Newton Faulkner at Big Weekend
Indie stars The Kooks have been relaxing at Mote Park ahead of their headline performance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend.
Speaking backstage early this afternoon, the rock ‘n’ roll quartet said they were looking forward to taking to the stage.
Lead singer Luke Pritchard said: “It’s going to be cool. If the crowd’s with us and we’re all singing together then it’s going to be a real moment.
“It’s wonderful to be in Maidstone, the weather’s good and the people are here.
“It’s nice of Radio 1 to invite us to perform.
“We’ll be playing songs from both records and can’t wait to get on stage.”
The Kooks will bring the free two-dayer to a close and follow the likes of Goldfrapp, Newton Faulkner, The Zutons and The Enemy in performing.
Acoustic guitarist Newton Faulkner said his set was well-received.
He said: “It was really cool to play, I was really happy with how it went. The crowd was amazing.
“I haven’t done gigs in the country for a little while but the crowd got really involved with every song.”
Punk rockers Gallows also heaped praise on those who turned out to see their set, saying: “It’s the first time we’ve played a festival like this but it was really good.
“Everyone was really into it, it was brilliant.”
The Zutons will be the second to last act on the In New Music We Trust stage before headliners The Raconteurs.
They have spent the afternoon relaxing backstage watching Hot Chip and The Gallows.
Drummer Sean Payne said: “We got here about 1pm and have just been hanging around watching a few bands.
“Hot Chip were alright and The Gallows were nuts, but fun.
“We will be a mixture of new and old songs tonight. We have not played in a while so will do songs people know and mix them in with a few new ones.
“People want to have a good time so do not want to hear only new stuff. I always like festivals as there is not as much pressure on us as with our own gigs.
“It’s not just about us, it’s about everyone having fun.”
He added: “We have not seen much of Maidstone but Mote Park is nice, it’s a good venue for a festival.”