Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, 23-28 June.

Life is not the same when you return home from Glastonbury.  No more carefree dancing across the fields of Somerset; no more freshly produced cider; no more nipple tassel-wearing hippies.  No wonder the festival attracts thousands of music worshippers from across the globe, and what better way to start the event by the loveable Rolf Harris taking to the stage with his didgeridoo classics?

Despite the blistering sun, energy was high amongst the crowds as Florence and the Machine gave a strong performance, twirling in her floating dress, whooping with delight.  The Gorillaz set was a visual spectacular, complete with comic strip videos and military-themed outfits, sprinkled with incredible guest appearances including Snoop Dogg and Lou Reed.  Saturday saw the Scissor Sisters bring the New York disco scene to the countryside, and to top that all off, Muse cranked up the volume with their stunning laser show.

Stevie Wonder had to be the highlight of the weekend.  A couple of notes into the bass line of ‘Superstition’ saw the audience literally erupt, only to be brought back to Earth with ‘Happy Birthday’ played lovingly to organizer Michael Eavis.  What else to say?  Glastonbury was pure magic. JENNA CORDEROY.

 

Creators Project, Bloomsbury Ballroom, London, 17 July.

A one day showcase of interactive, digital and video art followed by performances, lives sets and discussions by the likes of Peaches, Mark Ronson, Kele Okereke, Filthy Dukes, Holy Ghost! and Warp's magnificent Mira Calix may not be a typical festival experience, but the global Creators Project's London event mixed pixels and pop to perfection.

Surrounded by vintage brogues, and a noticeable lack of wellies, the basement of Bloomsbury Ballroom may have felt light years away from Worthy Farm, but looking past the swarming hipster crowd there was some breathtaking work on show.  Switching mud and muck for LEDs, Radical Friend (best known for their music video for Yeasayer 's O.N.E) stole the show with their ethereal and unsettling Digital Flesh interactive installation.  Comprising a 3D scanner housed in a crystalline pyramid, flash by flash the installation is building an evolving facial portrait of the exhibit's crowd.  United Visual Artist's monumental light installation was another highlight and noteworthy film screenings included Spike Jonze's I'm Here and Animal Collective's mind bending ODDSAC.

At times it felt like a showcase for the curating team's favourite bands, but the best work cut through the pretentiousness with a hauntingly captivating beauty. LOUIS PERSENT.

 

Lovebox 2010, Victoria Park, London 16-18 July.

To describe Sunday’s main stage lineup at Lovebox as eclectic would be an understatement. Just about the only thing the acts had in common were their synthesizers. I think. Thankfully most of the performances were strong enough to make up for the incoherence.

Hurts were a particular highlight, their rousing, operatic brand of pop pleasing the afternoon crowds. Hot Chip packed out the main stage, but didn’t seem to suit the huge crowds and would really have been better placed headlining a smaller tent. On the Gaymers Stage, New Young Pony Club fizzled slightly, but were followed by the more impressive Cut Copy and the hugely entertaining Chromeo, whose seedy electro ended the weekend on a high note.

Moving away from the music, Lovebox enjoyed just about the best weather you could ask for, which kept the crowd's spirits high. The range of food was surprisingly impressive, whilst further entertainment included a fairground, and a brilliant bar in a treehouse, with a piano for drunken singalongs. Lovebox might suit those who want to get the 'feel' of a festival without the camping, but is perhaps too generic for festival veterans whose mud-soaked wellies have seen it all before. DOMINIC PRESTON.

 

Tramlines, Sheffield,  23 – 25 July.

It is hard to believe that a free festival could exist in the current climate but Sheffield’s urban festival Tramlines is flourishing. In its second year, the brainchild of local talents Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers), Matt Helders (Arctic Monkeys) and DJ Toddla T, filled every venue in the city.

It promised to be bigger and better than last year, which had seen the XX and Reverend and the Makers take to the stage but left many disappointed due to ticketing issues. This year’s first-come, first-served system ran smoothly, however, whilst the music catered for all tastes. The main stage drew crowds for chart-toppers Professor Green and Tinchie Stryder on Saturday and for Mystery Jets and Echo and the Bunnymen, who were joined on stage by Sheffield’s Richard Hawley, on Sunday. The real charm of Tramlines, however, was in smaller venues where well-known acts, such as Gallows and Dutch prog-rock band Focus, played alongside new, unsigned bands.

It was not completely without glitches. The biggest disappointment was the last minute cancellation of 65daysofstatic due to electrical faults. Nobody could complain, however, that they hadn’t got their money’s worth and Sheffield has every faith that their free festival will continue to grow and draw people to the city. JANE EVANS.

 

Field Day, Victoria Park, London, 31 July.

After some hollow threats of rebellion, the weather straightened up and flew right for Field Day 2010. And thank goodness, because Lightspeed Champion was sporting short shorts suitable only for the sunniest of days.

The Victoria Park festival triumphed with a  mix of crowd-pulling favourites to make you feel at home, and fresh up-and-comers to make you feel cool. The closing set from Main Stage headliners Phoenix was a boisterous romp of joy that far outshone the promise of their latest album. The toughest line-up dilemma was definitely Atlas Sound vs. Caribou - the low-key but beautiful Atlas Sound won out, but the cheeky snatch of Caribou we caught when we finally arrived at the Main Stage was pretty tantalising

Better still, all this musical goodness was cast in the faux rural ambience of Field Day’s “Village Mentality”, involving a mini village fête, bales of hay and plenty of cupcakes.  Cute.

Best Thing – Having your faith in humanity galvanised by the kind stranger handing out homemade programmes for free...

Worst Thing – Not having taken out a bank loan in order to sample ALL the scrummy foods on offer...

The Bottom Line – Sunshine, great bands AND delicious cake – what’s not to like?

NICOLA RUNCIMAN.

 

Bestival, Isle of Wight, 9-12 September.

Proclaimed the ‘Year of the Fantastic’, Bestival 2010 didn’t disappoint. ‘Fantasy’ had been chosen as the original theme but was reportedly dropped because of fears that attendees sporting gimp suits and PVC would harm the festivals ‘family-friendly’ image. Isn’t Rob da Bank, Bestival’s ponytail sporting curator, a nice guy?

At least that is certainly the image that those running the festival wished to propagate. One would be hard pressed to find compost toilets, offerings of shisha and green tea, or free mobile phone charging bikes, at other popular festivals like Leeds and Benicassim. Although tickets aren’t cheap at £147 for students (including a mandatory booking fee), and anything bought within the festival grounds themselves is guaranteed to be a rip-off, Bestival largely delivered the feel-good vibe this year.

Granted, a pint of cider at £4.10 was (marginally) pricier than London, but the Oxfam stewards happily let people into the music arena with plastic bottles of what was evidently alcohol, and were even quite lax about bringing in cans. It would’ve been an easy feat to spend all 96 hours of the festival pissed on cheap supermarket alcohol brought into the campsite on the first day.

The music on offer was, without question, a significant improvement on Bestival ’09, and definitely rivalled Glastonbury this year. It’s impossible for one reviewer to see more than a fraction of the artists performing at a festival of this size, however, personal highlights included Mumford and Sons, Chase and Status, Dizzee Rascal, Hot Chip and The Prodigy’s fire-starting festival-closing set that was described by their frontman, Keith Flint, as their best gig of the summer.

Swarms of wealthy students, the majority of which attended one of the Russell Group universities, were a mixed blessing. But at least if drunk, you suddenly found yourself alone with no phone, you could be confident you’d meet someone you knew in under fifteen minutes of aimless wandering. Light rain made wellies a necessity by Saturday, but blazing sunshine on Sunday morning dried up most of the site and made for a brilliant final night. GEORGE JOHNSTON

 

End of the Road, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset, 10-12 September.

Coming as it does at the end of the festival season, perhaps it’s no surprise that this is a very chilled-out festival. Tent mascots flap gently in the breeze, stationed on a tranquil hill in the Dorset countryside. A small forest lit with fairy lights boasts a woodland library, complete with typewriters and 70s comic book annuals; the corner of a Victorian living room, housing a working piano, stands in the middle of a clearing, providing performers with a late-night outlet for works in progress.

Its very smallness allows you to get closer to the bands, both on and off stage. Big names this year included Yo La Tengo, Modest Mouse and Wilco, but Iron & Wine’s gorgeous cover of Such Great Heights, The Mountain Goats’ preview tracks, and obscure band Wolf Parade’s stunning set were welcome and lovely surprises. Jarvis Cocker’s played an exceptional DJ set, spinning out rock’n’roll, jive, psychobilly and Texas blues to a madly dancing crowd.

Warning: this festival has a small but dedicated following of middle-aged hippies and hairy ‘cool dads’, but don’t let that discourage you – they are traditional folk festival fare, and may turn out to be members of Fleet Foxes. Also, there are peacocks. JULIA LICHNOVA