Sharleen Spiteri is crowned queen of T in the Park at 15th festival

Jul 13 2008 Billy Sloan Backstage At Balado

STUNNING Sharleen Spiteri was crowned queen of Balado yesterday as she joined 80,000 fans at T in the Park.

The Texas star went solo for her storming set at the 15th T as the rain held off.

To view an image gallery from this year's T in the Park, click here.

Wearing a 60s-style red dress, the London-based singer told the crowd it was good to be home. Backstage she revealed how she's dreading the day her daughter goes to her first T in the Park as a teenager - after five-year-old Misty Kyd loved her first Balado experience.

Sharleen said: "She's having a ball. I know when she's a teenager she's going to say, 'Mum, can you get me free tickets for T in the Park?

But kid on you don't know me if I meet you there.' "She'll be ashamed to have some old fogey like me as her mum.

Sharleen also revealed she felt nervous to be playing her first T as a solo artist...even though her Texas band mates watched her perform from the Main Stage wings.

She said: "I was nervous because I didn't have the safety net of Texas hits to fall back on."

More than 80,000 fans are at Balado - about 60,000 of them camping for the three-day festival.

And yesterday's music climaxed with headlining US rockers Rage Against The Machine.

Mairi McCallum, 16, of Biggar, was among the fans - and she predicted singer Amy Winehouse will hit the stage tonight after her no-show last year. She said: "I can't wait to see Amy. She will be here - she proved a lot of people wrong by playing Glastonbury with emphysema. She will completely steal the show."

Sharleen's fellow Scots Biffy Clyro and Gun were also on the Main Stage bill.

Scots pop star Paolo Nutini was a surprise lastminute addition but he was billed as Snake Derrick And The Vipers on the T Break Stage.

The singer took a break from recording the follow-up to his platinum debut album These Streets to perform at his favourite festival.

As he relaxed in his dressing room surrounded by piles of plastic toy snakes, he said: "I was thinking of a way to get on the bill.

"I was hoping fans would get a real surprise when they walked into the T Break tent."

And it wasn't just the singing stars that were creating some surprises. XFM star Heather Suttie also got a shock too, courtesy of the wet ground.

The broadcaster is presenting the Blink TV footage for the big screens at the festival and was doing a live link when disaster struck.

She said: "I was happily chatting away to camera about the big names I was about to interview when suddenly I stood on a patch of mud.

"My feet went from under me and I was flat on my back with my skirt around my waist and my legs in the air - very sexy!" Her fellow DJ, Radio Clyde's George Bowie, had to abandon a scheduled live radio appearance at T in the Park after his baby daughter was suddenly taken ill with suspected meningitis.

Thankfully, baby Miley's condition is now thought to be a simple bacterial infection.

And if it was the wet ground getting to DJ Suttie, Australian singer Gabriella Cilmi was feeling the cold - but never thought about dumping her plan to wear a tartan corset.

The 16-year-old singer said: "I'm hoping to wear my D&G tartan but with my jeans - it's too cold for a dress. I've got another tartan corset at home - I can't wait to show it off."

Scots star KT Tunstall, plans to follow her slot on Friday with a spiritual backpacking journey to Dehli and Calcutta in India to get inspiration for her new album.

Unknown band The Robbers stole attention by playing live on a lorry in hospitality.

For the drummer was ex-Formula 1 racing boss, Eddie Jordan. Eddie said: "I've always wanted to play T in the Park. It was great fun."

Now fans are ready for a big Sunday with headliners including REM, The Prodigy and Primal Scream.

T in the Park promoter Geoff Ellis told them: "You ain't seen nothing yet." His team are already working on plans to make the next few years even bigger and better.

Geoff says top of his wish list is to ask David Bowie back to make up for the disappointment of having to cancel his slot in 2006 due to a heart scare.

He said: "It would be nice for him to do the Main Stage as soon as he feels ready. It feels like unfinished business."

'When my girl is at T as a teen she'll hate having an old fogey like me hanging around'

-Sharleen Spiteri

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