Hit forest concerts are top of pops

Cannock Chase has been known for centuries for its beauty and outdoor opportunities.

It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and attracts thousands of visitors from across the country.

Now it counts Status Quo, The Zutons, The Charlatans, Lulu, The Feeling, UB40 and 40,000 music fans as some of those visitors with the Chase well and truly cementing its position as a unique music venue.

This year marks three years since the first concerts at Birches Valley and, initially, the Forestry Commission faced stiff opposition from residents of nearby Slitting Mill who were angry at a concert on their doorstep.

But now the commission appears to have won over its critics and has struck a balance, directing revellers away from the village and ensuring the concert is over by 11pm.

This year's three-day celebrations at the Cannock Chase Forest Festival have seen approximately 12,000 concert-goers descend on to the Chase to see Status Quo rock out on Friday night, with The Zutons ratcheting up the Saturday entertainment and 90s band The Charlatans wrapping up on Sunday night.

Many of the visitors over the weekend couldn't speak highly enough of the venue, which has a dipped bowl shape to the stage ensuring everyone can have a great view and get closer to the artists than most concert arenas.

Add to this the backdrop of Cannock Chase and a balmy summer night and it is a recipe for an experience you will never forget.

Status Quo kicked off the weekend on Friday night with a great performance to 4,500 fans both young and old. Lead singer Francis Rossi was on top form and all the great songs were there with everyone enjoying a party atmosphere.

Saturday night saw The Zutons take to the stage with a lively audience and a truly great show.

The band gave a sterling performance with everyone singing along to the now famous Valerie which has been given a new twist recently by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse.

There was only one incident on the night when police arrested a Telford man for assault following a drunken argument but Cannock Pc Andrew Sheasby praised the fans saying the crowd was "very good natured."

Veteran rockers the Charlatans took Cannock Chase back to the 90s with a swaggering Britpop performance last night.

Tim Burgess and Co were joined by thousands of devoted fans who were eager to hear hits from the band's 18-year career in the beautiful setting.

Despite the threat of rain the skies cleared in time for the support acts, girl group Ipso Facto and Scottish rockers Glasvegas who won a new army of fans with a soulful and impressive performance.

A sea of fans surged to the front of the stage when the Charlatans came on. The field became a mass of bouncing bodies for the the set as the Charlatans mixed new releases with old favourites like One to Another, How High and the Only One I Know.

Paul Donnelly, aged 29, was among the crowd. The civil servant from Stafford says: "They haven't lost it have they? Tim Burgess was still up for it and he put the effort in, even though he could have been headlining the second stage at Glastonbury this weekend. It was quite a small crowd but it had a nice feel to it."

It is this "feel" which is making Cannock Chase one of the must-do venues for music fans and organiser Alistair Semple said people were coming from all corners of the UK to experience the atmosphere.

Speaking today, as the mammoth clear-up was under way, Mr Semple says this year's concerts had surpassed all others. "The three days this year have been better than they have ever been before," he says.

"It has been a great weekend for everyone and the feedback from people leaving the venue has praised our staff for the manners and helpfulness. There is a tremendous amount of organisation that goes into this but the working relationship between my staff, the police and the security firm has been fantastic.

"We will have hit 12,000 sales for the weekend which is great and we had to actually keep the ticket office open until 9pm on each of the nights as people were still turning up.

"People leaving on Saturday night were asking about tickets for Sunday because they had enjoyed themselves so much. That is exactly the kind of experience we want people to have.

"It is a great venue and a good atmosphere and the management of Status Quo have told us the acoustics of the site are better than any venue they have seen the band play."

The first Forestry Commission concerts were held nine years ago in Thetford forest with the aim of spreading awareness of the countryside to a younger generation and raising cash for the beauty spots.

Mr Semple says: "In the last three years we have welcomed more than 40,000 people to Cannock Chase and we have now got a reputation as a great place to hear live music. We are already in talks with artists for next year and all I can say is they will be bigger and better acts.

"We will be able to announce next year's artists before the Christmas holidays."