The Mud, Costumes and Bands: Bestival 2008

In a Radio 1 interview back in 2005, Bestival main man Rob Da Bank had a cheeky, slightly smug swipe at Glastonbury saying the mud and rain made it a miserable event compared to his jubilant sun-drenched  festival. Fast forward three years and Bestival is fiercely lashed by torrential downpours and oddly wintry winds. Gigwise had a feeling that the powers that be would smite him eventually -  but sadly for everyone here, not with this much god-damn venom.

The site opened a full day early for the first time this year, which means by the time we arrive at the site on Friday afternoon, people are already wading around in the kind of gloopy, blanket mud that would make Michael Eavis weep. Worse still, and a glaring error on the organisers' part, there aren't even any metal walkways meaning that every single step is arduous and draining. After somehow pitching our tent in the gales, we trek over to the 24 hour field and shelter in the Big Top where the ever fantastic Ebony Bones is bashing out the filthy electro-pop dirge of 'We Know All About You'. We  fast realise that the best way to battle the shite weather is to get ridiculously drunk and dodge between sheltered stages. Next (and nearest) pit stop is the Come Dancing arena where a power cut and leaking roof cuts short the house ukulele band's set short. It's clearly going to be one of those days.

Deciding to brave to outdoors, it's over to the Main Stage for Foals. Unfortunately, a downpour of biblical proportions hammers down from the skies meaning that Yannis and co. are merely a backdrop to the deluge around us. Not even a vigorous rendition of 'Cassius' brings the crowd out of their soggy quagmire. Soaked to the core, most people retire to the relative comforts of the indoor arenas leaving the ever noisy My Bloody Valentine to perform in front of an empty field. They're as voluminous and epic as ever, but the entire place is understandably devoid of atmosphere and enthusiasm.

Bleary-eyed, the next morning we awake hoping for unabridged blue skies and sunshine, but cruelly it's yet more of the same. The now-wonky Gigwise tent has taken a beating overnight and huge puddles threaten to overflow into it. Realising this definitely isn't the best place to be, we venture out into the Bestival atmosphere keen to bring on the fun, but in an attempt to put a smile on our faces we only bring a frown as we find the Jestival comedy tent has succumbed to the mud and is cancelled for the weekend. Dammit. It's off to the wooden dome that houses the Come Dancing activities to learn some break dancing, then!

Somewhat miraculously, the rain ceases just in time for the Bestival parade. It's one of the few times in the weekend when the unique atmosphere that usually makes this festival so special truly comes to light. People are dressed in a whole array of undersea outfits in keeping with the '30,000 Freaks Under The Sea Theme', from Spongebob Squarpants to giant molluscs to to John Darwin (the famous disappearing North East canoist) to deep sea creatures to, somewhat brilliantly, London travel oyster cards. By the time we reach the Main Stage for Gary Numan belting out 'Cars', there's a beaming smile across our faces.

Inexplainably, our next taste of Bestival's musical offerings for the day come from Will Young on the BBC Introducing stage. Dressed in Pirate apparel, the Pop Idol winner prances around stage warbling some of his 'hits' before finishing with a sing-along version of 'Leave Right Now' as the rain once again starts to lash the already sodden crowds. A bit of solace from the weather is needed and is found in the big top tent in the form of Swedish synth-pop collective Slagsmålsklubben who are trying to rouse our spirits with their Scandinavian charms. However, an early evening spot just seems the wrong time for the likes of 'Haent' and 'Sponsored By Destiny' to really capture the imagination. Gigwise loves this band but we'd prefer it to be 6am, not 6pm.