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Pictures courtesy: Phil Houghton - www.philhoughtonphotography.co.uk
Report by Katie Alston
Rock royalty flooded into Faversham to help activist and singer
Sir Bob Geldof celebrate his 60th birthday in style.
U2's Bono swapped his trademark sunglasses for a mask, top hat
and cane, in keeping with the Peter Pan fancy dress theme, as he
arrived at Bob's mansion Davington Priory.
Queen drummer Roger Taylor, former Rolling Stone bass player
Bill Wyman and Spandau Ballet guitarist Gary Kemp also headed
along, later coming together to form a supergroup, with Bono and
Bob taking the microphones and each of the music legends their
respective instruments.
Other famous faces at the former Benedictine nunnery on
Saturday, which was built in 1153, included the actress Anna Friel
and her movie star boyfriend Rhys Ifans, Love Actually director
Richard Curtis and his partner Red Nose Day director Emma
Freud.
Mick Jagger's ex-wife Jerry Hall was also among the revellers
and spotted over the weekend enjoying the sun in Whitstable.
It wasn't just celebrities that made it on to the exclusive
guest list, as the Archbishop of Canterbury was rumoured to have
been sent an invite.
The star-studded bash was a joint party between Bob and his
daughter Pixie, who turned 21 earlier this month.
Guests enjoyed a variety of circus-style entertainment and live
music before setting off chinese lanterns in the air.
Some local residents took to Facebook and Twitter to complain
about the noise, but only one person placed a formal complaint with
Swale Borough Council, although this was later withdrawn, with the
council claiming that music was supposedly switched off at
11pm.
The party is however, reported to have kept going into the small
hours with revellers said to have headed home at around 2am.
Faversham town councillor Andy Culham, who has lived opposite
Davington Priory for five years, said: "It was a bit loud, but the
music wasn't a problem for me. It wasn't any louder than the Hop
Festival.
"Bob usually keeps himself to himself and is very private and
respectful.
"It isn't really my kind of music, but I don't see a problem
with him having a nice birthday party at his house.
"I've heard the odd grumble about the noise but nothing major,
these kind of occasions don’t happen very often, so people tend not
to mind too much I guess."