Saturday 03/06/10 Hop Farm Festival 2010 @ The Hop Farm, Kent

The Hop Farm festival 2010, extended from a one-day to a two-day event this year, is blessed from the outset by unbelievably good weather matched by the best line-up imaginable. Which means that it has high expectations to live up to — and for the most part, it doesn’t disappoint.

The audience mainly consists of 55-pluses accompanied by their 20-something son or daughter, and posh local sixth formers let off the leash for the first time.

On Friday, Gigwise has to battle with the London rush hour before joining the revelry, but makes it into the arena in time to catch Van “the Man” Morrison, a man of stage-filling charisma, energy and talent. His legendary stutter voice-trick adds yet more colour to his upbeat, danceable show, which includes hits such as 'Brown Eyed Girl', 'Into the Mystic' and
'Moondance' interspersed with lesser known but equally captivating tracks.

The full brass band is on the ball and able to improvise with as much confidence as the Man himself, and after some jazzed-up versions of the classics, a glorious set is highlighted by a note-perfect performance of 'Queen of the Slipstream'.

As Friday turns hazily into Saturday, the first act on the main stage is a somewhat over-zealous Foy Vance, who eases his crowd into vague wakefulness but fails to excite. Vance seems to view his slot as an unofficial PR exercise, reminding the unassuming crowd of the spelling of his name, presumably lest they find his music too forgettable.

Next up are the cuddly The Magic Numbers with their warm smiles and honey voices that are made to harmonise together, and it is they who manage to get the crowd up on their feet and re-energised for the day. Poor Angela is noticeably struggling with a sore throat and doesn’t
hit the high notes as easily as usual, but the fans are happy enough as they sing along to the familiar bounce of 'Forever Lost' and the heart-wrenching break-up melody 'I See You, You See Me'.

The understated Laura Marling appears next, her deceptively ordinary appearance soon obscured by an extraordinarily powerful voice, which stuns her audience into mute submission. While she weaves us cleverly-worded tales of grief and longing, she seems strangely older than her 20 years.

Seasick Steve, ex-hobo and troubled soul, puts on a show that is funnier than all of the comedians in the comedy tent put together, and his bluesy set is underlined by the twang of his Southern States roots. Armed with a selection of baffling homemade instruments, made up of car parts and household items, Steve finishes a stunning set with a lively performance
of 'Dog House Boogie', an ode to a very sad childhood followed by fame.

Mumford and Sons fill the time before the real Saturday highlights appear, but despite the recent hype and the novelty swapping of instruments, these boys are too middle-of-the-road to make any impact amidst this melting pot of greats.

An hour later and it is Ray Davies of the Kinks who takes away the audience’s alcohol-infused breath. As he stares into the time-warped faces of flower-children in 60s dresses once again, Davies can be forgiven for throwing himself into his set with all the joyful abandon of his youth. Davies and the audience alike are loving every minute, indulging in
some Dad-dancing as 'You Really Got Me' booms out across the field. The feisty old rocker shows his teeth when one of the promoters behind the scenes suggests an early finish, and Davies responds with “How rude. I’ll play all night if I want to”. The set ends with a tuneless sing-along to 'Lola', the field a drunken sea of happy camaraderie.

Last up on the main stage is the revered Bob Dylan. Ever enigmatic, he refuses to let any photographers into the pit, to capture him in his outfit of black and red stripy trousers and white baron hat. Dylan has decided that he doesn’t fancy playing his guitar tonight, instead focusing his energy on his deliciously rasping voice, the keyboard and harmonica. As is
his custom, Dylan plays wildly different versions of each song, possibly made up on the spot, and the moment of recognition is almost as satisfying as the performance itself. An impossibly beautiful version of 'A Simple Twist of Fate' is Gigwise’s personal favourite, but
from the slowed-down 'Don’t Think Twice', 'It’s Alright' to the edgy political masterpiece 'The Death of Emmet Till', Dylan gives us his all. The over-riding theme of the festival seems to be the determination of the oldies to have as much fun as they ever did, and Dylan finishes his
set aptly with his wistful ballad to eternal youth, 'Forever Young'.

You can relive all the action from this year's festival on Gigwise by clicking the links below.

Hop Farm Festival 2010 - Day One With Blondie And Van Morrison
Hop Farm Festival 2010: Day Two With Bob Dylan, Pete Doherty And Ray Davies