REVIEW: Love The 90s Festival Packs Out Keel Square for a Huge Sunderland Party

Love The 90s Festival took over Keel Square on Saturday and Sunderland certainly turned out for it, with the city centre packed for a full afternoon and evening of pop, R&B, garage and dance nostalgia.

Review by Aaron Whittington

There was a really good atmosphere from early on, becoming busy quite quickly despite and early start with the area in front of the stage packed, with people dancing, singing along and clearly there to make a proper day of it, cementing their places for the day.

The line-up was a big part of why the event worked so well. Rather than sticking to one particular side of 90s music, it moved between R&B, garage, pop and some of the biggest dance sounds associated with the decade.

Kele Le Roc kicked off the main stage programme, followed by Alex Party before Heartless Crew brought the garage side of the line-up into the mix. The latter being a band I grew up with on the London garage scene, back in the day. It gave the opening part of the festival plenty of variety and meant things got going quickly rather than spending hours building towards the bigger names later in the day.

Baby D and Amelle followed as the crowd continued to grow. Amelle belting out those Sugarbabes hits we all know and what a voice hearing her live, before Phats & Small took things further into the afternoon accompanied by Scarlett Quinn and Sidiq. By this point Keel Square was bouncing and the festival was beginning to feel like one big outdoor party rather than just a series of acts taking turns on stage.

Technotronic were next in the running order and were a perfect fit for a festival celebrating the decade. There are some names that just instantly make sense when you think of 90s dance music, and having them on a bill like this only added to the throwback feel of the day.

The festival then moved into a particularly strong run of pop names with Natasha Hamilton, Eternal and Claire Richards appearing one after another. Natasha Hamilton bringing a great hybrid set of Atomic Kitten hits and solo material. She also sang one of my fav ever songs ‘Eternal Flame’ which Atomic Kitten indeed covered. Like Amelle, Natasha’s voice is fabulous to hear live.

It was a nice change of pace from some of the dance and garage music earlier in the afternoon and showed how much ground the line-up actually covered. These weren’t just artists from one small part of the 90s, but performers connected with very different sounds and different memories for the people watching.

Claire Richards was always likely to be one of the names a lot of people were looking forward to seeing and by this stage Keel Square was absolutely packed. Looking across the crowd, there were people singing, dancing and joining in wherever you looked. Everyone loves a bit of Steps (even secretly) and the whole crowd was dancing and gesturing dance moves with their hands and feet.

That was one of the best things about the whole festival. It didn’t feel as though thousands of people had arrived just for one particular name and were waiting around for the rest of the day to pass. Different sections of the line-up clearly appealed to different people, but the energy remained throughout. Some were there for the pop acts, others for the garage and R&B, while plenty were clearly waiting for the dance-heavy end to the night.

After Claire Richards, the running order shifted firmly back towards dance music with N-Trance, Dave Pearce and DJ Sammy taking the festival through its final stretch. It suited the way the day had developed. After hours of different styles and performers, the closing part of Love The 90s felt much more like a huge Saturday night party in the middle of Sunderland.

Even after being on their feet for most of the day, the crowd still seemed to have plenty of energy left. Keel Square remained busy and lively, and there were people dancing pretty much anywhere they could find enough room.

There was plenty happening away from the main stage too, with the R&B Mania VIP area running throughout the festival and adding another option for those wanting something different from the main programme.

Keel Square itself worked really well for the event. Having the festival right in the centre of Sunderland meant it felt like it had completely taken over that part of the city for the day.

Once the square was full, it was an impressive sight. There were people in 90s outfits, groups who had clearly come together for a day out and a crowd that, more than anything, just seemed to be enjoying themselves.

There is obviously a huge nostalgia element to something like Love The 90s, but that is exactly the point. These are artists and tracks people associate with nights out, school discos, holidays and different periods of growing up, and hearing them again surrounded by thousands of other people gives them something different.

It also showed just how broad the music of that period was. Within the same afternoon you could go from Kele Le Roc and Heartless Crew through to Baby D, Phats & Small and Technotronic, before Natasha Hamilton, Eternal and Claire Richards took things into the evening. Then you still had N-Trance, Dave Pearce and DJ Sammy to finish things off.

Love The 90s didn’t need to try to be anything more complicated than a really good day out built around music people still enjoy, and that’s what it delivered. A packed Keel Square, a line-up full of familiar names and a crowd that brought plenty of energy throughout made it a brilliant addition to Sunderland’s summer events. If the aim was to turn the city centre into one huge 90s party for the day, it certainly managed it.

Still to Come at Keel Square

Love The 90s may be over, but Keel Square’s Summer Series isn’t finished yet, with another four events taking over the square across the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The Bootleg Beatles – Friday 28 August

The Bootleg Beatles head to Sunderland alongside special guests Not The Rolling Stones for a night celebrating two of the biggest bands of the 60s. The event is part of the Keel Square Summer Series and is open to ages four and over, with under-18s needing to be accompanied by an adult. (Skiddle⁠)

Tickets – The Bootleg Beatles at Keel Square⁠

Groovebox Keel Square Summer Fest – Saturday 29 August

Things move firmly into house and tech house on Saturday as Groovebox takes over Keel Square. Armand Van Helden heads the line-up alongside SOSA and Sidney Charles, with Joe Rolét, Boss Priester, Ranger Trucco and more also appearing. The event is strictly 18+. (Skiddle⁠)

Tickets – Groovebox Keel Square Summer Fest⁠

Road to Nashville Outdoor Festival – Sunday 30 August

Country music takes over the square on Sunday with Road to Nashville. The festival features live tributes celebrating artists including Shania Twain, Luke Combs, Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton and more, alongside line dancing, Wild West entertainment and other activities throughout the day. (Skiddle⁠)

Tickets – Road to Nashville at Keel Square⁠

Family Fest ft. K-Pop Live – Monday 31 August

The Bank Holiday weekend comes to a close with Family Fest, featuring K-Pop Live alongside tribute performances celebrating the likes of Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, ABBA, Take That, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Eminem. The event is open to ages four and over, with under-18s requiring an accompanying adult. (Skiddle⁠)

Tickets – Family Fest ft. K-Pop Live⁠