A POPULAR band has told of its disappointment after the plug was pulled on its gig during a highly anticipated music festival.

Soul II Soul, best known for its 1980s hit Back to Life, was billed to headline Southend’s Soul Crusade Festival, attracting thousands of fans, some from as far as Nottingham.

The Echo yesterday reported how disaster struck when a freak power surge on Saturday fried “half-a-million pounds” worth of high-tech music gear, forcing the event to close early, leaving punters scrambling for a refund.

Following the event, a spokesman for Soul II Soul told the Echo: “Soul II Soul were extremely disappointed at being unable to perform live at the Soul Crusade Festival on Saturday 27th May.

“Upon arriving at the festival site, we were informed of a major power fault, which rendered the main stage area and all associated equipment inoperable.

“They understand the disappointment the festival goers must feel, but want to reiterate that the events were unfortunately out of their control.”

The Echo has contacted the organisers for comment.

Yesterday, a total of 200 messages from gig-goers flooded Soul Crusade’s Facebook page asking for a refund, as they hadn’t received the service they’d paid for.

At the time of writing scores of people have joined the calls for reimbursement, with some people claiming they are unable to get hold of the organiser.

Teacher Amy Blake, 30, from Benfleet, said: “The daytime was great, we just danced the day away, but unfortunately we were told the band wouldn’t be playing so just went home.

“Luckily we only paid £20 for a ticket, so we don’t feel too hard-done-by, but I was speaking to people who had come from the midlands to see Soul II Soul who felt out of pocket.

“It’s just a shame an event like this came to an abrupt end.”