Secret Garden Party 2014

There's the famous lake that is the festival’s nucleus, where a huge island structure looms for days, ultimately to become a climactic bonfire on the final night. For now, it is a meticulously designed prop, visible from the floating Pagoda stage (accessible only by boat), where we stand amongst a crowd of sweaty ravers. On the shore, Birmingham outfit Superfood are storming a branch-covered Where The Wild Things Are stage, their Blur-esque tracks providing a joyous soundtrack to the whimsical scenery. It is truly a festival in bloom.

A heaving Wolf Alice show is played out with ferocious energy. Drummer Joel Amey arrives on stage donning a poncho and a sombrero as the band thrash through a blistering set of ‘90s grunge-influenced power anthems looking like they are having the time of their lives. It’s a riotous performance that leaves no fan disappointed, and the sky-filling fireworks that follow are simply some of the best ever seen. This is a festival that does not do things by halves.

Under cover of darkness The Crossroads hosts the spectacle that is Fat White Family, whose diabolical performance has festival-goers storming the stage, whilst at the Powders Tent, Croydon producer Lxury mixes flamboyant house and techno with luminescent, synthesised hooks. A secret stage accessible by crawling through a dog kennel is the next discovery, but the maniacs dancing to squelching psytrance inside offer up a scenario that is far, far too intense to comprehend, or even understand.

The legendary paint fight at The Great Stage leaves much of Secret Garden Party’s festival-goers looking like a failed Art Attack on the final day, but does make for a colourful atmosphere at Years & Years, who flourish at the Temple of Boom as mass sing-a-longs compliment their soulful, R&B-tinged pop tracks. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas later hit the Great Stage in a much-welcomed 'legends' slot, and provide a memorable festival moment with their ‘60s soul and R&B anthems.

For all the great performances, though, Secret Garden Party is ultimately a festival that rewards exploration more than anything. A real-life sunflower field lies somewhere behind the door of a portaloo, while elsewhere, between great haystack towers, a bustling stage hosts a never-ending dance-off. A trip to the Artful Badger Woods will be met by herds of animal-human hybrids, while a journey through The Labyrinth is easier said than done – especially when every corner looks identical to the last. People will always hold inhibitions about festivals where music is not the main focus, but those people haven’t been to Secret Garden Party. The atmosphere here is exactly as a festival should be.

Tags: Years & Years, Secret Garden Party, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews