YOU’VE got to love Westonbirt. The summer series of concerts bring the famous arboretum alive for two whole weekends every summer and let music lovers from across the region appreciate the beauty of the forest on our doorstep.

The setting for the Forest Live gigs is truly spectacular, and the combination of high profile performers in such a gorgeous arena is what brings people back year after year.

Brit-award winner Paloma Faith kicked off the concerts this year with a sold-out performance on Friday night, with support coming from Liam Bailey.

The sparky Londoner donned thigh-high white boots beneath a fuchsia pink sequined mini-dress to wow the crowds on the night – a kind of Nancy Sinatra for the electric era, with the voice to match.

Opening with ‘Take Me’, from her third album, A Perfect Contradiction, it was easy to see why demand for tickets was so high, as her soulful voice lifted the crowd, and continued do gain momentum as the set progressed.

A peculiar twist for many was Paloma’s rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Purple Haze’ – not what you’d expect, but with talk of a new album on the way it certainly piqued interest.

Despite a couple of technical difficulties, Paloma coped brilliantly, and hits such as Ready For The Good Life, Stone Cold Sober, Picking Up The Pieces and Only Love Can Hurt Like This meant that the sell-out crowd danced and sang their way back to their cars after an impressive 90 minutes of top quality tunes.

Saturday night brought headliner Tom Odell to the arboretum, and despite a few daytime showers the sun was out for the young singer songwriter, most famous for his version of Real Love, which was used on the John Lewis Christmas advert.

Much of the crowd, however, were just as keen to see support act Rae Morris, whose rise within the music scene is almost stellar. With tickets to see Rae perform in her usual venues like gold dust, this was a prime opportunity to see her before she herself is headlining Westonbirt shows. And the beautiful lady with the haunting voice certainly didn’t disappoint, captivating the crowd .

However, the big name for the night was Tom Odell, the 24-year-old blond singer and pianist who takes obvious inspiration from Elton John.

Tom tried to inject energy into the show from the very start, rocking out in double denim to his guitarist and revelling in raucous drum beats before settling down behind the piano for first song Mystery.

Tom is, indeed, an incredibly talented singer and performer and it is almost a shame that his very talents are what keep him in one spot on the stage. However, his fragile tones and gift for playing the piano certainly make up for this.

I Know, Can’t Pretend and Change Your Mind were all on the set list and provided the perfect musical accompaniment to the glasses of wine and picnics being enjoyed all around as the sun set behind the trees

Tom saved his two most famous songs - Real Love and Another Love – until the end of the evening, but this did not matter to those who had enjoyed a mellow night of music.

The final acts to take to the Westonbirt stage on Sunday were boyband The Vamps, supported by Hometown, The Tide and Union J – and they certainly had youth on their side!

The support acts were all perfectly chosen to ramp up the excitement levels and by the time the headline act took to the stage the screaming from the front rows could not have been any louder, whilst most parents retreated to the safety of their deckchairs to enjoy a well-earned rest.

It was a comparatively early start for The Vamps, who played for just over an hour to finish before 10pm.

They certainly didn’t disappoint in their performance , and the band’s origins as an internet covers band really came to the fore as the entire audience were able to enjoy a set which included popular hits including Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, Taylor Swift’s Shake It Up and Miley Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop.

The band did go off stage a fair bit, leaving single band members in the spotlight, but great performances on individual instruments – the drum solo certainly springs to mind! – meant that the audience were never left alone.

The rain started just as everyone headed for the car park, meaning that the first selection of Westonbirt ‘Forest Live’ gigs for the summer had been rain-free throughout. Let’s hope the sun shines just as bright in July, when Robert Plant, Spandau Ballet and McBusted all visit Westonbirt for the second session.