Hop Farm Festival
Paddock Wood, Kent

Hop Farm have gone far in an attempt to establish themselves as a unique, no nonsense festival, but with mixed success. Though they kept to their "no sponsorship, no branding" promise, its difficult to say how excessive security checks and serpentine drinks queues honoured such an image. Fortunately, the event was, as one would have hoped for, a rather leisurely-paced affair: a gentle fly-by through modern and classic folk rock. Up-and-coming artists Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling stood firm along side their folk rock forefathers Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and Ray Davies.

A late arrival courtesy of the inefficient shuttle service meant that I had missed most of Laura Marling's set, but the glimpse I caught seemed wholly pleasant. It was swiftly followed by a medley of Libertines and Baby Shamble's numbers courtesy of Peter Doherty; his charm and familiar drunkenly manner had, as usual, attracted a gaggle of girls to the front. He graced us with a rosy acoustic set, seasoned with vacant ramblings and renditions that only he seemed to understand - though entertaining nonetheless. A lone ballerina frolicking around Peter added a nice touch to his set.

The entrance of Seasick Steve, or "a song and dance man" as he prefers to be called, brought a slightly different, more playful vibe to the festival. His particular musical approach isn't always easily accessible to newcomers, but this didn't seem to detract much from the enjoyment of his performance. His time on stage was confident and well-paced; he presented a good mix of shorter, snappier tracks as well as those with lengthier, well-worked jams tail-ending the songs. Alongside his mellow humour and home-made instruments (including the famous one-stringed diddley bow played with a Chevrolet door handle), he put on a engaging show.

Mumford & Sons' set was the first time the place really became crowded. The now near-capacity audience were subject to a louder performance than with preceding artists, in every sense of the word. They played an upbeat volume of tracks, mostly off their debut album 'Sign No More' featuring as well a couple of unreleased numbers. The volume dial had certainly seemed to have been turned up - it quickly gave life to the before static crowd as Ted Dwane's double bass resonated throughout. It has to be said, however, that the 'start slow, climax mid-song, end calm' strategy that a good proportion of their songs employ wore thin fairly quickly, with several people making a tactical dash to the food and drink stalls just before they finished.

The assortment of styles displayed by these bands throughout Saturday ultimately acted as a prelude to what everyone really came to Hop Farm for: the 69-year-old Bob Dylan. Gazing at the big screen as he led his band onto the stage was like taking a step back in the 70s: they each sported a grey and purple suits, Dylan complete with cowboy hat. Their performance very much divided opinion though. It was hardly a testament to his stagings in years past. His age definitely showed, and, unfortunately, it was most apparent in his now abrasive voice. And I'm sure for the people who couldn't get over this fact, including myself, it was a massive hinderance to enjoyment of his set. That being said the band were sharp, making the more instrumentally orientated numbers of more interest. The ultra-clear bellow of the fleeting harmonica solos were particularly enjoyable.

A few people earlier in the day had been upset over the clashing set times of Devendra Banhart and Bob Dylan. Whether it was this or other logistical reasons, Banhart's set had been shifted till later letting fans enjoy both performances. Devendra's set wasn't quite what one would have expected though. Instead of a bucolic acoustic offering, we were greeted with a whole band who, for the most part, belted out "songs that [we] could dance to" - a funk-laden mix of his less subdued tracks. To his credit, the set was lively and did fill the bustling Big Tent with a buoyant atmosphere. I'm still of the opinion that his more well-known musical offerings would probably have been a more apt way to end the night. Long time fans will have also noticed the trim he's had of late - perhaps a factor in the new live approach?

All in all, a highly enjoyable outing and another relative success for the still young Hop Farm festival. It continues to grow in size and popularity and with the increasingly attractive line-ups year-on-year it seems like the trend will continue.

Moneeb