Radio 1's Big Weekend in Middlesbrough showcased the outstanding talent the North East has to offer

With hit bands Little Mix and The 1975 opening and closing the final day of the Big Weekend, Radio 1 showcased the musical talent the North East has to offer.
Rita Ora. Picture by PARita Ora. Picture by PA
Rita Ora. Picture by PA

Dressed in florescent green and black, the striking girl group took to the stage at Middlesbrough with a whirlwind performance of their smash hits such as Shout Out To My Ex and Black Magic.

Finishing their bouncing set, which involved slick choreographed dance moves and note-perfect vocals, the girls offered an 'exclusive' to the thousands of fans with a clip of what could be their next single.

Little Mix. Picture by PALittle Mix. Picture by PA
Little Mix. Picture by PA
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South Shields singers Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall make up half of the pop princesses - alongside bandmates Jesy Nelson and Leigh-Anne Pinnock - who shot to fame during the X Factor back in 2011.

Laughing along with each other during their energetic performance, the girl group brightened up a grey morning on Teesside.

The festival feeling had become infectious and those brave music fans who chose to leave their jackets at home will have been relieved to see the glorious sunshine beaming down on the masses at Stewart Park.

Jade commented she wasn't sure what the crowd would be like being the first on stage at 12.30pm but was blown away by the energy Middlesbrough had to offer.

Crowds at Big Weekend on SundayCrowds at Big Weekend on Sunday
Crowds at Big Weekend on Sunday
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Thousands packed into the main stage to see the group and their superstar slick performance proved a popular choice with the younger members of the audience with youngsters perched among parents' shoulders everywhere you turned singing along to every word.

Even those among the crowd who aren't 'Mixers' couldn't help but bob a foot or bounce from side-to-side to the upbeat pop songs - which have been impossible to miss over the past seven years.

The third and final event of the Big Weekend in the Boro may have started with pop princesses but it ended with alternative chart toppers, The 1975.

A sea of hands shot in the air the moment the electric beat of their first track, Give Yourself a Try, began to blare through the speakers.

Picture by PAPicture by PA
Picture by PA
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Frontman Matty Healy (son of actors Tim Healy and Denise Welch), commented that they were 'incredibly humbled' to be headlining Radio 1's main stage in the North East where he grew up.

Well dressed in a suit, tie and blue jumper, Healy looked more like an accountant than a rock star as he sipped from a glass of red wine between songs.

But with flashing lights, political statements and emotional messages mixed in a whirlwind of the band's most popular hits - it was everything, and more, adoring fans could have hoped for.

And in what looked like an impromptu move, Healy leaped from the stage and emerged from the barrier at the front of the crowd as he sang I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) later admitting that he was overcome with emotion.

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Fireworks filled the sky as The 1975 brought the weekend to a close with the entire crowd jumping in unison to the final chorus of The Sound.

With around 30,000 music lovers packed into Stewart Park, the three stages offered up some of the best the music industry has to offer from up and coming stars to household names.

Tom Walker, who appeared on the BBC Introducing stage, shot to fame with hits Leave a Light On and You and I after originally uploading his music to the BBC platform.

Norwegian singer Sigrid with pop hits Don't Feel Like Crying and indie legends Two Door Cinema Club with What You Know rocked the The 1 For New Music Stage.

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This morning many festival goers will have awoken with sunburned faces and a Bank Holiday Monday headache but with memories of seeing the some of the biggest names in music on the Middlesbrough stage.