Backstage gossip from Big Weekend

by Natalie Jamieson and Sarah Jane Griffiths in Maidstone, Kent
Radio 1 entertainment reporters

So what’s it really been like backstage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend?

Four stages, a lot of sunburn, and Madonna. Those are the very edited highlights of day one of Radio 1’s Big Weekend.

Usher opened the main stage at lunchtime, dressed in black jeans and black shirt as he said he wanted to look like a rock star - with the requirement shades on at all times of course.

He ignored the sweltering heat inside the tented stage to impressively body pop his way through his set, and slid off a car.

Amusingly though, he had to be driven the few paces from his dressing room in a silver people carrier, which was then parked just off stage.

Except the bass was so loud as he performed it kept setting off his car alarm.

Duffy had a few eyelash problems

The Hoosiers dressed up themselves, Jo Whiley and her family as part of their set.

While Robyn brought a troupe of drumming girls on stage with her for her track Who’s That Girl – all in fancy red jackets and white pleated skirts.

She said: “It was nice to bring some ordinary regular girls on stage for this song, because that’s what Who’s That Girl’s about.”

She was so busy trying to get into her outfits she didn’t get a chance to socialise backstage though.

”We have a nice little cottage here, I call it my cottage, we have like 30 people inside.

"I tried to watch Usher before and he was just doing his ballads so I went back to my cottage. I like when he’s dancing, that’s when he’s hot.”

Roy from Scouting For Girls couldn't stop watching himself on the screen

Editors also had a close run-in with Usher – kind of.

Singer Tom told Newsbeat: "I got introduced to Usher's sweaty pants by Kelly Osbourne. I saw very little of Usher.

"Didn't he call everyone Manchester? That is the rule book of being in a band and being on stage. Don't forget where you are.

"We've all done it. Portsmouth was Norwich for us one night. Then you feel like a complete t***."

Over on the In New Music We Trust Stage, the Ting Tings were going to be a hard act to follow but Vampire Weekend swept in there and got the crowd bouncing.

Keith from We Are Scientists celebrated his 31st birthday on stage, and even had a birthday cake in the shape of a dog presented to him by Jo Whiley.

He promptly ripped the head off and threw the sponge cake dog’s floppy ears into the audience.

It was all hands in the air for The Feeling around 5pm.

Bassist Richard’s 4-year-old Sonny watched most of gig on mum Sophie Ellis Bextor’s shoulders. Sonny then went and played on a tractor outside.

Afterwards singer Dan told us they were a bit nervous the crowd wouldn’t remember them.

He said: “We’re so 2006, The Feeling, you know what it’s like, all these new kids on the block, so we got out there and there was still a nice big crowd and as soon as I have that I go a bit mental and run around.”

A baking hot day meant lots of sunburn, and huge amounts of sweat in the crowds and for the bands on stage.

Even for sophisticated ladies like Duffy: "My eyelashes are sticking together, it's mayhem. It's hot, it's tropical. Naked people - semi-naked - you know walking round. So it's kind of fun!"

Madonna and her entourage kept to themselves

Roy from Scouting for Girls said this was the largest crowd they’d played to but kept getting distracted by the screens showing the band on stage:

“I know, I was watching myself thinking ‘Hmm, not bad from this angle’, by the second song ‘You’re looking a bit sweaty’, third song, ‘Don’t look at the cameras any more Roy!’”

Madonna kept herself to herself, and her entourage, secure in her own compound which was separate to the rest of the bands backstage.

She put a lot of energy into her headlining set, pretended to make love to an amplifier and asked the crowd if they were drunk.

John from the Fratellis didn’t bump into her or her security people: “You don’t bump into Madonna’s security, they have some sort of force field. If you get within twenty five feet of them you bounce back off again.”