Tom Grennan lights up Liverpool for Radio 1's Big Weekend

Tom Grennan closed out the Friday at Radio 1 Big Weekend

Friday headline act Tom Grennan entertained the Radio 1 Big Weekend crowd in Liverpool with a power-packed performance which included surprise guests.

Fans were on their feet, jumping around in the rain, after being treated to appearances by Ella Henderson, YouTuber KSI, Merseyside's own Mel C, and The Zutons.

Grennan followed The Wombats, Natasha Bedingfield, James Hype and Biffy Clyro who also performed on the Main Stage at Sefton Park.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat ahead of his set, the Higher singer described "headlining the biggest weekend of the summer" as "pretty crazy".

"It's been such a mad journey."

And on the collaboration with Mel C, he described her as "a superstar".

"I've been friends with Mel for a while now.

"And I just felt like we should do something special - thank God she said yes!"

Mel C (left) was a surprise act brought onto the stage

For the second year running, Natasha Bedingfield made an appearance at Big Weekend during a day which started with sunshine over Sefton Park.

Unlike last year when she was a guest during Ella Henderson's performance, this year she had her own Main Stage slot which included crowd-pleasing tunes such as Unwritten and These Words.

Natasha Bedingfield wowed fans with hits including Unwritten

After her performance, she told Newsbeat it "felt amazing".

"I just felt really relaxed up there. Like it's nice to be home.

"There's so much joy happening with my songs, it's ridiculous.

"I can't even handle how much people are loving [it], I don't even know what to do with it."

James Hype, known for hits such as Ferrari, Drums, More Than Friends, told Newsbeat before his set that it was "a really special day" because his mum and sister were in attendance.

The DJ and record producer also debuted a new project, Sync, at Big Weekend, which he called: "A visual experience where all the screens and lights are controlled by the decks in real time."

Hometown heroes The Wombats, who were the first artists on the Main Stage on Friday received some of the biggest cheers of the day.

"Music is in people's blood here," they told Newsbeat after their performance.

"Everyone's up for a good time, up for the music. This is where it all began for us, so it's a really special moment."

There were performances across the different stages on offer, including the New Music Stage, from the likes of Barry Can't Swim, Jazzy, Prospa, Katy B and Nia Archives.

More than 100,000 fans are expected to attend Big Weekend in Liverpool, which will have about 100 acts performing across four stages.

The rest of the weekend will see Sam Fender headline on Saturday and Mumford & Sons on Sunday.

Tom Odell, Sugababes, Myles Smith and Wolf Alice will be playing the Main Stage on Saturday.

Tate McRae, Lola Young, Jorja Smith, Wet Leg and HAIM will also hit the Main Stage on the final day of the festival.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.