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Review: Saturday at T in the Park 2016

Middle day of the festival features the epic vocals of Jess Glynne and Be Charlotte, nostalgia from Bay City Rollers and Calvin Harris' laser show
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Review: Saturday at T in the Park 2016

Middle day of the festival features the epic vocals of Jess Glynne and Be Charlotte, nostalgia from Bay City Rollers and Calvin Harris' laser show

We sent three of our music critics along to T in the Park to see how the weekend went down. Once you're done with Saturday's review, check out what we thought of Friday and Sunday.

Saturday at Strathallan is a typically muddy affair, meaning the standard main-stage footage of pretty people atop shoulders is interspersed with the occasional human morph.

Rapper Tinie Tempah has collaborated on his albums with a host of fine vocalists. Singing live without them some of his songs lack the depth of his radio edits, though he doesn't need any assistance when he rolls out 'Written in the Stars' as the lyrics ring, not quite from a million miles away, but right from the back of the crowd.

Sporting the strongest braid game of the festival, Jess Glynne shows the range and power of her glorious voice isn't created in a studio, belting out sections of songs without accompaniment. Hers is a more personal set than most, taking the time to dedicate 'Real Love' to her parents. Over at BBC Introducing Dundonian singer-songwriter Charlotte Brimner, of Be Charlotte, demonstrates the winning combination of raw hip hop talent coupled with a beautiful and compelling singing voice.

Playing the Radio One stage ahead of the release of their sixth album are Kaiser Chiefs. Tracks from 2005's critically-acclaimed album Employment are the biggest hits, with 'I Predict A Riot' resulting in a mass of furiously pogoing bodies, while Brexit has given fresh resonance to the lyrics of 2007's 'The Angry Mob'.

The token reformed band offering a dose of nostalgia are the tartan-clad Bay City Rollers. The decades since their heyday are accentuated by a montage of them as taps-aff youths. It's like your dad and his pals formed a band, but can actually play guitar. The sound quality of Les McKeown's vocals isn't great but fans know every 'doo wop' of Shang-A-Lang anyway.

No chance now of a surprise guest appearance from Taylor Swift during Calvin Harris' headline performance but Dizzee Rascal has his back. Harris plays an impressively varied, if slightly stop-start set, sampling Adele and Daft Punk alongside his own hits. The visuals are incredible, with powerful lasers and a kaleidoscope of 3D images distracting from the lack of on-stage action that comes with a headline DJ, rather than a band.

Tinie Tempah - Mamacita (T in the Park 2016)

Jess Glynne - Take Me Home (T in the Park 2016)

Kaiser Chiefs - Parachute (T in the Park 2016)

Seen at Strathallan Castle, Auchterarder, Sat 9 Jul.

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