THOUSANDS of visitors descended upon one of the UK’s most unique racecourses to see a legend of British pop music take to the stage.
Sir Cliff Richard opened his Diamond Encore set at Cartmel Racecourse last night with some classic rock ‘n’ roll before thrilling the crowds with some of his biggest ever hits including Living Doll, Summer Holiday, Wired for Sound and We Don’t Talk Anymore.
As the warm sun set on the Cartmel Valley, Sir Cliff brought this year’s annual summer concert at the popular course to a close with some of his newest songs – including his 2019 release Reborn.
Sir Cliff, the UK’s most successful selling artist, told the crowd: “I was telling people for weeks we’re coming to Cartmel and they said we would love it – and so far we have loved it.
“We are very happy to be here,” he added.
Earlier in the evening, multi-million selling pop sensation Sophie Ellis-Bextor gave an energetic performance with hits including Take Me Home and Groovejet.
She had the audience on their feet dancing along to her number one track Murder on the Dancefloor.
Later, postmodern swing stars The Fly Boys charged the atmosphere even further on course with a set filled with their unique interpretation of modern tracks from The Backstreet Boys and Maroon 5, as well as a medley of Beatles Classics like When I’m 64 and With a Little Help From My Friends.
Holker Racing and Leisure managing director Steve Cooper said the Cartmel Racecourse Concert Day had been an out and out success.
“Thousands of people enjoyed some fantastic horse racing at this magical course before attention turned to our evening of live music.
“Sophie Ellis-Bextor was hugely popular with The Fly Boys adding something really unique to the mix.
“And finally, our headline act Sir Cliff Richard electrified the crowds with a superb performance that filled the Cartmel Valley with some of his biggest and best hits from a musical career spanning decades.”
Steve added: “Cartmel is one of just three venues in the country to host an outdoor concert from Sir Cliff this year, and we’re very privileged to have been able to invite him to our stage here in south Cumbria.
The concert got underway following a full afternoon of British horse racing which saw the likes of top flight National Hunt jockeys Sam Twiston Davies, Aiden Coleman and Brian Hughes battle for wins in the saddle.
Steve said: “Our team works very hard all year round to organise this event, so we’re all delighted it’s been such a success and that racegoers have once again enjoyed an unforgettable day out.”
