Down to V

For two days, normal life was suspended. The regular decency of weeing in a toilet, replaced by green plastic urinals or plain old bushes, the concept of putting litter in bins replaced with throwing it on the floor to be later collected by a spotty teenager in a high-vis vest.

By the end of Sunday it was like walking on the top of a giant landfill site, gently muddied and wetted by the drizzling rain, sweet smelling the mixture of crushed grass, fried noodles, chicken tikka and cardboard. Somehow a sad and derelict symptom of a lot of people enjoying themselves in a thoroughly unsustainable way.

And all this just the backdrop to a play filled with 80,000 actors from all over the country, by no means the "beautiful people", united in a desire to see and hear great bands. And in truth the music was good. Slightly spoiled by occasionally poor sound quality (maybe just the wind) but largely spectacular, theatrical displays of musical talent.

Gabrielle and Rodriguez - a fabulous duo of drumming, guitar-wielding Mexicans.

Pink - great fun, white blonde hair

SnowPatrol - my personal favourite and superb as always

Mika - great fun and we got close into the mosh pit for a fun time

The Guillemots

Ross Copperman - great band who had a small crowd, including us, whilst everyone else watched Kasabian.

It was a thoroughly engaging spectacle - in all senses and good music. A good escape from real life.

Thanks to E and R for their hospitality - ensuring none of us had to actually camp in the rain!