Friendly Fires, & Groove Armada, raise soggy spirits on day two of Lovebox Weekender

The Lovebox Saturday vibe was very different to the previous day with Victoria Park being decidedly fuller with a mixed crowd and the addition of kids with their parents too. Unfortunately this also meant that the queues for everything were longer although I must point out that the toilet queues were nothing in comparison to the last year, and I would like to virtually high-five the organisers for sorting that one out and providing more portaloo points; it also meant there weren't males and females relieving themselves all over the festival site.

However, if a drink was what you were after, a half an hour/40 minute queuing time was not uncommon although admittedly everyone was in high spirits so you could make new friends while waiting.

The weather was a lot sketchier today with gale force winds blowing dust around the crowd and on to stages and downpours throughout the day; there were a lot of shivering girls in hot pants adjacent to smug father-type figures who were head to toe in heavy duty gear prepared for anything!

I caught the back end of Maverick Sabre's set, much to my disappointment, and had the chance to see the Irish crooner fill up the massive space with his soulful voice. He was on top form chatting to the crowd between songs and encouraged everyone to sing along to his finale song 'I Need' before demurely thanking them. He left me on a bit of a high as I could have laid back and listened to him all day.

Rita Ora, flavour of the charts at the moment, was on the outdoor stage amongst the blustering weather but that didn't let that stop her delivering an energetic performance. Dressed in white trousers, matching lace crop top and blazer, she looked radiant and surprised me by being extremely professional.

She really communicated with the crowd and egged them on and before each song she explained clearly what it was about. The crowd lapped it up as she charged through her set playing her pop based tunes and when she played her classic drum n' bass hit with DJ Fresh 'Hot Right Now' she made the throng bounce and flail about regardless of the bleak weather.

It was a great performance and she finished by telling the fans: "I have been doing a lot of shows in the States. I had to do my first festival at Lovebox. Thanks a lot; you lot have been sick!"

One of the showstopping performances of the day came from Kelis; although she wasn't on the main stage her voice was so powerful it was literally drawing people over to the excited mass watching her.

Her set was a talented blend of her old songs, new songs, covers of modern hits, and covers of some throwback classics – it was a great festival set. Standing out with big curly hair and a black corset style flowing dress she played tracks such as a stripped back version of Labrinth ft Tinie Tempah 'Earthquake' up to her classics such as 'Trick Me' but my personal favourite and a real crowd mover was her rendition of the late Donna Summer's disco anthem 'I Feel Love'.

She also had energy aplenty as she was either bellowing out her amazingly strong voice, dancing about the stage or banging the drums in front of her. There was a definite energy in the air after her set.

As the weather plummeted to freezing temperatures Groove Armada took to the main stage and actually did a great job at uplifting the crowd in such circumstances. They produced an upbeat dance set that had the crowd jumping around.

As night fell Friendly Fires appeared for their headline slot. The three lads modestly took their places and jumped straight into their hits with lead singer Ed MacFarlane busting straight into his trademark hip shaking moves.

I forgot just quite how infectious it is watching him and the crowd's movements became more wild and free as if to compete – it truly is a spectacle to see a man dance like that – a modern day Elvis.

As a whole the band just got on with business, jumping from track to track and delivering a really great, rich sound with their salsa infused rhythms and ground-shaking beats.

They began their set with their summer classic 'Jump in the Pool' which had the fans crooning along and played through their albums effortlessly as the rain intermittently poured down and stopped.

It did little to deter the crowd although Ed did comment halfway through, "Thank you so much joining us in this totally shit weather!"

It was an energy-fuelled set from the whole band and the guys ended on a triumphant high with 'Kiss of Life', which caused Victoria Park to turn into what I can only describe as an outside celebration of life!

Overall the weather was typically British and a bit crap on the second day of Lovebox but the entertainment including the fairground rides, as well as the great performances from artists made it a great day out.

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