Borde Hill Summer Series Brings McFly to the Sussex Countryside

Written by Sophie Green & Kat Munden

On Friday 14th August 2026, we headed to Borde Hill for the Borde Hill Summer Series. Set among the stunning Sussex countryside, the event felt like a refreshing change from the usual festival experience, with plenty of space for families, picnickers and music fans of all ages.

You would usually expect this beautiful corner of Sussex, known for its gardens and Elizabethan mansion, to be a place for quiet country walks rather than thousands of excited concertgoers. But this evening, the fields were transformed into a lively open-air concert venue.

There was a great selection of food trucks offering everything from gyros and burgers to pizza, kebabs and pad thai, making it easy to settle in and enjoy the evening.

One of the supporting acts was Remember Monday, the English pop-country trio made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele. They put on a really enjoyable set, with their harmonies sounding spot-on throughout. Their covers of ABBA’s ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ and Fountains of Wayne’s ‘Stacy’s Mom’ went down particularly well with the crowd. Their upbeat set was a perfect fit for a warm summer evening.

It was impressive to see how quickly the crews deinstalled and changed over the stage for each artist. The half-hour between sets was adhered to strictly, keeping the momentum going at a time when it can easily start to lull.

Next up were Sussex-born rock/pop band The Feeling. Frontman Dan Gillespie Sells worked the crowd brilliantly, with ‘Fill My Little World’ getting everyone’s arms in the air as the sun began to set. Alongside Gillespie Sells, the current line-up features Richard Jones on bass, Kevin Jeremiah on guitar, Ciaran Jeremiah on keyboards and Paul Stewart on drums.

The band are celebrating 20 years of their debut album, Twelve Stops and Home, this year and even performed the title track from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, for which Gillespie Sells composed the music.

By the time McFly came on, the atmosphere in the field was already electric, with thousands of people singing along to ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ before the band had even appeared.

Then the lights went down and McFly bounced onto the stage.

Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd brought the same energy that made them teenage superstars more than 20 years ago. Hit after hit came flying out, alongside guitar solos, knee slides, trampolines, jokes and plenty of messing around between the four friends.

Their chemistry was obvious, and it was clear they were having just as much fun as the audience.

A personal highlight was an impromptu can-can between Fletcher, Jones and Poynter while they continued playing their instruments. It perfectly summed up the fun and chaotic energy of the performance, which kept the crowd jumping and singing right through to the end.

The Borde Hill Summer Series feels like a brilliant addition to the Sussex events calendar. With beautiful surroundings, a relaxed atmosphere, plenty of food and a strong line-up, it offers something for everyone. McFly were the perfect headline act for a Friday evening that managed to feel both nostalgic and completely fresh.

Thank you to Borde Hill Summer Series for providing us with complimentary tickets in exchange for our honest review.