DJ and promoter Rob da Bank tells Tim Hughes that this weekend’s Common People will be a real mixed-bag of musical treats... and all the better for it...

ROB da Bank admits to feeling just a little bit excited. The man behind the super-popular Bestival festivals is on his way to Oxford to put the finishing touches to the city’s second Common People weekender.

Last year’s inaugural festival was roundly hailed a success, by punters, organisers and artists alike. And Rob says this year’s event, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday in South Park is going to be even better.

And after this week’s horrific events in Manchester, all are agreed, the show must go on – though, by necessity, with tighter security.

“It flies around!” he says. “It seems like only yesterday that we were in the park for our first Common People.”

He has been a busy man since then, with other festivals and events to run and a line-up to nail for this coming weekend’s events in Oxford and Southampton, which shares many of the same artists but on alternate days.

And what a line-up! Saturday sees sets by dancehall reggae star Sean Paul, Wild Beasts, Saint Etienne, ska favourites The Selecter and The Beat, and DJ sets by Groove Armada and local heroes Foals. Sunday’s fun is headlined by house music legend Pete Tong who is joined by the Heritage Orchestra, singer Ella Eyre and Chicago dance music icon Jamie Principle, for a set of dance classics.

Also up are soul and hip hop singer Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Becky Hill, knockabout comic act The Cuban Brothers and an Elvis-fronted Nirvana cover band called, appropriately enough, Elvana.

“We have been working on it all year,” he says. “I’ve always got an eye on the future; you’ve got to as it’s such a competitive festival market. But Oxford has bucked the trend, with ticket sales high, and even outselling Southampton.”

He said the weekend would top last year’s figures of 12,000 a day.

So why is this two-day celebration of al fresco music, which was initially greeted with scepticism by local gig-goers, proved such a hit?

“It’s hard for me to say,” says Rob – known as Bobby to his friends. “But we have some big names on the bill – with people like Sean Paul and Pete Tong – and also bands that we think people in Oxford will enjoy, such as The Beat and Saint Etienne as well as the dancy stuff, as there’s a great heritage in Oxford of indie as well as soundsystems. We’ve tried to tick the boxes.”

And, he says, word of last year’s successful event has spread, attracting new punters

“We had a good start last year and got to where we need to be,” he says. “Oxford needed a bit of persuading, but local people went away last year feeling happy and told their mates – which is what we hoped would happen. Talking to people there seems to be a good buzz.

“We have also managed to get a few of the younger crowd, who might have been hesitant about it, on board.”

He says the presence of Sean Paul – who has found chart fame through multiple collaborations as well as his own tunes - at the top of Saturday’s bill had drawn in younger festival-goers. “He headlined at Bestival last year and absolutely killed it,” he says. “He played one of the best headline sets I’ve heard in years. He’s an amazing performer and it’ll be great to hear that amazing soundsystem sound on stage in South Park. Oxford will be transfixed.”

A large part of the festival’s success is its local flavour, with locals such as All Tamara’s Parties and ColdRedLight, Oxford Dancin’, not to mention Foals and Saint Etienne, on the main stage, and an all-Oxford Uncommon People Stage curated by Ronan Munro of the city’s monthly music magazine Nightshift, and headlined by Zaia on Saturday and Shaodow and Kanadia on Sunday. Then there are other local DJs - including Count Skylarkin and Peepshow Paddy’s Disco Shed and founder of the city’s former Zodiac – now O2 Academy -Nick Moorbath, as well as regionally-sourced food and drink from Oxfordshire suppliers.

“If we carry on like this we could sell out,” says Rob. “But we’d rather we didn’t sell out and that has never been our aim. We certainly don’t need to do that to come back for a third year. We just want a big family show for everyone to enjoy – and then go off and come back the next day.

“The space in the crowd was good last year and we’ve increased the size of the site slightly. We still want it to feel intimate.”

If the line-up feels random, that’s deliberate. “It’s the way the cookie crumbles,” he says. “Both days are mixed up. We could have had a dance day or a rock day but people like a bit of everything. Saturday is perhaps more dancy, but Sunday has dance too, with Pete Tong – though with an orchestra vibe. Sunday might be more chilled, but we’ll have to see.”

He goes on: “I am excited about the Uncommon People stage. There are some of the people who played last year coming back, but also a lot of new names. It’s great to be able to discover new music as well. Ronan has his finger on the pulse in terms of Oxford music, and bands playing on their home turf love a home audience.”

“We have tuned into what Oxford people like. We can never be sure we’ve ticked all the boxes, but there’s a lot of variety and we think we’ve got it right.”

And that means causing as little disruption to city life – and the festival’s neighbours – as possible.

“We were able to pat ourselves on the back last year, in terms of traffic and looking after the site. The people who live around South Park have been supportive, and when we have had issues we have dealt with them head on.

“I want to thank people for their incredible support. We are now hoping to do what we did last year and are keeping our fingers crossed. See you down there!”

Common People takes place on South Park, Oxford, this Saturday and Sunday. Tickets from commonpeople.net