Winehouse Makes Happy Return to V Festival

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The troubled singer delighted fans on Saturday during her appearance with The Specials in Essex.

Troubled UK soul diva Amy Winehouse returned to the stage at the weekend with a surprise performance at the V Festival in Chelmsford alongside 2 Tone legends, The Specials.

Towards the end of the recently reformed band’s set on Saturday, frontman and singer Terry Hall suddenly introduced Winehouse, who took to the stage amid frenzied cheers from thousands of surprised festivalgoers. The singer then joined Hall and his bandmates for a medley of the Specials classics Ghost Town and You’re Wondering Now.

Speculation has been rife as to when Winehouse would be singing live again, after her much-publicised drug problems and the break-up of her marriage to Blake Fielder-Civil.

She has spent most of the year in the Caribbean island of St Lucia and a much-hyped comeback show in May – as part of a concert in May marking Island Records’ 50th anniversary – was cancelled at the last minute. She also appeared at the St Lucia jazz festival earlier that month, but foul weather and what many critics saw as a shambolic set led to the gig being cancelled halfway through.

During her appearance at the V Fest on Saturday, Winehouse appeared to be a lot healthier and happier than she has been for a long time. Referring to The Specials, a spokesman for the singer told The Guardian newspaper that “Amy missed the band’s reunion tour and decided to head to V to catch her favourite artists. Meeting them backstage, they invited her to guest for them and made her dream come true.”

Keen-eyed revellers at Chelmsford will have spotted the singer earlier on in the day though. During Peter Doherty’s gig, she dashed on stage to give him a kiss before hiding behind his band’s drum kit. Doherty responded by dedicating a song for her – a delighted Winehouse grabbed a mike and announced to the audience: “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr Peter Doherty.” At the end of his set they kissed again before running off with their arms linked.