Bestival

Despite only being in its third year, Bestival has already gained a reputation as a 'festival for festival lovers', and although this year's line-up did not pack the same punch as some of the more established festivals, Bestival certainly made up for it in terms of atmosphere and imagination.  

Bestival stood out from the rest thanks to fancy dress on the Saturday night and quirky stages, including an  open-mic tent and a secret dance tent. So say "no" to 20ft security fences and sweaty burger vans, and head instead to Bestival's WI tent for a cup of tea and slice of cake!

Gogol Bordello (Main Stage)
Standard line ups of guitar, bass and drums just don't cut it at Bestival - here bigger is better, and if a band can cram several dozen different instruments into a half hour set then they'll be welcomed with open arms. Gogol Bordello, New York's finest gypsy punk band, do the job superbly. The group bash out their high-energy sound using violins, accordions, washboards, cymbals and more, while lead vocalist Eugene Hutz flies around the stage like a Victorian circus ring master, twirling his moustache and yelling out lyrics with a thick Ukrainian accent. With the addition of a bearded lady and a muscleman Gogol Bordello may truly have 'the greatest show on earth'.
 
Bat for Lashes (Rock 'n' Roll Tent)
Multi-instrument skills are also on display in a fine performance from Bats For Lashes, a female three-piece headed by singer Natasha Khan.  A delayed start leaves them with only a 20 minute set, yet Natasha still makes her way through harpsichord, piano and guitar during songs with clear influences from the likes of Bjork and Kate Bush. Expect to hear much more from this trio over the next year.

Herbert (Big Top Tent)
Sampling wizard Matthew Herbert takes to the stage with a full band to knock out tunes from his latest album. Although the live sampling is impressive, without the vocal talents of Dani Siciliano the tunes lack the appeal of his studio recordings. 

The Boy Least Likely To (Rock 'n' Roll Tent)
The band most likely to inherit the title of ‘summer pop kings’ create a kids’ party atmosphere in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Tent, complete with balloons, goodie bags and sing-along tunes. Their cover of George Micheal’s ‘Faith’ and 'I’m glad I hitched Your Apple Wagon To Your Star’ are standout songs from an excellent set.

The Stranglers (Main Stage)
With a wealth of young, innovative musical talent to choose from, the Bestival organisers really let themselves down by allowing The Stranglers to take to the main stage. The band members drag their sorry arses out of retirement to deliver a set of tired, drab songs that would have been better performed by a cover band.  

Vetiver (Rock 'n' Roll Tent)
Before performing with Devendra Banhart on the main stage, guitarist Andy Cabic also delivers a set with his own band, Vetiver on the Saturday. The band knock out the same brand of country-folk-rock, but the highlight of this gig is Cabic's impressive beard. At other festivals this may have gone down better, but Vetiver's music was simply too melancholic for the Bestival atmosphere.
 
Scissor Sisters (Main Stage)
For pure entertainment value it doesn't come much better than Scissor Sisters’ madcap circus antics. The group, all dressed as clowns, dominate the stage. They deliver the classics alongside songs from the new album, but none of the new tunes can top the current single 'I Don't Feel Like Dancing',  which they stretch into a mammoth encore performance to close out the festival.