THERE was a time when Warrington was a Mecca for clubgoers.

Lovers of dance music would make the pilgrimage from all over the country by coach, car and train to Mr Smiths, a venue which hosted epic club nights as well as The Hitman and Her, the famous dance music programme hosted by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan.

But Britain’s clubbing days have faded since then, with Mr Smiths now a car park and many of the younger generation more likely to swerve a green Reef in favour of a green tea and an early night.

At the weekend though, Warrington turned the clock back is it hosted the legendary club DJ Judge Jools.

Golden Square’s old marketplace was transformed into the perfect venue as hundreds of revellers – both young and young at heart – turned up to see a true master at work.

Real name Julius O'Riordan, he earned his stage name at uni while he was studying law.

Since hitting the decks in 1987, he has influenced an entire generation on Kiss FM and Radio 1 and continues to be on the playlists of millions with his weekly radio show The Global Warm Up, which notches up 750,000 downloads every single week via his podcast and is broadcast on over 80 stations around the world.

His hour-long set on Saturday saw the court back in session as he delivered a masterclass on the decks. The crowd loved it, although some of the younger partygoers looked slightly baffled as their parents truly lost themselves in the music. There was no dad dancing here, but how strange it must feel to see your parents clubbing!

He was ably backed up by support acts DJ Fergie and Ricky Isted.

Later on in the evening Symphonic Ibiza took to the stage, with professional musicians belting out classic tracks made famous on the Balearic party isle.

Following on from the huge success of 2021, 2022 and 2023, the highlight this year was without doubt a truly epic rendition of Silence by Delerium. As the sun had set on Golden Square it was a genuinely ‘hairs on the back of your neck’ moment thanks to the vocal brilliance of singer Ruby Sayre.

Jules’ appearance was part of a wider new phenomenon of noughties and nineties dance and DJ greats hitting the road again as former clubbers – many of whom now middle aged – tap into nostalgia and happy vibes, the perfect antidote to the stresses, strains and pressures of modern life.

And when the gavel fell at the end of the night and revellers drifted away, it marked the conclusion of an evening that many won’t soon forget.

All rise!