N*E*R*D, The Streets & McFly in Brighton

Two years ago, when Vodafone hosted its first ever Brighton Beach TBA gig, with the mighty Razorlight performing a blinding set to hundreds of fans as the sun blazed down, you’d have been hard pushed to imagine topping it. And yet that’s exactly what today has managed to pull off– with not just one incredible headliner, but three. A triple-decker sandwich of cheeky urban poetry from The Streets, pop-fuelled sunshine rock from McFly and serious A-list bling from N*E*R*D. And the skies look promisingly blue.

Down on the beach, there’s a bit of an unofficial theme going on: let’s just call it ‘something for the ladies’. Yes, there are plenty of guys here this morning, it’s just that they probably didn’t camp out overnight like the six McFly-mad fans who’ve been here since 2am. Nor are they part of the enthusiastic hen party, all in pink tutus, who think that Mike ‘Streets’ Skinner is “lovely”. And not one of them will be invited up on stage, later on, to bump and grind with Mr Pharrell Williams. Though today’s artists aren’t, of course, just pretty faces.

First up are the Streets. It’s been a while, but now sexy Mr Skinner and his white Reeboks are back with Everything is Borrowed, his fourth album. Being the opening act – after the crowd had been warmed up by the trio of retro female singers fronting The Pipettes – is never easy. And Skinner is faced with possibly his toughest audience ever: several hundred die-hard McFly fans. Can he win them over?

A dramatic backdrop of staccato violins cuts into the glorious sunshine, and Skinner treats us to an old favourite, Turn the Page, from the Streets’ groundbreaking debut album, Original Pirate Material. A brief cover of the Prodigy’s old-school rave classic, Out of Space, prompts him to ask the tween-heavy crowd: “Do you know how to rave?” Let’s just say he his work cut out for him: many of these fans were barely born when the original came out. But Skinner is a seriously skilled entertainer and will not be beaten: after some stand-out moments – including a squelchy synths-tastic rendition of Blinded by the Lights and the beautifully melancholic Dry Your Eyes (all the more moving, strangely, for Skinner’s out-of-tune singing) – it’s time for a party trick. Not content with getting the McFly crew leaping around through a brilliantly energetic performance of Fit But You Know It, he decides to crowd surf. When he makes it back to the stage, still in one piece and wearing a big grin, it’s safe to say he’s won.

Next up – to the extreme excitement of several hundred stylish and colourfully dressed young girls – come McFly. Opening with the suitably sunshiney Star Girl they’re off to a good start. “This is from our new album,” they announce next, launching into “Everybody Knows”, followed by another newie, “Falling in Love”. The girls can hardly contain themselves: there are screams, there is moshing, words have already been learnt by heart – and, from the stage, there are some rather delicious harmonies emanating. The boys are loving the attention, though not – possibly – quite as much as they are loving their many, many guitars, which almost upstage them – particularly on “Song For The Radio”, during which Danny plays his while lying on his back.

Energy levels are kept high as the fancy-dress fancying Hoosiers take to the stage. If you've ever been to one of the band's gigs before, you'll know that coming along dressed as a superhero or a smurf is positively encouraged – and, accordingly, their hairy keyboardist is dashingly wearing a Spiderman suit, while the backing vocalists/trumpeters have come as skeletons. Even the speakers are dressed up in fake fur covers and stuffed birds. Perhaps predictably, their debut single and top 20 hit, 'Worried about Ray' is a standout moment – with velveteen clad frontman, Irwin Sparkes jumping octaves like they're going out of fashion. But possibly the best tune is their lively cover of Billy Joel's joyously dodgy 80s classic, 'We Didn't Start the Fire' – it starts off sparse and acoustic, before bursting into technicolour as the skeletons' trumpets crank things up and Sparkes goes all falsetto. The crowd – umbrellas now out – bounce along appreciatively.

What comes after McFly is a very long wait, during which N*E*R*D anticipation hits fever-pitch: the stage is loaded with kit (including – intriguingly – two drum kits on a platform), excited rumours abound that Mr Williams’ silver Rolls Royce is close by – and the waiting crowd quadruples. Were they worth the wait? Oh yes. Vocals are slightly marred by an enthusiastic sea breeze – but Pharrell’s charisma, super slick outfit (including a red cashmere scarf and GOLD “in ears”) – and his insane dancing more than make up for it. Live, N*E*R*D are something else: their musical skill and pure showmanship are captivating. Where, digitally, the guitars on Lapdance are a backdrop – here they take centre-stage, and Rock Star’s funky bassline has never sounded so, well, naughty somehow. And don’t even get us started on the jaw-dropping double drum interlude on recent single, Spaz.

But it is all about the finale, She Wants To Move, which – as Mr Williams plucks some ladies from the crowd – returns us neatly to today’s theme. Soon there are about 20 girls on the stage, several so excited they look like they might pass out, but it doesn’t stop them from getting down. There’s Beyonce style butt-shaking, some rather risque bogling, spontaneous hugging – and for one lucky girl, an invitation to stroke Pharrell’s famous six-pack. Yep, he’s fit – and he knows it. And the ladies love it.

Yet more proof that Vodafone TBA gigs get you closer to the artists you love.

Watch the gig on your mobile for FREE. Go to Vodafone live, select Music, then TBA gigs at the top of the page.