Despite the sometimes torrential rain on Friday and Saturday, the site held up very well and most managed to avoid having their enthusiasm dampened. But then, there is a lot to be enthusiastic about at this festival. Beer prices are kept at about pub prices and organisers have no problem with people bringing their own alcohol into the arena - though reports of anti-social behaviour amongst underage drinkers will surely be noted by the organisers when planning next year's festival.
There is a cocktail and wine bar on site and a real ale tent that offered 20 ales at £3 a pint. These were mostly well kept, though a better idea of how much they will need next year is, again, something festival organisers will note. There was a wide variety of food options and it was pleasing to note that, like Glastonbury, all food and drink containers and cutlery supplied on site was biodegradeable. The site was kept clean by a mix of the always excellent Complete Wasters litter picking crew and a f crowd that had much more respect for their surroundings and ability to put things in a bin than those at many other festivals. Toilets were clean throughout the weekend, showers were available free of charge on the campsite (and if you avoided first thing in a morning, generally queue free) and the Victoria campsite was in a much better state on Monday morning than in previous years.
The sun came out to play on Sunday and Red Shoe Diaries provided a summery pop start - perfect for a 'sunny Summer Sundae Sunday' as the announcer pointed out - and a gentle lead into the day. On the Musician stage, The Guthlaxtones provided an explosion of soul. The young 12-piece outfit covered a number of classic soul tracks from Aretha to The Jackson 5 via Stevie Wonder and had a rammed tent loving every moment.
A sunny and warm afternoon saw a packed field enthralled by Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit on the mainstage. Switching between fiddle, banjo and guitar, Flynn played a mix of gentle ballads - aided by his sister on backing vocals - and great big folk songs and was perfect Sunday afternoon entertainment - especially for those that had come to see Mumford & Sons later in the day.
American folksters Megafaun were huge fun and developed a quick and easy rapport with their audience - aided very much by a great collection of tunes. Equally fun and equally well received on the same stage were Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, whose totally authentic blues Americana - they hail from St Louis - was a revelation.
The eFestivals Cabaret tent saw a reduced comedy line-up this year (to make space for the cabaret), though quantity was more than made up for with quality. A packed Sunday evening tent enjoyed Liam Mullone and Australian Kent Valentine, whilst a packed Sunday evening tent and 10 yards outside laughed uproariously at the sublime and superb Milton Jones.
Closing the Musician Stage were Leicester ska favourites, El Pussycat. From the opening note they had the crowd onside and dancing - this was another piece of programming genius and a much deserved move up the bill from their 2007 Sunday afternoon slot. An already exultant crowd went daft when they brought on special guest Neville Staples to shouts of 'ruuuuuude boooooooy'. The packed tent joined in with 'Message To You Rudy' and 'The Lunatics have taken over The Asylum' and went skankin crazy for 'Monkey Man'. After another singalong to 'Enjoy Yourself', the band wound up a memorable set and encore with the classic line 'Thank you very much. Now fuck off and watch The Mumfords'. And so we all did.
Just like Elbow at Summer Sundae 2006, this was a first festival headline slot for folk rocksters Mumford & Sons. Very much like Elbow, too, they rose sensationally to the occasion, as anyone who saw their storming Glastonbury appearance earlier in the year would expect. Mixing new tracks with songs from their Mercury nominated debut 'Sigh No More', the biggest crowd of the weekend were onside from the start, but debut single 'Little Lion Man' and recent hit 'The Cave' brought about the biggest singalongs and an excellent way to close the weekend.
Summer Sundae 2010 was a huge success. Yes, there are things the organisers need to look at for next year, but by keep doing the things they always do well, the future of the festival looks bright. An excellently eclectic mix of music, the nicest stewards and security and litter picking staff, great comedy, great food and drink and a great crowd - all make for an excellent festival experience. Keep doing what you're doing - and see if there is anyway whatsoever that you can get Phrased and Confused back in 2011. They were missed in 2010.
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