HE MAY well have brought the Manchester weather down with him but even though everything and everyone got drenched during Craig Charles’ set, spirits were certainly not dampened, to coin a cliche.

The crowd was already in the groove even before Craig took to the stage at the rain-soaked Chepstow Castle, so when he stepped behind the desk, everyone went wild.

The amazing sound of the likes of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye resonated perfectly around the castle grounds and, thankfully, the funk was not lost in the toilet area, although there was funk of another kind present there too. 

My personal favourite track played was The Hot 8 Brass Band’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing that I first heard in the movie Chef. However, this only marginally beat Stevie Wonder’s I Wish, which never fails to get me in a dancing mood. 

One track played towards the end of the night that came as a bit of a surprise, was a mashup of White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army and Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars.

I wasn’t really too sure what to think about one of my all-time favourite songs being mixed with one I don’t really care for, but I can’t deny that the two did blend strangely well. 

At the end of the concert, everybody walked through the castle gates with a smile on their face, as it was an amazing concert. 

I would definitely recommend either seeing Craig Charles live, or listening to his radio show.