While support act and fellow Dublin natives Slow Skies set a beautiful and melancholic tempo from the outset, a lot of this intimacy must surely be credited to McMorrow, whose bashful persona belies a confident and masterful command of his crowd. While the setlist was very much dominated with songs from his January LP Post Tropical, many pieces from McMorrow’s earlier work featured throughout.

Indeed, the biggest cheers of the night came for his widely acclaimed cover of Steve Winwood’s ‘Higher Love’, while the crescendos of ‘From the Woods’ and ‘We Don’t Eat’ sounded truly incredible.

McMorrow’s sound has undeniably matured between Post Tropical and his debut Early In The Morning, with new songs ‘Glaciers’ and ‘Gold’ coming across as rich and full of texture outside of the studio. When it came to the final falsetto notes of ‘Red Dust’, it was hard to believe that this was a live performance, with every single note being hit perfectly across an incredible range.

The ability of this singer to move seamlessly from a softer, more frail register to show-stoppingly powerful climaxes really needs to be seen to be believed. There were, however, unfortunately moments during the night when it felt like the venue’s sound system was not fully up to the task of delivering on the more intricately detailed moments of new tracks; for example, during the final build of ‘Cavalier’, during which McMorrow’s voice became lost and distorted in the instrumental swell.

If it was the case that the night had occasional failings when it became overly complex, it was also arguably true that it was at its best when at its most simple. When it came to the entirely acoustic encore of ‘And If My Heart Should Somehow Stop’ a reverential hush had descended across the entire audience, the emotionally charged vocals soaring throughout the building.

The show opened with ‘Chasing Shadows’, commemorating the release of Luminous earlier this year, as well as playing deeply improvised versions of ‘Sea Within a Sea’ and ‘Scarlet Fields’ from 2009s Primary Colours, an album rejuvenating the shoegaze genre of the late 80s with a sprinkling of psychedelia. Strobes and luminous lights embellished the room which replicated the impeccable audio. Their amalgamation of styles encourages gigantic improvisations during shows which they utilise to inject unique touches into each of their performances.

With an obsessive affection for volume, if they don’t burst your eardrums with screeching fuzz they will stroke them with a wave of ethereal resonance. Joshua Hayward toyed with his arsenal of offset Fenders creating a wall of sound which generated the backdrop to Faris Badwan’s vocals amongst an ocean of synth crafted by Tom Cowan. Seeing this band at an indoor venue is a must, as the acoustics of their music play perfectly into a contained space which creates an atmospheric stroke to their ambient sound.

A delicate change of pace with ‘Change Your Mind’ was a pleasantly tame break away from their renowned reverberating style and was immediately followed with the thunderous ambience of ‘Mirror’s Image’. The set ended with the all-encompassing ‘Moving Further Away’ which rang out for over ten minutes expanding on the already complex studio version from 2011s Skying.

The gig was the last of their UK tour before they perform at Corona Capital festival in Mexico on 11th October. The Horrors are one of the more exciting and inventive bands which have arisen in the last decade and should be regarded as a priority to see live.

The Horrors played:

Chasing Shadows
Mirror’s Image
In and Out of Sight
Still Life
Who Can Say
I See You
Sea Within a Sea
So Now You Know
Scarlet Fields
Moving Further Away
Sleepwalk
Endless Blue
Change Your Mind

Below: 15 stunning photos of The Horrors at London's Troxy

He’s also immensely likable. Chilled and smiley, there’s no faffing around as he dives straight in with 'Mess Is Mine'. He exudes warmth and with a winning combination of mood lighting, bouncy rhythms, and Melbourne twang, you may as well be basking in an Aussie sunset. Plus he’s got a ukulele – a real crowd pleaser.

Some songs seem slightly samey which makes everything lag a little at times, but he does his best to keep things fresh. A bunch of light bulbs hang above his head then suddenly they light up! What is this? Inspiration? Spiritual enlightenment? Either way, he has our undivided attention.

The band vanishes and he tells us that he’s going to play a particularly well-known song. Must be 'Riptide', right? Wrong. Using this opportunity to throw in an unexpected but excellent cover of Springsteen’s 'Dancing in the Dark', which was pretty electrifying.

Then, we finally do get to 'Riptide'. Its success in the charts, as well as its presence in the GoPro advert, meant that there was no escaping it this summer. This is the song people are here to see, and thank God he delivers the goods. Nobody is still, nobody is silent and he creates a really lovely feel-good atmosphere to wrap everything up in.

Vance Joy may have made his name through 'Riptide', but he’s done enough to convince all here tonight that he won’t just be a one hit wonder. We can't wait to see what wonder comes next.

Look behind this misconception and their swift ascent over the last 18 months though and you see four men who have put everything into building a unique sound and visual identity over the last decade, but are only seeing the results now.

This is what made these shows at Alexandra Palace so special, two gigs that felt like they were ten years in the making, a celebration of patience and commitment. Frontman Matt Healy repeatedly referred to the second show as their "last in the UK for some time" throughout last night's gig, marking an end of relentless two years of non-stop touring.

Alexandra Palace was without doubt a culmination of their commendable success, a sold out, emotional show that defined how far they've come as a band in the presence of some of their most loyal fans (and Brooklyn Beckham).

Few bands can form a close relationship with their audience throughout a headline show, particularly in a room of that size, yet everything about their 90 minute performance felt intimate, due in no small part to the 10,000 strong singalong every single track received throughout the night.

Unlike many groups in their position this set wasn't only about the hits. Even early EP tracks and cuts from their now-platinum selling debut album were given a rapturous reception, particularly the likes of 'Pressure' and 'Me', the latter a clearly emotional performance for Healy.

There aren't many sizeable venues in London left for The 1975 to play, but if this run of shows proved anything, it's that in the future they'll be able to conquer them with ease.

The 1975 played:

The City
Milk
M.O.N.E.Y.
So Far (It's Alright)
Talk!
She Way Out
An Encounter
Settle Down
Heart Out
Pressure
Me
fallingforyou
You
HNSCC
Menswear
Girls
Robbers
Chocolate
Sex

Below: 14 awesome, exclusive photos The 1975 at Alexandra Palace

Much like the career of the beloved bassist, the set was split into two parts dedicated to the ages of both Joy Division and New Order respectively. A fusion of the ominous and euphoric drew together a diverse crowd of men and women reliving days gone by as well as the modern youth, appreciative of an ingenious era of distinctive music we have seemingly left behind, but which we are gifted to once in a while to enjoy like a kid at Christmas.

A disheartened Peter dedicated the first song in memory of a beloved friend, as the band entered the set with the dismay of ‘Atmosphere’. Immediately driving onward came the bass-heavy ‘Digital’ breaking into an onslaught of gloomy classics from the Ian Curtis days including ‘She’s Lost Control’ and ‘Shadowplay’ from Unknown Pleasures.

After a brief interval and a beverage purchase, it was like stepping into another decade, as ‘Love Vigilantes’ introduced the album Low-Life and out fed that chorus-voiced bass we all adore from 80s Hooky. Style and energy both mutated in conjunction with synthesisers with the likes of ‘Face Up’ for the second, more ecstatic half of the night as fathers and wives jovially danced amongst groups of adolescent buddies.

As Brotherhood was unleashed, ‘Weirdo’ landed onto an electro-carnivorous crowd waiting to get a sweet taste of tempo which rolled through the set with the classic ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ still yet to hit us.

The chronology of the set played perfectly as high spirits continued to grow right up until the end of the show. A quick sing-song for bassist and birthday boy Jack Bates was shared before we were gifted the diamond which is ‘Temptation’ to pristinely polish the night dedicated to a decade rich in originality.

Indeed, the stylish kids that were once in the riot that fill Ally Pally may have aged and appear tonight with a few more lines by the eyes, having long since hung up their cherry-red tunics, but the spirit remains. 

The ups and downs of their Hyde Park gig at British Summer Time have been well-documented - the band were on fine form, but all was marred by poor organisation and the gathering of pricks just out for a ruckus. For the first time, the shambles was everywhere but on stage.

Now, after months of touring on the reunion train, The Libertines stand on stage like the band they never had the chance to become. The all-round tightness and the jam that leads into 'Begging' reflect a band who are here for the music, all scandals forgotten. The romance remains, but now they play as a unit worthy of their legacy. 

The sense of occasion is not lost on the band. From Doherty's wild-eyed harmonica solo to Barat's frank confessions ("I tried to play this one at a gig in my kitchen once, and got the solo a bit wrong"), The Libs consciously seek to make for all of those cancelled gigs, years of inaction and the ultimately unfulfilled promise.

It's a 24 song set of the class where the music alone speaks volumes. Not a dry eye remains from 'Music When The Lights Go Out' and the eruption saved for 'The Boy Looked At Johnny' can't even be measured. As Barat notes, London feels like the centre of the world, and The Libertines sit in its nucleus. 

Returning for an encore to read out a letter from a 15-year-old fan in Germany, there's a humility resonating from the band - well aware of their fortune at having such a dedicated following to keep them going. What they do for them next by way of new material remains to be seen, but all remain hopeful thanks to this snapshot of The Libertines in 2014: less a shambles, still a racket, enjoying their long-delayed champagne years.

A nostalgia element there may well be, but the timeless strength of the songs is all that matters. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old. They remain in a class of their own, my love. 

The Libertines play Alexandra Palace again tonight (27 September) and tomorrow (28 September). For tickets and more information, visit here. 

The Libertines played:
The Delaney
Campaign of Hate
Vertigo
Time for Heroes
What Katie Did
The Ha Ha Wall
Music When the Lights Go Out
Boys in the Band
Begging
Horrorshow
Lust of the Libertine
Don't Look Back Into the Sun
Can't Stand Me Now
Love on the Dole
The Boy Looked at Johnny
Tell the King Last
Post on the Bugle
Death on the Stairs
The Good Old Days
Encore:
Arbeit macht frei (tease)
You're My Waterloo
Up the Bracket
What a Waster
I Get Along

Below: 18 blinding, exclusive photos of The Libertines at Alexandra Palace

Everything you've read about Kate Bush's Before The Dawn London residency has been true. It's an an utterly mind-melting extravaganza that stands up as a triumph of theatre as well as music. It's been weeks since we first witnessed it, and we're still reeling from its full impact. 

A grand production it may be, but there's still something ultimately tender, intimate and human about the whole experience. Starting as a more traditional 'rock band' performance, Bush still stands high above many of her peers. As the gradually pulsing rush of 'Lily' builds the tension, its soon burst by the sheer celebration of 'Hounds Of Love' and the cosmically-charged rush of 'Running Up That Hill  - two early peaks, but not the highest. 

The basic elements of Bush and band would have been monumental enough, but what follows will go on to string together the chapters of music history. The walls come crashing down on the very notion of a standard gig, as the drama of Bush being stranded and lost at sea unfolds. 

This writer has rarely been moved by tears by a live performance, but as the vision of Bush on the verge of drowning fades out along with the closing notes of 'And Dream Of Sheep' massaging the raw-nerved memories of anyone you've ever had to let you, even the stoniest of ice-cold hearts would turn to molten mush. 

'The Ninth Wave' second act of the show is where you really see where all of the ticket money was spent, and why Bush chose now to return from live retirement. As the stage becomes a sea patrolled by a troop of skeleteon-skinned fish and the battle to save Bush from the icey depths begins, all while she wonders through the drama and theatrics with unmatchable grace, it becomes apparent that is the show that Bush needed to go - and it's beyond a pleasure to watch, it's an honour. 

The brooding menace of 'Under Ice' as she hollers 'It's me!' raises the heart to the back of the throat, as if it was written to be performed tonight and tonight alone. Seeing Bush's ghost attempt in vain to communicate with her (real life) son, there's chilling sense of reality and humanity before 'Watching You Without Me' leaves all the dumbstruck and the intoxicating opulence of 'The Jig Of Life' sends Hammersmith into a restless swoon.

The final act, 'A Sky Of Honey', fittingly welcomes the sunrise with another entire world of operatic beauty. Based around her sun attempting to paint the perfect sky, the stage becomes a marvellous woodland where Bush serenades renaissancefolk and a sweet little wooden boy. 

Clouds pass, trees crash to the stage and wonder is fulfilled as Bush elegantly meanders barefoot through 'The Architects Dream', 'Tawny Moon', 'Nocturn', before 'Aerial' provides the breathless full stop. 

As she returns for an encore of 'Among Angels', and while it's hackneyed to say, witnessing Bush at the peak of her powers is a true vision of heaven.

"I still dream," she pines on the epic ending of 'Cloudbusting' as fans flock to the front of the stage to decorate it with flowers and gifts. Judging by the shameless fits of love and undying devotion between tracks, Before The Dawn is all of our dreams made manifest. She may not always be visible, but sleep comfortably in the knowledge that Kate Bush can't be toppled from her throne. You can hardly grumble about the 35 year wait when it's the show of a lifetime. 

Tickets to Kate Bush's remaining Before The Dawn London shows at Hammersmith Apollo are on sale now. For tickets and more information visit here.

Full remaining dates are as follows: 

Friday, 26th September 
Saturday, 27th September 
Tuesday, 30th September 
Wednesday, 01 October

Below: 8 things we learned from Kate Bush's London comeback gig

In truth, scheduling a show at the Royal Albert Hall, thanks to both its size and its prestigious reputation, was an ambitious move for a youthful band with just three albums behind them - but the Swedish sisters (a term, presumably thanks to its incessant usage in the media, they have begun to use in irony) rise to the occasion with a triumphant self-assurance.

Backed by the string section that features so heavily on their latest album, from which they draw upon a lot tonight, First Aid Kit’s rich, country sound envelops the auditorium. For numbers like ‘Heaven Knows’ and ‘Master Pretender’ they make no efforts to retain the intimacy of a smaller venue, instead seizing the opportunity to expand their live performance.

There are, unfortunately, things that must be sacrificed when playing a venue this size – their trademark rendition of ‘Ghost Town’ for example, where they step out from behind their microphones and sing at the front of the stage. It’s just not possible here, the venue is inappropriate and the sound would be lost by the time it reached the first balcony. First Aid Kit decide they’re going to do it anyway.

“We’re going to try singing without microphones now,” they chirp optimistically, and the crowd collectively holds its breath, anticipating an awkward, silent few minutes. Somehow, through sheer tenacity and incredible lung power, it works, and receives the biggest cheer of the night. “That was bloody marvellous,” shouts a man with even greater lung power from the very highest balcony.

With all their youthful exuberance, and abundantly terrible cheese jokes (“What was left after the cheese factory exploded? Only debris”), First Aid Kit prove tonight that they have the musical maturity to hold their own in a venue that could so easily have swallowed them up.

As they return to the stage for an encore, and perform the relentlessly moving ‘A Long Time Ago’, Klara tells the crowd, “You guys are gonna make me cry.” We suspect the feeling is mutual.

First Aid Kit played:
Stay Gold
Blue
King of the World
Waitress Song
Shattered & Hollow
In the Hearts of Men
Cedar Lane
Ghost Town
My Silver Lining
Wolf
Love Interruption (Jack White cover)
Heaven Knows
The Lion's Roar
Encore:
A Long Time Ago America (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
Master Pretender
Emmylou

Below: stunning photos of First Aid Kit at Royal Albert Hall

They opened with ‘Hunger on the Pine’, inducing an atmospheric backdrop to the performance and proving that even disembodied Miley Cyrus has a stage presence. ‘Fitzpleasure’ throbbed familiar bass lines into an eager crowd, followed by ‘Something Good’, which suffered slightly, losing a little of the tilting melody to the bass heavy live rendition.

Returning to the new album, the band moved into the sexy Black Keys-esque ‘Left Hand Free’, a single which perhaps more than any other strays from their characteristic style and really proves the spectrum of Alt-J’s undeniable talent. It is illustrative of the more seductive sound on this album, no track demonstrating it more so than the naughty-lyric-laden ‘Every Other Freckle’.

For an encore, they pulled off a nerdy breakdown of Bill Withers’ ‘Lovely Day’ and it should be applauded; Alt-J do truly interpretative covers, morphing unlikely songs into their own signature math-rock style. ‘Nara’, played next, is an ethereal track which perfectly complemented the opening ‘Hunger of the Pine’, hinting at fitting and thoughtful structural focus.

The final track was ‘Breezeblocks’, inviting a willing crowd to sing out their sincere plea: “Please don’t go, I love you so”. Joe Newman seemed to know what he was doing letting the crowd take the lead on those lyrics; it was a mutually appreciative moment everyone was happy to share in. The new album is perhaps not as full of stand-alone singles as the first – this would be an impressive feat. The new tracks however are arguably more hypnotic and mesmerising live than the well-known tracks of the last album; seducing the listener, leading them deeper into a textured and emotive maze of sound.

This development is intense, skilful and bizarrely sexy; all good things anything but normal.

It's difficult to think of a fellow contemporary musicians who can bring the crescendo of their songs to such an intense climax (particularly with unfamiliar material). After eight songs, the audience were left wanting to hear so much more. For this crowd, 20 October, when the new album is released, really can’t come soon enough.

Ben Howard played:

Time is Dancing
Evergreen
Conrad
I Forget Where We Were
Rivers In Your Mouth
Small Things
End of the Affair
All Is Now Harmed

Follow Jim Chapman on youtube.com/jimchapman

Throw in the ease of the whole day-long event taking place on one road and you have the makings of a perfect city festival, with Southsea fast becoming an unsuspectingly ideal home for new acts, offering the chance to see a host of artists that are going to be huge in the coming months in a matter of hours.

Now in its eighth year, the festival has unsurprisingly come into its own in 2014, well organised and offering a varied lineup perfect for those who want to discover their new favourite band, or catch their idols in an intimate setting, with a wealth of fantastic venues taking part every year, from the iconic Wedgewood Rooms to tiny rooms like The Wine Vaults and stunning rooms such as The Kings Theatre.

Needless to say, we had a great time at Southsea Fest 2014, so without further ado, here are our highlights.

Curxes
Despite being plagued by technical difficulties throughout their performances, CURXES still managed to prove themselves as one of the most exciting duos breaking through at the moment. Offsetting hectic instrumental backing with engrossing and urgent vocals, the onstage chemistry between Macaulay Hopwood and Roberta Fidora is effortless, much like their ability to fuse big pop hooks with delightfully crazy experimentation. If you get a chance to see this duo live, do it.

Hunter and The Bear
Without doubt the most beautiful venue of the festival, The Kings Theatre was a stunning piece of architecture, with the effortless sense of grandiosity providing the perfect setting for Hunter and the Bear's folk-pop extravagance. With shades of Mumford and Sons but with more heartfelt, approachable elements at play, their sound was anthemic without being overbearing, bringing big choruses into the mix alongside intricate intimacies to create a familiar yet fresh landscape to work from. With only one EP under the belt so far, their seamless live set early into the afternoon ranks anticipation high for any forthcoming material.

Lovepark
Also taking to the stage at The Kings Theatre, Southsea Fest was the first time we had been introduced to Lovepark, and they proved to be one of the best discoveries of the summer. Their optimistic bouncy live set brought in a sense of fun amongst a flurry of calculated layers and cut to the core vocals, every track resonating instantly with an unexpected sense of urgency. It is the elements they leave out that perhaps grip you most, allowing an underlying sparsity to heighten the atmospheric swooping guitars and meandering vocals, a point only further proved in the stunning venue.

Prides
We always knew Prides were going to be awesome at Southsea after the huge year they've had so far, but their performance at Little Johnny Russels was nothing short of spectacular, a testament to their ability to capture and command a crowd of any size, whether it's the millions of people watching The Commonwealth Games closing ceremony or the 100 or so capacity of a tiny pub on the South Coast. Despite the fact they had to cut their set short, the Glasgow trio still managed to reel off their string of huge singles including 'Messiah', 'I Should Know You Better', 'The Seeds You Sow' and the forthcoming 'Out of the Blue'.

Racing Glaciers
One of the best things about Southsea this year was the presence of Pie & Vinyl one of the finest record stores in the country that offers exactly what their name would suggest. Taking over one corner of The Wedgewood Rooms, the fact we could eat a 'Moo & Blue' whilst watching Racing Glaciers made us enjoy their momentous set even more. Showcasing their veritable selection of stadium-ready hits, everything about the group's set seemed effortlessly majestic, exemplifying the development of their sound over their three EP's to date and ultimately proving them as a band to keep a keen eye on over the coming months.

Flyte
During Flyte's performance in The Kings Theatre someone behind us told their friend "this is the kind of band you listen to whilst eating fish fingers to with your parents". To be completely honest we have absolutely no idea as to whether that's a good or bad thing, but we can say that Flyte are one of the most enjoyable live bands we've seen in a long time. Fresh off the biggest summer of their career so far, the four piece justified why they have become a festival favourite over the last few months, bringing an unrivaled sense of optimism to proceedings. One of the most infectiously fun performances of the day.

Beautiful Boy
On record Beautiful Boy sound suitably massive, but their live show is another level, taking the emotional outpour that dominates their material to huge new territories, offering a newfound sense of urgency amongst already passionate surroundings. One can't help but think they would have sounded better in The King's Theatre rather than Little Johnny Russels, but that didn't stop their set being every bit as momentous as we had hoped. Despite not having a wealth of material online at the moment, it became abundantly clear throughout their short slot that what they have to come is going to take them to giddy new heights.

Eliza and the Bear
A celebration of their impact to date, Eliza and the Bear's triumphant set late in the evening was a complete joy to watch. Drawing a huge crowd (well, as big as the room could fit) the ludicrously tight five piece kicked off with 'Friends' before venturing into a career-spanning set that vigorously testified why they have become one of the most well-loved indie bands on the live circuit in recent years. With a UK tour on the agenda over the next two months, catch Eliza and the Bear live or seriously regret it.

Adams is, by his own admission, feeling under the weather, a fact he reveals after he and his band have already rattled through the opening four tracks of the set, including 'Gimme Something Good' and 'Stay With Me' from his most recently released eponymous long player, without muttering so much as a word to the packed venue. Any concerns, however, that Adams’ sickness woes would adversely affect the standard of his performance were immediately laid to rest thanks to the velocity and intensity with which tonight’s gig was played.

Following a characteristically meandering, but entertaining anecdote about Jessie J’s performance at the Brit Awards, the ever contrary Adams plays “a song about dead people” aka 'My Wrecking Ball', perhaps the one track of his most recent eponymous album which recalls the mood of its predecessor Ashes and Fire. Similarly the pin drop delicacy of 'Oh My Sweet Carolina' is as lo-fi on stage as it is on record and is the kind delicate lament that you feel Adams could now write in his sleep. 

Adams continued to liberally cherry-pick from his exhaustive back catalogue, much to the delight of those who have been tracking his turbulent career which now stretches back the best part of 20 years. Highlights included 'Fix It' which was given a stripped down bluesy swagger thanks to his new(ish) backing band the Shining, and Cold Roses’ 'Easy Plateau' complete with intricate guitar interplay between Adams and the Jaguar wielding Mike Viola.

"You can't even buy this song on iTunes," says Adams, introducing 'The Door' from unreleased album Blackhole, "you'll have to buy it on RyTunes," - before kicking into a scorching rocker from the blacker corners of Adams' heart, a testament to his prolific consistency. He hasn't even had time to release some of his best material.

The set was shorter than fans have become accustomed to, but Adams admitted that this was due to the fact that tonight he was at the mercy of behind the scenes forces.

“They’re only letting me play for as long as it takes a laptop’s battery to run down” he sardonically states in reference to the fact that the performance was being broadcast live online to anybody that was interested. The beauty of tonight’s set is that it demonstrates to fans and newcomers alike why Adams is held up by so many as one of the greatest songwriters and performers of his generation. Whether he’s assuming the role of the broken hearted solo acoustic folk singer, the country-rock gentleman or the abrasive garage rocker, there truly is a Ryan Adams for every occasion. Which begs the question; if this is what the guy can do when under the weather what’s he capable of when fully fit?

Ryan Adams played:
Gimme Something Good
Fix It 
Dirty Rain
Stay With Me
Let It Ride
Am I Safe
Everybody Knows
I Just Might
Oh My Sweet Carolina
Rats in the Wall
When The Summer Ends
The Door
My Wrecking Ball
Trouble
Shadows
Kim
Encore:
Easy Plateau
Come Pick Me Up

Below: 8 stunning photos of Ryan Adams live at iTunes Festival

Finally, as we sail past the 90 minutes late mark, Hill swaggers onto the stage, effortlessly cool and staggeringly unapologetic. Despite a noticeably subdued atmosphere though, the crowd are willing to forgive her. From the off, she commands the stage with an effervescent control – constantly pointing from one instrument to the next, demanding they get louder, quieter, stop altogether. She is conductor, singer and rapper, and the musicality she possesses is mesmerising.

Mesmerising, for a while that is. When it gradually becomes clear that she has no interest in performing one song in anything approaching the manner in which it was originally recorded, the crowd become restless once again. It takes us a good few minutes to recognise that the jazzy, scat-filled number she’s doing is not a new, unreleased song, but ‘Ex-Factor’. Aside from the opening guitar riff, ‘To Zion’ is barely recognisable as the beautiful, minimalist highlight from The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

Every song, in fact, is sped up, chewed up and spat out with a lyricism and charisma that dares the crowd to disagree. But disagree they do, and when Hill finishes decimating another fan-favourite and leaves to fetch an acoustic guitar, she leaves to a chorus of boos. Twitter rumours begin circulating that she’s been booed off stage... but for that to be possible, Hill would have to care about the reception she’s receiving. She doesn’t.

At one stage, she asks for the house lights to be turned up so she can look at the crowd. “Look at you all, look at you, you’re beautiful,” she says, before adding, “Rich. Look at that wealth.” It’s a strange thing to say, and yet another moment when the audience’s patience slips from her inattentive grasp.

Lauryn Hill is an exceedingly talented musician, and her singing voice, even tonight, is soulful and captivating. The songs, as well, are her own and she is free to do with them what she wants. But when you possess a back-catalogue that means so much to your fans, and have charged them a small fortune to watch you perform them, you have, surely, a responsibility to tread carefully the balance between your own wishes and theirs. Tonight, Hill stomps that balance to bits, and burns the pieces.

Many fans in attendance tonight have waited a very long time to see Lauryn Hill perform tracks from the Fugees’ back-catalogue and the Miseducation album. Perhaps one day, they will.

Proceedings got off to a strong start with XL label mate Sampha emerging to perform ‘Never Never’ proving that together, they are a force to be reckoned with. As ever, he was in incredible, pitch-perfect voice – sending ghostly chills around the iconic hall.

However, this is where the first issue with the set began to arise. Once Sampha had retreated backstage (he would later be dragged out again and again during the show), everything began to feel a little uneven. There’s something strange about featuring live vocals on some songs and triggering them on others, including Little Dragon’s on ‘Wildfire’. It's a dynamic that sadly creates an effect of emptiness by comparison, ultimately detracting from the live element. This is perhaps a problem of the increasing need for collaborations on dance albums, exacerbated by the current trend live replication.

Despite this, it was extremely impressive to see some of the songs reconstructed. SBTRKT spent the show expertly conducting his band, gesturing to them at times while straddling multiple controllers and electronic instruments with expert energy. To be honest, it looked exhausting, and is a testament to his dedication as an artist to blur the lines between the studio and the stage.

The best parts of the show were a series of lengthy and intricate breakdowns infused in the versions of the tracks. Bringing in a tribal vibe, they took the originals and transformed them into extremely progressive constructions that were impossible not to get caught up in.

An impressive showcase for what can be done with electronic performance, it was full of highs and lows. It was easy to lose yourself at moments, but easy to get bored in others. By the third or fourth time Sampha was wheeled out, all the surprises had been spent. A great set, let down by not quite being able to recreate all of the true magic live.

And the RFI seemed like a fitting home for Hopkins’ trademark sound, that experimental ensemble of glitch-based audio barrages and ambient symphonic arrangements that very few musicians out there (with the exception of the likes of Belfast’s Max Cooper) are successfully pioneering. The acoustics meant every bass line reverberated through the entirety of your body, and you couldn’t lose a single note of the more serene orchestral moments that came throughout the night.

After a prelude that followed this Jon Hopkins formula, he progressed on to a setlist familiar to his usual live performances, with ‘Breathe This Air’ being followed by ‘We Disappear’ and ‘Insides’. While one criticism would be that this can seem repetitive for those who have returned to see his live set from previous occasions, it by no means belies the artistry that has gone into crafting this progression, and Hopkins’ masterful manipulation of the tracks through Kaoss pads gives the performance a feeling of uniqueness each time.

The inclusion of his score for the 2010 Gareth Edwards film Monsters provided the set with a more expansive feel, and the accompaniment of two violinists (who felt superfluous during their inclusion in ‘Breathe This Air’ and ‘We Disappear’) made ‘Monster Score’ a euphoric highlight of the night. By the end of the instrumental piano and violin refrain which followed it, you could have heard a pin drop.

One point at which the venue's lack of standing area, and the contradictions in Hopkins’ genre crossing compositions, caused a problem, came during the crescendo of ‘We Disappear’, with half the crowd getting to their feet to dance while the other half remained bemusedly seated. This was later overcome through the standing ovation that Hopkins’ closest song to a crowd pleaser, ‘Open Eye Signal’, brought about in the crowd, but still pointed to what felt like a distinct need for a standing area that avoids the awkwardness of dancing in aisles of seating.

This was, however, bypassed as the night wore on, and by Hopkins’ trance-ish encore the whole crowd was quite clearly in the mood for a boogie.

Thankfully, our concerns were unfounded – tonight at least, Fat White Family steer clear of attention-seeking gimmicks (apparently the faeces incident was a protest because ‘the venue only gave us two drinks tokens each’), and stick to providing a good old-fashioned dirty, grimy, sweaty rock show.

Their performance at Camden's Electric Ballroom is manic and raucous, but it’s also played with a precision and polish that belies their reputation as utterly shambolic and discordant. The song’s instrumentals are injected at times with ‘50s rock and roll riffs, and there’s even the occasional hint of surf rock – but in their live shows they, very deliberately, bury this refinement under Saoudi’s bellowing, unrefined vocals.

At times this is a stroke of genius - in ‘Autoneutron’ for example, and the lyrically repulsive ‘Is It Raining In Your Mouth’, the balance between order and chaos is negotiated perfectly. On other occasions, Saoudi’s inability to contain his own energy leads to strained, overworked vocals which deny their live show the light and shade moments demonstrated so well on record.

As the gig ends though, and Saoudi stands shirtless, arms held outstretched as if he’s a sweaty Jesus embracing the whole venue, we’re left with two feelings – relief, that they all managed to keep it in their pants, and excitement, at their unfettered enthusiasm for performance and the potential that their live shows so loudly and pungently demonstrate.

Wearing a floaty sheer panelled shirt dipping down her back like a cape, she accessorises with a glossy slicked back ponytail that displays those model-sharp, shimmering cheekbones to perfection. After saying some exuberant hello's, '100%'s Bashmore-produced fluttering house fills the air and she laughs afterwards catching the eye of one member of the crowd telling him "Mate, you look so awkward!", mimicking his dance moves like your bestest ballsy pal would.

Launching into first single from new album 'Tough Love', the audience already know it word-for-word, and sing a-long to Ware's breathy, delicate lyricism. A serious ode to difficulty in love is made even more poignant knowing her husband is in the audience.  "This is for you Bash" she yells to Julio Bashmore somewhere up in the rafters as she launches into another new track 'Keep On Lying', evoking some definite Culture Club vibes on the way; 'If this isn't love/Then I don't wanna kno-owww' as well as boasting a hook that will root itself firmly into your jingle-loving brain.

Afterwards, she grins and addresses the trendy crowd's eel-like moves with glee and a trimphant, "YES! That's what I wanted from this song!". Chatting to the crowd proudly about her recent marriage, a group of lads boo and she fires back defensively with a bolshy "don't fucking boo!'' before introducing 'You and I Forever', which Ware explains as being about: "waiting a while for him to put a ring on it" - the track is a true hands-in-the-air moment and another touching ballad that shows off how engaging her vocal really is.

She then goes to sing the understatedly stunning 'Sweet Talk' before launching into the super-sultry Miguel collab, 'Kind of...Sometimes...Maybe', that proves to be a real hit with all present. Her guitarists have their own little head-bopping 80s moment while the audience enthusiastically bounce back to the seductive Prince-style beat. 'Pieces' is another new offering; a massive belter that already feels like a classic. Propelling straight into fan-favourite 'Wildest Moments', she victoriously punches the air in time with the hi-hat, engaging the audience with smiles and waves.

Her silky tone then crescendos into absolute diva territory with the 90s-esque 'Say You Love Me', a track she penned with Ed Sheeran, and her climbing vocal ability has everyone gazing in eye-watering awe. Managing to be both sophisticated and sensual, Ware's stunning blend of underground dance appeal, superhero vocals and quiet restrain continues to be an infectious mix that, last night, totally brought the house down.

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Inside the luxurious, multi-storey Koko though, Hozier is a superstar. Fans are packed into every facet of the building’s many nooks and crannies, and when he comes on stage, the volume and timbre of the screams is astonishing. It’s not a mantle that, on the surface, he wears particularly comfortably. Hozier’s presence onstage is both naturally charismatic and apologetic. When he talks between songs, he speaks softly and conversationally, as if any attempt to raise his voice, or tell a smoothly prepared story without stuttering, would be unforgivably insincere.

With his singing though, Hozier offers no apologies. His is a remarkably commanding voice, its tone rich and timeless. ‘Cherry Wine’ in particular is exponentially more powerful live, and its lyrics, inspired by the Goffin & King-penned Crystals song ‘He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)’, dance darkly through the venue. ‘Someone New’ is another highlight – so catchy even those who didn’t know it before this evening can sing along, but with the confidence to build to the chorus languidly and with great precision.

His guitar playing too is faultless, and ranges from celtic-tinged finger-picking to scuzzy, electric bar chords seamlessly. Forgivably, the only time the performance falters slightly is in ‘Take Me To Church’, which Hozier sings at a quicker tempo and with the ennui of someone who’s sang it a million times. He even changes the rhythm on the chorus to make it more evenly paced, as if his feelings of monotony have made their way into the cadence.

It’s a temporary weariness though, and if fans came just for that song, they’ll have left with at least five new favourites. Hozier is a soulful, ambitious musician, and where some whose records possess such a richness flounder live, he only flourishes. Plus, just when you think you’ve got him sussed, he covers Amerie’s ‘1 Thing’ and, well, you’re back to square one.

Unknown is part of a new kind of festival experience that has been emerging over the last few years. It is an affair that puts your average greenfield festivals to shame, creating an experience foremost and a line-up to match it. This isn't about shoving a bunch of people in a field with some bars, this really is something else.

These are the 13 best things about Unknown Festival 2014...

1. The site is mind-blowingly beautiful
Located along the coast of north Croatia, the site leads along a mile long stretch of ocean with six stages dotted along a path, each with a different vibe and décor. It is impossible to do it full justice in pictures, but just imagine the beach vibes of “old Ibiza” combined with the woodland aesthetic of Alice in Wonderland.

2. The extremely low idiot quota
The people around you at festivals are the most important thing, forget the music, forget the sound – a good atmosphere is vital and Unknown has it in spades. Right from the offset we made friends on the plane, then we made more at the boat parties, at the accommodation and before we knew it, we had a full crew to call on. The best thing about it? No-one ruining it for everyone else.

3. Whoever does the programming deserves a medal
Unknown is a five day long festival and it is laid out with the kind of nuances that subtly ensure you have the best time possible. On Tuesday the festival began in earnest with Chic, Chvrches, Kindness, Erol Alkan, Daniel Avery, Optimo, DJ Harvey and more. From there things ratcheted up progressively, until the crescendo of the last night on Friday, where we saw: Jackmaster, John Talabot, Dusky, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Disclosure, The 2 Bears and Horse Meat Disco.

4. Moderat and Wild Beasts’ rare festival appearances
Another aspect of the programming is the booking of artist’s with regard to quality and not for commercial gain. Therefore, a lot of the line-up, you won’t see at other festivals in the UK, despite the fact they have huge followings. Moderat and Wild Beasts for example - who criminally were underpresented on bills this summer - were both absolutely incredible at Unknown.

5. The residents and their boat party were damn good
At most festivals, one of the most vital things often forgotten, is the importance of the residents. They provide the set that warms you up for the main act and they provide the late night soundtrack soundtrack when you are truly dancing at three in the morning. Unknown allows those residents (Mike Jones, Sonic Emporium, People Get Real) to shine; in particular on their boat party. Also watch out of a chap called Tiger Lightning: he’ll rock your world.

 6. The Just A Little Medina stage drew us in every single night
Cleverly situated in the center of the site, Just A Little Medina is a chill out area and collaboration with Leeds based night Just A Little. It plays the kind of music that straddles the realms of guilty pleasure and stone cold classic whilst resulting in excessive gun fingering. We heard a lot of A.S.A.P. Ferg, Nelly and witnessed a secret Tweakaholic set from Jackmaster.

7. Brushing shoulders with the famous faces on the line-up
The nice thing about Unknown is that there is an undeniable sense of family to the proceedings. This means that unlike most festivals, the acts clearly enjoy being there and won’t jet in and out, as in the case of your average green field drek. We ran into Jamie XX at the bar, Chvrches on the pier, Wild Beasts in the forest and Jackmaster (again) at a house party. 

8. Raving in the rain
'Epic' would probably be the best way to describe the weather this year. While it was predominantly hot, the site was impartial to the occasional storm. But where else do you get to rave outside in a forest, in the heat, with umbrellas, on the beach, watching DJ Harvey? 

9. The 2 Bears combine to devastating effect
These chaps seem to be going from strength to strength. Joe Goddard’s new material is itself becoming iconic and together they have been playing some seriously impressive sets. At Unknown they dropped a set that spanned disco, house, UK bass and much much more. Our highlight? The moment 'Endless Love' dropped.

10. Seth Troxler proved he isn't all mouth
There is a reputation the preceeds Seth Troxler as a great DJ as well as dance music's joker (as many of his brilliant interviews have shown), yet behind the decks he definitely wasn't kidding around. Their was an air of ease to his set, which was deceptively complicated, fun and just bloody good to dance to.

11. Jackmaster’s never-ending party
It felt like Jackmaster was absolutely everywhere at Unknown - particularly at the after-party. After Disclosure’s set on the Forest stage, he played for an hour and a half, then rolled into a four hour back to back set with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Disclosure and Jamie XX. That photo below? It’s from 10am.

12. The sunrises
This one speaks for itself really..

13) Taking time out in Rovinj to recover
This one is sort of a tip. If you’re going next year, make sure you take the time to chill out afterwards and check out Rovinj, the local town. It has amazing views, food, markets, apartments and you really, really don’t want to be getting that transfer back to reality straight after the festival. Trust us, even we aren’t quite over it yet.