Sister Sledge ft Kathy Sledge at South Tyneside Festival

In recent weeks there have been a number of Pride events across the region, and on Sunday the South Tyneside Festival joined forces with Pride in South Tyneside.

A packed afternoon of top-level entertainment awaited those in attendance. The event was in partnership with Out North East – the organisers of the month-long Pride event across the borough.

Deck chairs lined the lawns of Bents Park whilst rainbow flags and colourful attire were on display across the festival site.

North East favourite Channy was flanked by a troupe of dancers and received a warm welcome on the hottest weekend of the South Tyneside Festival this summer. The artist fired up the crowd with a raft of cover tracks from the likes of Pink and Sophie Ellis Bextor before South Shields native Shelley Stevens carried the show into the early afternoon.

Bedecked in matching red dresses, Gloria and The Bobby Dazzlers thoroughly entertained the crowd in Bents Park mid-afternoon. The trio who regularly performs at Bobby's Bar in Newcastle brought a touch of cabaret to the proceedings to great effect.

Deneice Pearson turned back the clocks to the 1980s and the glory days of Five Star. The artist, whose voice still sounds incredible, performed hits such as System Addict and Can't Wait Another Minute. Subsequently, Deneice delivered an impromptu rendition of Happy Birthday to those celebrating. Deneice’s distinctive brand of retro pop was the perfect precursor to the headliners.

(Image: Adam Kennedy)

(Image: Adam Kennedy)

(Image: Adam Kennedy)

(Image: Adam Kennedy)

(Image: Adam Kennedy)

(Image: Adam Kennedy)

Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge topped Sunday’s bill. And with the group's multitude of hits, the South Shields crowd were quite literally Lost in Music from the off. The latter also kickstarted the show and transported the audience to the disco days of the seventies.

Bedecked in orange stage costumes, Kathy's colourful troupe of backing dancers dazzled the crowd with their choreography and ferocious moves. But the dancing didn't stop with Kathy and the group. The esteemed artist invited several of South Shield's own Sand Dancers to the stage to bust out their moves for an impromptu dance-off during the classic He's The Greatest Dancer.

Timeless classics such as Everybody Dance, Frankie and Thinking of You soundtracked a nostalgic afternoon in Bents Park. And there was only ever going to be one song that could close the event, and that was, of course, We Are Family. Sunday was a warm day in Bents Park, and Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge, certainly brought the heat to South Shields.

South Tyneside Festival concludes on Sunday, 4th August, with appearances from Haircut 100, Carol Decker from T’Pau and Sonia. For further information, please visit https://www.southtynesidefestival.co.uk/.