To say Prince is timeless would be an understatement, both in musicality and in appearance. There is something ethereal yet powerful about the man, small in stature but huge in presence. I can’t help but think that he’s hiding a painting of himself in an attic somewhere, Dorian Grey style. That sort of otherworldly magic would befit him entirely.

It may seem a little odd that Prince would pick Hop Farm as his event of choice for his only UK show of 2011. Not so if you were lucky enough to experience it for yourself. Hop Farm has a history of securing a range of heritage artists and this year blended it up with a bevy of contemporary pop, indie and urban acts. An eclectic line-up of performers, a mixed crowd of content music lovers and a general atmosphere of bubbling excitement. This all offset against the underlying ethos of the festival itself – no branding, no sponsorship – just music and good times. This hippy-esq attitude reflected itself within the type of people in attendance and contributed to the generally easy-going, almost giddy mood of the whole event.

Notable acts preceding ‘The Artist Formerly Known As’ include our very own Labrinth and Tinie Tempah, who provided the main support for the man himself, and rising star Aloe Blac. Tinie Tempah provided an expectantly energetic set, playing to the older crowd like a pro. Almost stealing the show, however, was his drummer. A whirlwind of arms and beats, he bounced off Tinie’s energy like a mesmerising ball of energy. Each member of Tinie’s band were impressive musicians and looked as genuinely passionate about the music as their front man. There’s no doubt that Tinie is the modern epitome of a rock star - charismatic, lyrically nimble and iconically stylish. The reaction from the largely middle aged audience to the ‘down with the kids’ grime-pop star was mixed but generally well received, warming up the audience for the impending arrival of the pop legend himself.

From the moment that Prince stepped onto the stage it was apparent that something special was about to happen. A collective intake of breath resounded around the fields of Hop Farm as the opening notes began to play. Starting with a five-minute funk jam, serving as a clever sound check for Prince and his largely female band, a necessity after a few sound glitches during Tinie’s and Larry Graham’s preceding performances, the set rolled into something transcendental.

Unreserved elation poured out of the crowd as Prince ripped it up through a selection of his classic tracks; ‘Delirious’, ‘1999’, ‘Take Me with U’, ‘Raspberry Beret’, ‘Cream’, ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend’, ‘Little Red Corvette’ and ‘Kiss’. The opening bars of ‘Purple Rain’ induced a frenzied wave of excitement, men and women all around me practically passing out as Prince reached that iconic chorus, whilst purple confetti streamed out of air cannons and filled the air around Hop Farm.

Perhaps most surprising was the warmth Prince exuded whilst on stage. Playing and joking with the audience, indulging the crowd with dance solos and flirting with sassy bassist Ida Nielson and gorgeous guitarist Andy Allo. The embodiment of extravagant charm, Prince was evidently in the mood to entertain, holding the audience of thousands in the palm of his hand.

An 11pm curfew finally brought the show to an end, after a teasing third encore (a feature that has become somewhat of a signature at his live shows.) The only disappointment from the night was that ‘When Doves Cry’ was missing from the set. It’s widely reported that Prince now refuses to play more than a snippet of his less salubrious tracks such as ‘When Doves Cry’ or ‘Darling Nikki’ due to his current Jehovah’s Witness beliefs.

Nevertheless, Prince stole the show, which is just as well seeing as the organizers added an extra day to the festival just to accommodate his appearance. The swirling, gyrating, sharp witted enigma that is Prince washed over the fields of Hop Farm and tore it up, leaving us mere mortals in the audience a quivering sea of admiration. Echoes of ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Kiss’ reverberated through the site as we trudged back to our cars after what was definitely a highlight of the year, if not millennia.

Words: Claire Davies