Bestival

The more practical campers had loaded all their belongings into wheelbarrows which became a bit tricky to control as the trail to the camping field lead us down a very steep hill.

After crossing over a small lake I found a spot in the campsite and had the usual problems - getting thigh stain inflating the airbed with a dodgy pump and pitching the tent in a gusty breeze.

Heading into the campsite

With AC/DC's Highway to Hell blaring out from the main stage, a hot air balloon rising up into the evening sky and my wellies on to keep the rain away, I headed into Bestival.

My first stop was The Big Top which resembled an English Country Garden with a full-sized tree, flowers and ivy creeping up around a large pagoda.

Mr Scruff was at the decks belting out some chilled out hip hop which was perfect for those who wanted to boogie and also for those who wanted to just chill and soak up the festival's atmosphere.

Over in the Cocomo Bollywood Bar, which resembled an old fashioned ballroom complete with chandeliers, the party was really getting going with some funky, upbeat lounge music including some Big Band jazz.

Inside the Big Top

The dress code in here was a little more adventurous with fairy wings, psychedelic wellies and people wearing builders hats all wiggling away on the dancefloor.

The highlight for the evening was of course The Bees, who kicked off their 1 1/2 hour set with a funky instrumental, with Paul playing an impressive recorder solo before they launched into Punchbag.

They skipped between tunes from their debut album including A Minha Menina, No Trophy and Angryman and new material from their latest album Free The Bees.

Their set was a perfect mix of mellow songs which showed off their multi-instrumental skills and funky upbeat tracks including The Horseman which had the crowd grooving and I even spotted a couple of air guitarists!

The Bees, Tim Parkin

Go Karts saw Aaron Fletcher take over as frontman on keys and vocals. With its blasting horns and huge epic chunks of swirling Hammond organ it really reflected The Bees summery, sun-kissed vibe.

After another switchround, frontman Paul got behind the drumkit for The Russian - a hip-wiggling instrumental before they finished off with Ghosts - with its Mod undertones it was another pleaser for the dancing crowd.

With two giant chickens perched at the front of the stage, the encore had to be Chicken Packback. Sure enough Paul came back on stage and patted one on the head, and we were off singing along and bouncing about like idiots.

For those who still had some energy to burn, the Cocomo Bollywood Bar and the Big Top were pumping out some great tunes for the dancing nightowls to see in the morning.