Vocal Networking and Basingstoke local Signal adding to an infectious atmosphere within the tent.

Andre Schuster, also known by his stage name MCX, who helped co-ordinate the Sunrise stage, said Basingstoke Live is all about variety.

“There are probably people in this tent who wouldn’t usually listen to grime and hip-hop but are coming along and checking it out,” said Andre.

“We’ve had people come up to us and say they have gravitated towards our stage just because of the sound coming out of the tent and the atmosphere inside.”

Andre also had his moment on the Main stage with MCX presents SoundMinds, a collaboration of different artists, which was a warm-up before headliner P Money took to the stage.

The South Londoner has made a quick rise from underground grime MC to household name and it is easy to see why.

The Basingstoke crowd was putty in his hand as they bounced on his command and even started a moshpit when his DJ dropped a beat.

As P Money left the Main stage, there were smiles from everyone in the crowd, a sure sign that Basingstoke Live 2016 had got off to a great start