Saturday 28/07/07 Dunstaffnage Festival, Oban, Scotland

Ah, the Summer Festival, a time for the joyous celebration of life through music and a mighty test of endurance against the forces of nature and thousands of other party people striving for the same basic conveniences. Indeed, for all the fun to be had at festivals, there is the flip side of getting soaked to the skin, losing all your pals and valuables, queuing for hours to get some toilet relief and being crushed between crusty, smelly folk who’ve been rolling in the mud all day when you’ve just donned your last set of clean clothes.

What a relief then, to find a wee festival like Dunstaffnage, tucked away behind a Scottish castle on a peaceful waterfront. With no more than a handful of relaxed and cheerful visitors mulling about, the only worry is whether to sit and enjoy a stunning sunset dropping over the Isle of Mull or go and investigate the unusual sounds emerging from the Organic Beats Tent.

After drifting round the site and soaking up some fresh air over haggis ‘n’ neeps, grungy rockers Chunks draw the first crowd of the day in the Main Tent with some heavy riffs and distinctly Eddie Vedder-esque vocals. This is followed a beautifully dark selection of songs crafted by the Joe Acheson Quartet in the Beats Tent, even if their sound is more suited to a 4am set than a 4pm one.

Wandering about the site, Cookie Monster and the Pirate Fairies spread love and laughter while Samba-Ya-Bamba drum up some atmosphere with whistles and bongos. Over in the Roots Tent, veteran Mike Whellans wows just about everyone with an incredibly energetic performance of blues classics, mouth harp solos and even beat-boxing. Meanwhile, back on the Main Stage, the now middle-aged and crusty Levellers roll back the years to have everyone bouncing about with their classic anthems ‘What a Beautiful Day’ and ‘One Way’.

Sunday is a bit of a slow starter, but Isosceles manage to turn an empty Main Tent into a full one with the infectious humour and energy of their new single ‘Get Your Hands Off’  and sustain the dancing with just enough jazz solos and high-pitched funk squealing to keep everyone smiling.

Dynamic sets from Found and The Needles entertain thoroughly, while Union of Knives take the opportunity of a cancellation by 1990s to pick up some new admirers with a well-received set of dark guitars and thumping electro. Finally, the biggest crowd of the weekend is reserved for, you guessed it, the Red Hot Chili Pipers. Ok, so they’re not going to be on the cover of Rolling Stone any time soon, but it's good fun all the same.

All in all, a chilled-out and thoroughly enjoyable weekend by the sea.