5 things we learned from British Summer Time with headliner Kylie Minogue

The rain stayed away and festival-goers were bathed in sunshine at one of the musical nights of the British Summer Time festival.

The big names were joined by hitmakers Foxes and Years and Years on a second smaller stage today (June 21).

With an impressive career spanning decades, headliner Kylie Minogue showed she had the biggest balls of them all.

Disco balls that is.

She performed her nearly 20-song set under what was arguably the biggest disco ball in Europe and two smaller ones.

With no fewer than four outfit changes - including red sparkly thigh high boots - she reminded us why we can never forgot those gold hotpants.

She made full use of her muscly dancers, riding on two of their shoulders to delve into the crowd, mirroring Grace Jones' foray into the throng albeit with a bouncer as her steed.

But it wasn't all fun and games, with 70s hitmaker Nile Rodgers opening up about his battle with cancer.

He admitted is "terrifying" to be diagnosed with the deadly disease, but added: "Since I couldn't control what the outcome was going to be ... I wasn't going to live dying, I was going to die living.

"And then I didn't die. I actually started living a lot more and I worked and worked and worked."

He then launched into a rendition of no. 1 collaboration Get Lucky. 

Kylie with some liquorice-esque dancers

So what did we learn from today?

1. You're never too old.

The combined age of three of the headlining acts is 176, so it goes to show there's no limit on being able to put on a show. Ms Jones, the eldest at 67, performed most of her set topless wearing just a corset and g-string.

2. Some things are timeless.

In keeping with the higher age range of the performers, some of whom qualify for free bus passes, was the age of the songs. Nile Rodgers, who performed with band Chic, have been going for nearly 40 years.

A healthy number of their tunes date back to the 70s, but at least in that time the majority of people have learnt the words and were able to sing along. Kylie dabbled in some nostalgia when she joined in with the audience singing the theme tune to Neighbours.

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3. It helps to have celebrity friends.

With a line-up crammed full of musical legends, you'd think the stage couldn't accommodate any more. Think again. Just as Nile was wrapping up Chic's set he invited a host of people from backstage – including Sam Smith, U2's Edge and Cara Delevingne. 

Always remember to keep your famous friends in the wings for instant cameos whenever needed.

4. The weirder the better.

We all knew Grace Jones was going to put on a show, and she didn't disappoint. Painted head to toe in white symbols, she adorned a series of hats and headdresses including her trademark glittery bowler hat. But pop princess Kylie gave her a run for her money with dancers resembling giant pieces of liquorice and power rangers. Or Mexican wrestlers.

5. Speaking of which, the Mexican wave is back.

It's been years since I was part of the magic of a Mexican wave. Rare are the opportunities to successfully pull one off, more so seeing that I don't attend football matches.

But Kylie brought back the noble tradition, and she even invited her parents along.