Let's dance! Your guide to some of the racecourse concerts on offer this summer

It's that time of year again when some racecourses double up as concert venues. Although maligned by the purists, a good day's racing followed by a singalong is hard to scoff at – provided the artist is up to scratch. Here's a selection of what you can expect this summer

Craig David – Haydock, June 24 and Newmarket, July 21
Has been "unavoidable on our TV screens" according to Haydock's promo for this gig, a dubious assertion. At least I can recall two of his songs, Seven Days and Rewind, but not sure if many twentysomethings will as those two hits came more than 20 years ago. David also plays at Newmarket next month, which raises the possibility that when he's not making love (see Seven Days) he's a keen racing enthusiast, although there is no evidence that this is true.

Bastille – Newmarket, June 30
"Expect to hear all their greatest hits" proclaims Newmarket's website, which will probably be true, but I won't recognise any of them. That said, they are apparently "one of the world's most captivating live bands", and have had three UK number one albums. This band appears to have passed me by. Anyone know why they're called Bastille? They're not French.

Tom Jones – Newbury, July 22 and Sandown, July 26
Fair play to Sir Tom. He's just passed 83 and is still going strong. He obviously has a wealth of hits to choose from and there should be plenty to sing along to. Before he takes to the stage there is a decent card at Newbury, featuring the Weatherbys Super Sprint, so £36 is not bad value considering what you'll be getting.

Ronan Keating – Newcastle, July 29
Coincides with ladies' day at the track, and a playlist of the former Boyzone member's songs sits alongside the promotional blurb on Newcastle's website. One brief look at that was enough to put me off.

Nile Rodgers & Chic – Haydock, August 11
Hard to crab given Rodgers came up with the guitar riff for David Bowie's Let's Dance, and was responsible for many other 80s hits. That makes £36.25 for a grandstand ticket good value.

Tom Grennan – Market Rasen, August 19
Headlines 'Rasen Rocks' but the accompanying picture of Grennan suggests he would rather be somewhere else. He is also playing at Newcastle on Northumberland Plate day, when the track should be heaving given the quality racing on offer and the fact Grennan has more than nine million followers on Spotify. I'll take that over the '90s night featuring Vernon Kay's DJ  set at the track a day earlier.

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