SOUTHAMPTON'S Common People Festival has enjoyed an eclectic mix of headline artists from Craig David and Fat Boy Slim to Duran Duran and Primal Scream.

But now at the city looks forward to the fourth Common People outing this May Spring Bank Holiday organiser Rob da Bank has told the Daily Echo the emphasis is on making it "family friendly" above anything else.

"We are drawing a line in the sand," he said.

He agrees some people have questioned his booking The Jacksons as the headliner this year - in stark contrast to last year's top acts - DJ legend Pete Tong with Ibiza Classics performed by The Heritage Orchestra, as well as dancehall king Sean Paul , rave legends Faithless and dancefloor duo Groove Armada.

This year The Jacksons will close the festival’s Disco Day on Sunday May 27, while Lily Allen and James will headline the Common stage on Saturday, May 26.

The ‘singalong Saturday special’ includes sets from All Saints, The Sherlocks, Jaguar Skills, The Cuban Brothers, Elvana: Elvis Fronted Nirvana and Plastic Mermaids.

And on the Sunday revellers can bask in the dazzling reflection of the world’s largest disco ball and dance to sets from The New Power Generation, Sparks, Boney M, Snap!, FooR, Jungle Brothers and Hak Baker.

Rob, who grew up in Warsash, and now lives on the Isle of Wight said:"Any festival takes a few years to find its feet and last year was a turning point for us; we decided we needed to redraw the line for a fun vibe.

I like booking a diverse line-up that will appeal to 20 year olds as well as 50 year olds so we have slightly redrawn the map so it is a more inclusive family day out. We are getting a slightly older crowd . I'm not saying it is all aimed at the 50-plus age group but it will not be just for a dancy crowd. It's a very conscious decision and that is seen in the line-up."

As for the reaction to this he says: "People are loving the line-up . Some people must be confused and think this is not what Common People delivers. It's definitely not commercially driven; we wanted to create a festival that was family friendly and fun and is very much about what happens in the day time as in the evening. We want to preserve that. There are other festivals on the South Coast for if you are into electronica etc but Common People is a festival for everyone and that's what we are going to stick to.

"People can jump to conclusions with a headliner but all our festivals go so much deeper than the headliner. The way I see Common People working is people come early at 11am or 12 with or without kids and in the evening the kids go home and the adults enjoy it on their own. I see this year as a really positive step as the Southampton crowd love disco.

"There haven't traditionally been loads of festivals in Southampton but you go away from this thinking I've been to a proper festival. What else can you get for £30 to compare with an incredible 12 hours of entertainment.

It's a diverse lineup. We are very proud of it and drawing a line in the sand.

Rob is thrilled to have the Jacksons: "Michael is no longer here but they've been his backing band for 20 years. It will be an amazing party of disco and soul classics. And we have Lily Allen and All Saints who I am really proud to bring to Southampton.

The reaction is mixed- you are not seeing another Shaun Paul or Craig David but you can't please all of the people all of the time- you know that after 15 years of doing festivals.

The line-up is really strong and really diverse and includes 25 Southampton bands and DJs. It will also be a festival for the arts. We are upping the culture we are bringing to Southampton and really want to shout out about our local talent.

"I'm looking forward to seeing Lily Allen. I remember her kissing my eldest son who is now 12 when he was a baby as Bestival! Prince was my idol so to have his band (The New Power Generation)come and play 90 minutes of his music as it would have been by Prince is a huge thing for me. James are one of my favourite indi bands and are still awesome, and I'm looking forward to some of the local bands too."