The Rochester Castle Concerts have been in full swing all week, with show-stopping performances from the Human League, James Blunt and Al McKay's Earth, Wind and Fire Experience.

Last night, rounding off the summer series, was a headline set from ska legends The Specials.

Last year, I sneakily watched The Libertines perform at the castle concerts through the ground’s iron fences. This year, it looks like organisers have wised up as the gates and fences were all boarded up to stop people getting a free night of entertainment.

However, inside the grounds there was still work to be done.

Our evening began with a painfully long bar queue, despite only being four or five people deep. While the jury is still out on whether the wait was down to tech issues or staff shortages, it left many punters rattled and heckling the bar staff out of frustration.

We only just managed to catch main support band The Beat, watching mostly from the bar queue, but they seemed the perfect warm-up.

People were happily dancing in the sunshine and in very high spirits - those who had already managed to get their drinks, that is.

The sun began to set and, with two pints in hand, it was time for two-tone titans, The Specials.

They strolled onto stage in a nonchalant fashion and, without a hint of fuss, slipped into their set with protest song Freedom Highway.

Admittedly, it was a slow start and people were mostly continuing their chit-chat around us.

Not for long, though, as the energy picked up with Rat Race, which got people hopping and skipping on the spot along with the music.

This jubilant atmosphere continued with songs such as Doesn’t Make It Alright and Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around. Fans sang along loudly to the anti-racist and anti-fascist lyrics, which are still as startlingly relevant today as they were 40 years ago.

While the band were the ones on stage, it was the crowd who really carried the concert.

The Specials can play a tune, no doubt about it, but their energy levels felt a bit low.

Perhaps the novelty has worn off after almost half a century, but to have what looked like a lyric book in front of them made it feel at times like they were just reading the music off the page rather than really performing it.

However, when classics like A Message to You, Rudy, The Lunatics and Nite Klub rang out over the castle grounds, everyone was shuffling and skanking with huge smiles on their faces, and you couldn’t help but join in with the fun.

Finishing off the night with a string of hits such as Too Much, Too Young, Gangsters, Monkey Man and, of course, Ghost Town, The Specials proved that their stamp on ska, two-tone and British music has stood the test of time.

However, while the band have got a stellar catalogue of ska hits under their belts, the crowd are what made this night truly special.