Saturday 04/09/10 Offset Festival, Day One @ Hainault Forest, London

As September begins, and as the nights get darker earlier and the days become cooler, the ever-lengthening festival season draws to a close. Offset, now in it’s third year, is amongst the last few outdoor festivals in the UK to take place. Over the two days the festival showcases’ some of the best new bands, as well as some of the heavyweights from the underground in the idyllic settings of Hainault Forest, just a thirty minute tube ride from central London. It isn’t just about the music at the event where there is a vintage clothes market, numerous organic food stalls (selling tasty and reasonably priced food), a fun fair, clean toilets and it is a environmentally conscious.

Girl-fronted Cold In Berlin took to the main stage early on with little in the way of an audience. By the end of their set they were playing in front of good number of festival-goers who were enjoying their energetic riot grrrl inspired songs. Kap Babino later took to the only outdoor stage sounding not too dissimilar to Crystal Castles before indie four-piece Good Shoes.

2005 was the year that indie really broke out. Some benefited, others didn’t. Good Shoes formed, quickly built up a fan-base and released a brilliant debut record, 'Think Before You Speak ' two years later. Since then the band struggled to keep up momentum and this year’s release, N'o Hope, No Future' gained barely any attention and their Offset performance highlighted this. As the crowd sang every word to debut album favourites, 'All In My Head' and 'Small Town Girl', front man Rhys Jones looked embarrassed in his tracksuit top that he was still dining out on these. The crowd’s reaction to the newer material was lacklustre in comparison.

In between visits to the bouncy castle and the Pizza Express stall was a performance from another of the mid-noughties indie survivors, Art Brut. Every so often Eddie Argos and his band pop-up just when you think they are down-and-out. Their main stage efforts were greeted with joy as the band that speak to our generation about our generation entertained.

The first night was headlined by one of the most underrated bands around, Mystery Jets. After their triumphant main stage set at Reading last weekend the band took to much more intimate surroundings. The performance might not have reach the quality of last weeks but it was welcomed with the same passion from the excitable crowd as the band make their way through one great pop song to the next.

Offset Festival 2010