Mystery had surrounded one item on the Reform UK party conference agenda since it was published just a few days ago.
Between 8pm and 11pm on the Friday night, the right-wingers would be holding an afterparty in the main stage area – but no headliner was listed.
Last year, the equivalent event involved novelty duo Bell & Spurling belting out wedding disco hits before Nigel Farage joined them on stage for a toe-curling rendition of Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.
With the broader conference looking a little more sleek and professional this year, questions circled around what the afterparty might involve.
Could Rod Stewart make an appearance? Perhaps Dame Andrea Jenkyns would treat us to a few more self-penned tunes from her rock band days?
Things didn’t look promising at first. The first arrivals stood around awkwardly, sipping their £9.25 pints of Madri. (‘Even Dick Turpin had the courtesy to wear a mask,’ one attendee grumbled.)
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But after Farage appeared on stage to vaunt his ‘big star act’ – and took the time to rule out any performances from himself, to questionable disappointment from the crowd – all was revealed.
A large screen at the back of the stage played a video of the Jackson 5 alongside the first 30 seconds of their classic song I Want You Back.
Not five, not four, but two members of the beloved Motown group then took to the stage – Marlon and Jackie.
When they launched into hits like Can You Feel It – co-written by Jackie – and Blame It On the Boogie, the crowd really got moving despite being largely sober. Nobody was getting smashed with those prices.
The duo got everyone slowly waving their arms in the air for I’ll Be There, an odd moment of tenderness in a venue where protesters had been manhandled and dragged outside just hours earlier.
It was a strange atmosphere more broadly, too. Among the attendees was a man wearing a St George’s Cross flag as a cape, with ‘No to digital ID’ written across it.
At times, though, it was easy to forget that this was a party conference. The two Jacksons put on an impressive show, justifying a price tag that may have been as high as £110,000 according to online sources.
By the time they wrapped up a set lasting a little over an hour, the crowd was roaring.
Now we wait to see if the Liberal Democrats can pull off a Bucks Fizz reunion for their conference in Bournemouth in a couple of weeks.
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