Bestival 2009

laugh The Acorn. They’re the first band on the Friday and, while judging the sedate crowd, aren’t doing much hell-raising themselves. A quiet set for a band who’ve had a pretty quiet year, it’s bland orchestral indie at it’s blandest. We’re after a good time guys, but you just suck. In fact ‘Elbow-itis’ seems to affect half of the festival; Fleet Foxes are too quiet with their messy lullabyes, and Guy Garvey is just too miserable for a slot so high up. Yes, despite it’s chill out vibe, in 2009 Bestival is at its best when it’s dancing.

Take Metronomy. On record they aren’t exciting, delivering repetitive beats that seem out of place on all but the biggest party stereos. Live, they’ve changed things. As at Offset they have the tent bursting with smiles, the crowd surging forwards to sing happy birthday to lead singer Joseph Mount. DJ Derek blasts out reggae and old-skool ska until late and Major Lazer mix crazy climbing men with sassy ladies for a surprisingly sexy party set.

And don’t tell Lily Allen that Brits can’t party in a field. Dressed as Barbarella and introducing herself as ‘Lily Alien’ it’s more of what you’d expect from pop’s favourite nutter. While the sound might suffer at points Allen remains as bolshy as ever; she turns ‘Not Fair’ into a mass clap-a-long when the power cuts out. Sorting out those who assume she’s just good for badmouthing Allen holds it together perfectly, rousing her band back into action as the electricity is restored. Only real pro could do that. It’s nothing compared to the finale. Everyone [and their Mum] shouts ‘F*** You, F*** You Very Much’, middle fingers waving towards the stage.

It’s a shame that Florence doesn’t cope so well. Windswept on the Friday her Machine has a few teething problems, feeding-back weirdly at points, disappearing in he hills at others. Launching into ‘You’ve Got The Love’ rescues things a little but all in all, it’s yes, more legs than tunes. This could have been a big moment but we’re all a little disappointed.

Politer than Lily with a bit more flair than Florence, the usually demure Bat For Lashes fares better. A mix of old and new tracks are pumped up by Yeasayer’s production. Having learned that down-tempo doesn’t work on a big stage she flails like a drunk Pocahontas’s. It’s weirdly brilliant stuff. By the time she gets to ‘Daniel’ there isn’t a still pair of feet in the place.

Actually Acorn… you can take your boring drugs to some other festival. This is BESTIVAL. We’ve got nice legs, but we’ve also got some great indie pop acts. We’re going to have a bloody good time.