Wild abandon at Standon

Standon Calling has something for everyone (Image: Getty) Amidst the stunning Hertfordshire countryside, Standon Calling festival didn’t fail to please the punters again this year with its brilliantly eclectic vibe. From the hugely charismatic Mel C on the main stage on Sunday bringing some delicious Spice Girls nostalgia, to Rick Astley pleasing old and young in the crowd with covers of Harry Styles and AC DC, and pups strutting their stuff in the dog show , there really is something to suit all tastes. On a mostly gloriously sunny Sunday, crowd pleaser Mel C won hearts with her colourful comments, at one point joking ‘Well that was rather unprofessional wasn’t it?’ after a technical glitch made a comically rude noise through the speakers. In a silly flight of fancy, Mel C proved she was in tune with the crowd, asking “Has anyone seen the new Barbie movie yet? as she hadn’t. Bringing the laid back Sunday up to eleven, Mel C stirred the Standon crowd  to hysterical joy, teasingly building up her string of solo hits into a medley of massive Spice Girl anthems, the elder members of the crowd singing every word and dancing with wild abandon in what for an hour felt like being back in the mania of the Spice Girls late nineties heyday. A band of the moment, The Big Moon wooed the crowd with their carefully crafted indie folk as the sun began to set on the main stage, the lead singer at one point joking with the crowd that her sunglasses made her look like “An undercover detective”, their easy charm on stage rapport perfectly in fitting with the vith the sun kissed feel of festival atmosphere. Big hitters Bloc Party brought their well honed headline set to a crowd who had clearly been waiting in high anticipation for tunes such as Hunting For Witches, its menacing lyrics and synths giving a well timed electro edge as the sun set on another hue weekend at Standon Calling.