THIS year’s Cornbury may be remembered as being akin to Jurassic Park.

The Straits, Status Quo, Ray Davies and The Faces were all great for the die hard fans and those old enough to remember them in their heyday and sure, a little musical reminiscence goes a long way at this most relaxed of festivals.

But in truth there were more dinosaurs than Jeff Goldblum could shake a stick at.

Yet there were some real surprises and stars of the current firmament who not only reduced the average age but were fresh and exciting.

For me, the highlight and total surprise package of the entire weekend was Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

I have followed her career at a distance for the last ten years since she burst onto the scene with that unforgettable anthem Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) and she has flirted with chart success ever since. But live she was an unknown quantity.

Yet her show on the Songbird stage lit up Cornbury.

Not only did she look stunning in her trademark little dress, now copied everywhere, but she also sounded great and proved a far better singer than I previously gave her credit for.

She delivered a succession of her better know songs including Murder on the Dance Floor and Music Gets the Best of Me mixed with newer songs such as recent single Starlight from the Make a Scene album.

And she chatted confidently with a crowd which grew in size by the minute, holding young and old in the palm of her hand.

Then, after an hour, it was time for the one we had all been waiting for.

If This Ain’t Love had everyone singing along and wondering why they hadn’t been to see Sophie Ellis-Bextor before.

But the biggest question was why she wasn’t on the main stage. Next year, hopefully.