The day promises some fine acts. Irritant, The Arcane and The Holloh (all previously reviewed on these pages) will be on stage in the band tent, along with U-Turn, Cousin Luke and Green Day tribute act Green Dayz. Meanwhile, on the main stage there’s a crowd-pleasing mix of pop tribute acts and original bands.

Solace

Solace are on stage when I arrive. And what a stage it is. Gone is the glorified caravan of last year. Here we have a proper main stage. It’s not quite Glasto’s Pyramid, but it’s getting there.

The program tells me that Solace are the kind of band you should listen to while driving on a sunny day. And it’s not wrong. While such descriptions are usually left for Queen, Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, there’s something to be said for the drive-friendly music of Solace.

Take "Smile", for example. It comes with an introduction immediately reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s "Superstition" before turning into a steel-stringed anthem to positive thinking. It’s glorious.

Irritant

Next stop is the band tent. Gone is the big topped, red and white themed marquee of last year. What we have now is a dark and brooding tent (yes, tents can brood), a suitable home for some of the loudest, angriest noise you’ll hear this side of a pneumatic drill.

Many jokes could be made about Irritant’s name – but I think they probably have all been done before. If memory serves this is the band who named themselves after a warning on a can of deodorant. And boy do they rock. Capital R. Capital O. Capital C. Capital K. You get the idea.

The lead singer sneers into the mic like a particularly vitriolic Brian Molko while guitars screech and chug-chug-chug around him. I don’t know what the word is for something that’s more metallic than metal, but this lot should find themselves well to the right hand side of the Periodic Table.

Believe it or not, they are one man down. James, the rhythm guitarist, has left the band for pastures new. We can only guess how loud they would be with a full line-up.

Songs on the set feature 'quite a cheeky little number' called "From the Graveyard" (although it’s hardly "Is this the Way to Amarillo?") and the amazingly titled "Die, Die, Die My Darling". Excellent.

Skate Naked

I return from the band tent to see two naked men (but for G-Strings) performing acrobatics and other stunts for the crowd. The call themselves Skate Naked. Don’t watch on a full stomach.

One stunt involves one of them putting a pink rubber glove over his head and inflating it from the inside. His mate then brings a flaming torch up and bursts the glove around him. Don’t try this at home (especially the naked bit).

Unbelievable Something

At last: some more music. Unbelievable Something are unbelievably quiet. I’m not sure that’s the way nature intended them to be, but it’s certainly the way the PA system intends them to be.

From what can be heard of them it sounds like there’s something of the early Beatles about them with their "I Saw Her Standing There" Ooooos and scousey guitars.

By the time they get into a cover of "Long Tall Sally" things are looking up. You can hear them and everything. Quite remarkable. The set is a mixture of their own stuff and covers. "Heart and Soul" is one of the former – a love ballad with a John Lennon-y vocal.

U-Turn are in the band tent. They offer a surprise. They’re not just typical heavy metal teen miserablists. Here, they produce something of a fusion between heavy metal, funk and rap. Such a description would immediately bring to mind Rage Against the Machine, but their music is more individual than that and doesn’t match any comparison I can think of. Maybe I should get out more.

They are crowd pleasers to say the least. The crowd roars with appreciation at the end of the set. One of the highlights of the band tent.

Earnest Cox

And then Earnest Cox come onto the main stage. It’s a sad day as Shane, the drummer is leaving the band after today’s gig.

The set contains all the favourites plus a couple of new ones including a song with the repeated line "Isn’t the Internet Brilliant". It’s a noisy departure from the funkiness of "Two Can Play" or the quiet sorrow of "Stuntman Shoes". This is all out rock and roll.

"That was a bit loud," lead singer La apologises afterwards.

"My Favourite Walk" is one of those songs that is so cool it hurts. La snarls through a sleazy description of a sleazy night on a sleazy town. It’s like a cross between Huey, Louis or was it Dewy of the Fun Lovin’ Criminals and something by Tom Waites – but all the while retaining that unique Earnest Cox vibe.

The question, of course is, will they do "Sh*t off my Shoe"? This is a family show after all. What do you think? Of course they do. And glorious it sounds too. In fact, they try to get the audience to join in on the chorus. Magnificent.

The song reaches a billowing climax. Shane goes mad on the drums (as he usually does – or did), gets up and walks around the kit giving it a goodbye bash. And with that they are gone. Earnest Cox have left the building (or tent) and then there were four.

It’s been a variety filled day in the park, and there’s more to come: a Grease tribute and other pop tributes including the Green Day act in the main tent. But some of us have got homes to get to, so off I go.

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