Raucous Start For T In The Park

Raucous Start For T In The Park
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Tens of thousands of music fans have given the T in the Park festival a raucous welcome to its new home at Strathallan Castle.

Kasabian, David Guetta, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson and Fat Boy Slim are just some of the names appearing on the opening day of the festival, which is taking place at the Perthshire estate for the first time this year.

Organisers expect 85,000 people a day to descend on the three-day event, with the likes of Avicii, Stereophonics, The Libertines, James Bay and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds also in the line-up.

Fans laden with rucksacks and tents began arriving at the campsite when it opened yesterday, with thousands more flocking to the site today as the first acts took to the stage.

Wellies were the footwear of choice for the early birds after mist and rain churned many of the site's walkways into mud.

But the low cloud gave way to sunshine as the afternoon wore on, lifting spirits - and volume levels - in the process.

Scots synth-pop band Prides got proceedings under way on the main stage, followed by The Cribs and The Wombats.

The venue's five other stages and tents were also drawing good crowds, with the likes of The Twilight Sad and Indiana performing.

On the site early was 21-year-old Riley Steel, from Calgary.

She said: "We're from Canada so it's like an eight-hour flight. We centred our trip around the festival but we're here for a holiday.

"It's awesome, it's so much fun, I love it. We saw Lucy Rose and we're waiting for The Wombats.

"It's really exciting and nice and muddy. I actually like the weather, it's different."

Her friend, Danielle Foster, 19, said: "It's gorgeous scenery. It's a little muddy but that's all part of the fun, it's great.

"Scotland I'd always heard is so gorgeous and there's a ton of great people here this year."

Lynn Schofield, 32, from Leeds, said: "We're just settling in. We watched The Cribs. It's my first time at T in the Park so it's good to come and be in Scotland.

"We're torn between seeing Kasabian and Mark Ronson later."

Her friend, Natalie Howarth, 36, from Wakefield, was not letting the early rain get to her.

"I've just been on a boating holiday around the Yorkshire Dales and it was raining so it's no different really. There's a bit of rain, a bit of sunshine."

Scot Evan Carrie, 17, put seeing DJ Annie Mac at the top of his list for the festival.

"The walk from the campsite was very long but it's worth it now we're here. We've been to see The Cribs, Fuse ODG then back for Annie Mac.

"Annie Mac's top of the list, definitely, then David Guetta.

"I've been six times to T in the Park but I liked the old site better."

Jasmine Fisher, 22, from Norwich, said she found the new site "dirty, but really great".

"It's really good. I'm looking forward to seeing The Wombats and Avicii," she said.

"It's my birthday so we had a night in Norwich, a night in Leeds, a night in Glasgow and then we got to T in the Park."

Organiser DF Concerts struck a deal to shift the 2015 festival following health and safety concerns about an underground oil pipeline at nearby Balado, where it had been held for 18 years.

Local councillors approved the plan in May despite opposition from some residents and environmental groups who expressed concern for ospreys at Strathallan.

Concerns were also raised about traffic arrangements for the event, and the potential for anti-social behaviour.

The festival runs until Sunday, with The Prodigy, Idlewild, The Script and The Proclaimers also set to perform.

Organisers have said they hope fans will enjoy the event's new setting.

The estate, which dates back to the 13th century, is owned by the Roberts family, who say staging the event will allow improvements to be made to the area.

They also believe it will give tourism and businesses in the region a boost.

The maximum temperature forecast for today and Saturday is 18C (64.4F), while for Sunday it is 17C (62.6F).

Second on the Radio 1 stage today was British punk duo Slaves.

Guitarist Laurie Vincent said afterwards: "The crowd were in it from the first song. It doesn't take any time to warm them up, they're hyped."

The band took to the stage at T a couple of weeks after playing Glastonbury.

"These are all the festivals I used to watch on TV before I even started a band so to be playing them is a dream come true," he said.