Sunday 20/08/06 Day 2 @ V Festival, Weston Park, Stafford

First off, Rushmore provide an entertaining cure for this morning’s hangover with their endearing blend of three-part vocal harmonies and Weezer-esque power pop - like a less quirky Futureheads. They may veer slightly too near to the predictable middle of the road for comfort, but the half full arena seem to be won over by their catchy energetic tunes.

Specials wannabes The Dead 60s seem to have a point to prove. After being tipped for big things, the scouse ska band have sunk without trace since the release of their patchy debut album. Today on the V stage, in the early afternoon sun the four play like men possessed. The self indulgent mid-pace filler and long drawn out jams have been dispensed with and of the two new songs played, potential future single ‘Stand By Your Man’ sounds like a London Calling era Clash-esque anthem in waiting. Impressive.

On the Channel Four stage Biffy Clyro have drawn a sizable crowd. However, their set sounds like one long search for a tune. When, occasionally, they stumble across one, it tends to be rather good. But for the rest of the time, the aggressive wailing and discordant crunching guitars makes our ears hurt.

Of all the bands to make a comeback – Gigwise wouldn’t have expected Kula Shaker to have been top of many most wanted lists. But the size of the crowd to see them on the Channel Four stage suggests that maybe Crispin Mills had the right idea blazing the comeback trail. That is, until they start playing at least. Their classic Britpop singles are well received but overall it’s a lifeless set that makes them sound like even more of a spoof sixties tribute band than they did in the first place. Which, in itself, is no mean feat.

At last the sun is shining and The Magic Numbers bring some good vibes to Weston Park. The two sets of siblings charm even more in the flesh and live, the songs off their debut album have even more verve and bite. Some hand-clapping crowd participation in 'Forever Lost' help make it the first proper festival anthem of the day and it wouldn’t be a surprise if catchy forthcoming single 'Take A Chance' achieved the same at next summer’s festivals.

No longer the shy, retiring-type singer, Kele and Bloc Party are a revelation. They sear through tracks from ‘Silent Alarm’ and despite the fact they’ve been touring the album for nearly two years, manage to make it sound fresh. Burning through ‘Helicopter’ and a poignant ‘So Here We Are’, as the sun pokes from behind the clouds, Bloc Party seem to look like the kind of band who will continue to gain momentum and not just be a flash-in-the-pan one album opus outfit.  

A few extortionately overpriced bottles of beer later and it’s over to the Union Stage for the perennially magnificent Art Brut for another one of their densely-lyrically-packed, angular, overblown and frankly magnificent outings. Edie Argos is his usual flamboyant geek-chic self, spouting lyrics of boyish sexual frustration with verve and vivacity. As usual the Brut-ophiles are out in force, hogging the front of the tent and chanting the lyrics back to their dodgy-tashed messiah. Brilliant.

Despite being backed with a full band and going all electric on our asses, really Jamie T has a bloody tough act to follow. As usual his wide-eyed cockney charm and tales of urban life are captivating, yet somehow it all seems to get lost slightly in translation in the cavernous tent. Thankfully, a rip-roaring ‘Sheila’ provokes a bit of fervour from the crowd and hints at the kind of reaction the boy will no doubt be getting at festivals come this time next year.  

We try hard to get into Girls Aloud to bring you an über-cool expose on the girls’ performance, but alas the tent is bunged to high heaven and there’s no chance of getting so much as a glimpse of the sumptuous fivesome, so we decide to reserve our energy for the sheer magnificence of the final act.