Mumford & Sons provide festival finale

Mumford & Sons closed this year’s Radio 1’s Big Weekend with a thrilling set full of new and old songs.

The headline act played hits such as I Will Wait and Rushmere to entertain the crowd at Sefton Park in Liverpool, complete with fireworks and confetti.

Other artists on the Main Stage through the day included Tate McRae, Lola Young, Jorja Smith, Wet Leg and Haim.

Speaking ahead of their performance, Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford told BBC Newsbeat the band were “stoked to be headlining again”.

He added that it had “been a while” since they played big shows, but were keen to use Big Weekend to “get back in the saddle for us and find our home again”.

The group managed to squeeze a lot into the one hour slot they had, something they had thought about while preparing.

“[We had to] figure out how we’re going to supply people with the essence, and the finest perfume of Mumford & Sons,” guitarist Ted Dwayne said.

In the crowd, Sian was singing along and told a roving BBC Newsbeat reporter that she had seen the band a few years before with the same people she was with on Sunday.

“It’s a full-circle moment,” she said.

Another fan, Kurtis, reacted: “Amazing, just so much fun. what a lovely way to end the weekend.”

The day saw mixed weather at the festival site, with Tate McRae’s early high-energy performance basking in the sunshine contrasted with fans braving a heavy downpour to watch Haim later on.

But many fans were not deterred by the downpours.

After Haim told the crowd the band would “party harder” in the rain, Rebecca said Mumford & Sons “would be just as good in the rain as well”.

Her friend Izzy adds: “It’s a good atmosphere – I feel emotional.”

Elsewhere, the New Music Stage was headlined by Jade, formerly of Little Mix, and also saw performances from South Arcade, Joy Crookes, Flo and Self Esteem.

Jade told Newsbeat she was feeling “a little bit nervous” ahead of her set, because it was her “first big solo performance”.

Admitting she’s had “tunnel vision” about the set, fans in the New Music Tent were cheering her on with every song.

Over the three days, an estimated 100,000 music fans enjoy around 100 performances across four stages.

Tom Grennan thrilled on Friday with surprise acts including Ella Henderson, Mel C, The Zutons and KSI.

The Higher singer described “headlining the biggest weekend of the summer” as “pretty crazy”.

He followed The Wombats, Natasha Bedingfield, James Hype and Biffy Clyro, who also performed on the Main Stage.

Saturday saw a nervous Sam Fender lead the crowd in singing hits Seventeen Going Under and Hypersonic Missiles.

Before that, fans saw Tom Odell, Sugababes, Myles Smith, Blossoms and Wolf Alice on the Main Stage.

But the highlight for many was the surprise set by Ed Sheeran on the New Music Stage, announced just a few hours before it took place on Saturday.

The Shape of You singer said he chose that stage because he’d “never played it before” and felt the tent had “the best energy”.

You can catch highlights of Radio 1’s Big Weekend on BBC iPlayer.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.