OLD school bands gave a lesson in how to rock a crowd when they appeared at the Concert At The Kings on Saturday.

Acts including Lindisfarne, The Sweet and Squeeze had the crowd in All Cannings on their feet dancing and singing along to tunes they had forgotten they even knew.

A vast crowd filled the field at the back of the Kings Arms pub for the fourth Rock Against Cancer festival to create a unique atmosphere remarked on by band members who have travelled the world performing.

Andy Scott from The Sweet, who lives in the village and was one of the founders of the concert, said: "Nowhere can beat playing here. It makes me well up. The atmosphere is so fantastic."

Hardline Sweet fans wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the band's name packed the front rows of the crowd dancing to the music and yelling out the words to classics such as Ballroom Blitz, Wig Wam Bam, Block Buster and Fox On The Run.

Mr Scott then made the day of many of the guests who paid for platinum tickets by visiting the VIP area to pose for selfies and to have a chat.

He said: "When you are on stage you can almost see my house so it is a bit like performing in the back garden."

Electronic dance star Howard Jones was also amazed by the warmth of the crowd. Back stage after his performance he said: "I had heard about the special atmosphere here and it was true."

Squeeze frontman Glen Tilbrook also praised the crowd for their enthusiasm as darkness descended on All Cannings and the band moved from new numbers such as From The Cradle To The Grave to old favourites Up The Junction and Labelled With Love.

Lindisfarne original Rod Clements said after his band had got the crowd jigging to their up beat numbers such as Meet Me On The Corner and singing along to the more sorrowful ballads such as January Song: "It was incredible that there were a lot of people here who knew all the words to so many songs. It was very special."

Veteran DJ Johnnie Walker, who has had his own brush with cancer, used his vast knowledge of the music industry to give a special and personal welcome to a number of the bands as he did the introductions.

Thousands of people flocked to All Cannings for the festival and created a carnival atmosphere as they set up camp with blankets and chairs.

Among the locals enjoying a concert close to home was Howard Crosse from Pewsey dressed in a distinctive hat that made his stand out from the crowd. He said: "It is a great event and we always have a lot of fun."

Family of Twins Hattie and Maya Prescott made sure the 16-month-old girls could enjoy the occasion without any damage to their ear drums as they were both fitted with ear defenders to muffle the sound.

Macmillan Cancer Support collectors Joanne Brady and Jan Goodrick were pleased with the generosity of the crowd as they went around with a collecting box.

Main organisers Richard Baulu, landlord of the Kings Arms, and sound engineer John 'Grubby' Callis were delighted with the way the event went.

Mr Baulu said: "I am very pleased. You learn something new each year and we make a few adjustments.

"This was year was fantastic and we want to thank all the performers, volunteers, event staff and production suppliers for all their hard work and assistance in getting the fourth Rock against Cancer show in All Cannings from its infancy, almost four years ago to the exceptional show that they all put on on Saturday."

He will not know until the end of the week exactly how many people attended or how much money has been raised for charities Above And Beyond, Macmillan Cancer Support, Hope For Tomorrow and good causes in All Cannings.