Sun, superstars and other takeaways from Radio 1's Big Weekend

Radio 1's Big Weekend doesn't ever committedness sunshine.

Nor does north-east England, arsenic we were regularly reminded by immoderate of the 100,000 festivalgoers who couldn't judge their luck successful Sunderland.

They were treated to astir 100 acts crossed 3 glorious days astatine Herrington Country Park.

BBC Newsbeat was determination too, speaking to artists and fans astir the large talking points - starting with a fewer words they each wanted to hear.

Kicking disconnected the commencement of festival play astatine the extremity of May, Big Weekend's upwind conditions are usually mixed.

And there's nary denying it tin marque oregon interruption the experience.

So erstwhile worrying rainfall icons connected our apps turned into 3 days of sunshine, we knew it was going to beryllium special.

"The prima brought the bully mood," 20-year-old Caitlin told Newsbeat astatine the extremity of nighttime one.

And that bully temper didn't leave.

Olivia Dean's triumph lap

Tickets for the last day, featuring Olivia Dean's archetypal large header slot, were piping hot, too.

It's aft a singular 9 months for the vocalist since she released her 2nd medium The Art of Loving.

"It's wholly changed my life," she told the crowd.

Chart records, immense sold-out tours and a tonne of awards person followed.

She tin present adhd different accomplishment to the list.

As the Sunday prima acceptable implicit Sunderland, her show radiated with the warmth it near behind.

And fans from astir the satellite were determination to spot it.

Kameel, 27, flew from New York aft missing retired connected tickets to her US circuit and coming crossed Big Weekend connected Instagram.

"Olivia Dean resonates with me," she tells us.

"She's a idiosyncratic of colour, and truthful it's large to perceive her euphony and her communicative - and her vocals are insane."

If Olivia Dean's emergence has been meteoric, Zara Larsson's has been years successful the making.

It's astir a decennary since the Swedish prima archetypal performed astatine Big Weekend - opening the main signifier successful Hull.

But her planetary popularity has exploded recently, powered by viral dances, high-profile collabs and, she says, by becoming "the astir me".

It would beryllium naive to deliberation sounds and personalities aren't inactive cautiously curated by talented teams.

But the displacement does astatine slightest look to bespeak fans' perceptions - and what they're craving.

"It's similar Zara Larsson's bloomed into the afloat butterfly mentation of herself, similar this is the Zara," instrumentality Christian 25, tells BBC Newsbeat.

His person Leanne, 26, agrees, saying: "The dances, her make-up, everything she's wearing successful this era, it's incredible."

She's not the archetypal prima to assertion that authenticity tin beryllium the cardinal to breaking done with much savvy and societal media-focused audiences.

The message? To halt aiming for old-fashioned stereotypes of what a popular prima should look and dependable like, and alternatively thin into your ain creator instincts and existent character.

Girl radical FLO hold it's progressively important if you're going to person a agelong career.

"It's ever easier to merchantability a communicative that's your own," vocalist Stella Quaresma tells Newsbeat.

"It becomes a resistance erstwhile it's not from you."

It spanned styles, backgrounds and generations - from section lad Max Jones getting the enactment started connected the Introducing signifier to Fatboy Slim finishing it connected the main one.

He mightiness beryllium 62, but Fatboy Slim - oregon Norman, arsenic helium introduced himself to Newsbeat - inactive has an vigor and aura that transcends property groups, and decades of timeless bangers to backmost it up.

"That's the beauteous happening astir creation music," helium says.

"Getting america each unneurotic successful 1 place, with a communal cohesion and unity - the powerfulness of that".

"Yes please!" Radio 1's creation euphony maestro Danny Howard archer america backstage.

If you've been to a Big Weekend, you'll cognize it's not similar different festivals.

It takes immense stars to caller places that don't usually get to spot them.

Tickets are importantly cheaper than astir large festivals, too, with a ample fig reserved for section residents.

And truthful it feels antithetic each twelvemonth - with each spot stamping its ain quality and civilization connected the event.

People from Sunderland beamed with pridefulness erstwhile they told BBC Newsbeat astir their accent, chickenhearted parmos and different trademarks that marque it a "lush" spot to live, to bargain a connection from Zara Larsson.

For section DJ Sorley, it was a "full circle" moment, telling Newsbeat however he'd travel to Big Weekend with his household erstwhile it past came to Sunderland successful 2005 - highlighting however the lawsuit tin animate caller generations of artists.

Fatboy Slim knew what to expect from the radical helium was playing to: "They're lunatics," helium joked, lovingly.

But "always a truly friendly, lively crowd". He was right.

It hasn't conscionable been for the city, though, arsenic Fatboy Slim was keen to archer us.

"Big up everyone successful Sunderland, large up everyone successful the North East."

Listen to Newsbeat live astatine 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - oregon perceive backmost here.