I went with quite a few friends to the (now yearly) Alton Towers music festival yesterday. It’s a Christian event, which combines the thrills of the theme park, with some fantastic music. The bands this year were Superchick, Rock n Roll Worship Circus and the Newsboys (by far my favourite).

The journey there went OK, despite some suspect navigation and confusing signposts. The park was absolutely packed though - which is a slight disappointment when you’ve paid £30 to get in. We spent a lot of time queing, and only really managed to get a place on 4 or 5 rides throughout the day. We did manage to go on the new ‘Rita’ ride, which was pretty spectacular (but far too short considering the two hour queue)!

The concert started at 5pm, we got there just after it had kicked off. The setup was pretty impressive - two large video screens (which worked on an intermittent basis…) and some really fantastic audio. We went into a merchandise tent at first, and found a great t-shirt company. They are called ‘Ipsuis’ and have a great website - check them out if you’re looking for some decent (fairly made) clothing.

As is always the case, some bands were better than others. Other than the Newsboys, I wasn’t all that impressed with the line-up. I didn’t go last year, but was told Delirious were excellent (I went to see them in Bradford recently). They played lots of their older songs, many of which I hadn’t heard. That said, it was a fantastic experience - to be around so many like-minded people is amazing.

I really would highly recommend the event, and will certainly be booking a slot for next year. We just need to try to arrive there a little earlier next time - beat the mad rush of thrill seekers!