Just yesterday a keen-eyed passenger on a day trip to Portaferry in Northern Ireland commented that the Peel Bay Festival’s ‘Valhalla Marquee’ could be seen 25 miles away from Peel! If he had been listening in to last night’s extraordinary
concert, he might have heard the screams of McFly and Ronan Keating fans from perhaps twice that distance!

In what was unanimously agreed to be a stunning success for the festival, the two world-famous acts rocked a near-capacity crowd, leaving thousands of broken hearts and tired lungs! With the sun beating down and fans of all ages
pouring through the festival gates, the excitement was at an almost unbearable peak before power-punk chart-toppers McFly even took to the stage.

Amongst the young fans who flocked to the VIP tent for a brief up-close-and personal sighting of the boys, a lucky few were chosen through a draw to go and have their photograph taken with them. It was all too much for one young girl,
who said “I’m just going to die! This is the most exciting thing ever. I can’t believe they’re here!”

The imminent show also got the thumbs-up from three local lads: “We’re at school still and everyone we know is really keen to come – to pay the money and see the bands. It’s successful for everyone and it all looks great.” One man
waiting for the show to begin initially vowed that he was here because his nephew liked the band, but he then relented and said, “Actually, you just can’t beat them. They’re a proper band with genuinely genius pop songs!”

The atmosphere in the marquee was electric as Dougie, Harry, Danny and Tom took to the stage. Their tender years were completely forgotten as they put on a turbo-charged performance which, despite the playfulness of their pop melodies, was pure punk in attitude and energy. A huge cheer went up as they paused between songs to comment on the Isle of Man: “It’s very nice! We saw palm trees when we arrived at the airport!”

There was a longer pause as festival organiser Jonathan Irving introduced the presentation of a charity award. Revealing that McFly had gone straight from the airport to Nobles Hospital to visit a young cancer patient, he dubbed them “the four nicest chaps you could meet.” After a deafening roar, McFly then presented the Golden Jubilee Trust’s Young Citizen of Mann award to local Michael Manning for his work with the Isle of Man’s homeless.

The feel-good factor reached a crescendo for the band’s blazing finale ‘5 Colours in Her Hair’, just before which Danny urged everyone in the audience to get on their feet. Nobody took much encouragement – by the end of the song the
audience had turned into a sea of hands and ecstatic cheers.
Backstage, the admiration was mutual. “It ended up amazing”, commented Harry, while Danny agreed: “It was a great crowd. Thank you to everyone for having us”. Although Dougie hadn’t made his mind up about his whereabouts (‘Where’s the Isle of Woman then?”), Tom spoke for the entire band when he said, “We would absolutely love to come back” and Manager Tommy agreed: “We had a really good time…hopefully see you again sometime soon.”

It would be daunting for any artist to follow this; perhaps only Ronan Keating could maintain that high and carry it off. And naturally he did, not only delivering a mature, pitch-perfect performance but doing what nobody thought possible: raising hysteria levels to a maximum!

Before the show, Ronan divulged that what he loves most about his job is “making people happy with my music. I still pinch myself that I get the opportunity to do this and that people still want me to come back…it’s absolutely mental and
it’s a dream job.”

His audience were pinching themselves too. Ronan is well-known for his humility: when asked what message he would like to send out to the Isle of Man, he said simply, “Sorry. I’m sorry this is my first solo gig here, it’s 7 years I’ve been solo and I’m sorry it took so long. Please have me back”. He needn’t have worried – as he took to the stage, fans young and old would have forgiven him anything.

Sporting aviator shades – not for his image, he confessed, but because he had an eye infection and “it’s not pretty” – Ronan’s every move induced swoons in fans young and old. At one end of the spectrum, there were three women from
London who were seeing Ronan for the 201st time, while at the other, local girl Jenny said delightedly, “he’s my childhood dream and to see him tonight has made it come true.” Another local lady, who had brought her young grandchildren, felt he gave a mere “190 per cent - this is absolutely fantastic!”

To see the huge audience singing, cheering and waving almost as one – and sometimes at a decibel-chewing level! – was an unforgettable sight. Not only was it every inch the family-friendly event it promised to be but for many young music fans, it was their first gig; it was hard to say whether kids or parents were smiling the widest at the end!

John Shakespeare of Street Heritage was certainly smiling: “It was an amazing night and certainly amongst the events I've been involved with, it was the biggest concert that has ever happened in the Isle of Man. It all ran smoothly and we worked very closely with all the health and safety departments to put on this great show and there were no incidents - everyone is safe and sound - everyone had a brilliant time and we rocked!”

As the positive feedback and plaudits continue to roll in from all quarters, it’s clear that Peel Bay Festival is responsible for memories that many will cherish forever.