On Sunday, the Pier Head line-up in the afternoon includes another popular local group, The Lightning Seeds, led by Ian Broudie.
He had not toured for seven years until this summer when he went on the road to promote his new Very Best Of album. His festival gig will be the last of the tour "and the last for some time".
It was Mathew Street where he got his musical education, he says, borrowing records from Roger Eagle, the man who ran Eric's Club, and helped bands unload gear. "To play on the shores of the Mersey in front of a home crowd of thousands is special," he says.
As a self-confessed Beatles fan - he was born in Penny Lane and later lived in Menlove Avenue, where John Lennon grew up - he is hoping to catch some of the Beatles tribute acts which take to the Derby Square Stage on Monday.
These include bands with such delightful names as Beatles Norway, All You Need is Love from Canada, Clube Big Beatles, from Brazil, and Los Beat 3, from Venezuela. Last year the festival attracted 370,000 people, and more are expected this weekend. The festival last year is also said to have boosted the local economy by an estimated £32.5m, much of it in hotels, restaurants and travel.
