The Chemical Brothers bring V Festival Chelmsford to a laser lit close

As the news surfaced to Chelmsford that mud monsters were charging around the Staffordshire site due to torrential rain, it was extremely satisfying to wake up to another perfect day in Essex. With the ears ringing still from Muse's 'Supermassive' performance the previous night, it was time to once again make my way over to the main arena and to Noah and The Whale.



Destined for big things this year, Noah and the Whale, play in an assured manner. Coupled with much airplay of late, the band are clearly confident in their own ability and have great melodies to back up this confidence. A great start to the day. Can Girls Aloud compete with that?

Girls Aloud's pacey pop is a real hit as expected and they have a monumentally sized crowd dying to get a glimpse of Cheryl Cole et al and dance to their music including 'Sound of the Underground' which is given the biggest cheer. Although pop music is widely regarded as out of place at festivals, the girls are actually very good at what they do and surprisingly I actually quite enjoyed them... just don't tell anyone I said that!

Next was the perfect time for a break and a chance to check out more of the site. The Louder Lounge was apparently hosting some secret gigs but unfortunately without a pass, I was not going in – Shame. I was looking forward to mingling with Ex Big Brother stars... Well kind of. So it was off to the Hospitality tent. The bonus of this place was that the queue for drinks was tiny compared to the two hour wait for the rest of the crowd. However, the bonus of this was coupled with the fact that you have to share it with Celebrity wannabes. Therefore, it was a quick buy of a beer and off to see what was going on at the T4 music stage (there was a huge crowd growing).

'The Wonder of You' by Elvis Presley was playing and by some miracle I thought the King had returned. My heart skipped a beat only to be sunk when I noticed that Scouting for Girls were wandering onto the stage. Hmmm. Shame. With one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, they played Radio 1 favourites 'Elvis ain't Dead' and 'She's so Lovely' as well as doing their best to ruin 'Can't Help Falling in Love' by their clear hero, Elvis. Annoyingly, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I came to the conclusion that they must all be listening to their iPods and then I wandered into the distance to catch Calvin Harris.

The JJB Arena was the perfect setting for Harris to show that contrary to his singles, he actually has some talent. The set was lively and he certainly knew how to work a crowd. His music was showered with big beats and soaring synths that really woke up a sleepy looking audience – well they had just been subjected to Travis. 'The Girls' finished off an electrifying set and I was converted... half way there anyway.

And so it was back the T4 Music Stage to check out Reverend and the Makers. This is another act that have never really won me over. I find them slightly repetitive and very limited in their ability. It proved to be much the same live and although they seemed to think that they were really very good, I can assure you that they weren't.



The View on the other hand were on excellent form. An unfortunate clash with Amy Winehouse though meant they drew a relatively small crowd. Still, those that were there I'm sure made the right choice. I truly hope that Winehouse was good as The View owned the stage. 'Wasted Little DJ's' was frenetic and partnered with a couple of new songs, they had the crowd in the palm of their hands when they finished the set with 'Superstar Tradesman'. Clearly slightly aggrieved (and rightly so) at the size of the crowd, the band stated their displeasure at having a smaller crowd than Scouting for Girls. My thoughts exactly...



It was then a run to check out Kings of Leon on the main stage. As such a magnificent band, how they were not headlining is baffling. They roll through most of their recent album, 'Because of the Times' with a confidence that is rare in a band unless they know that they are one of the best around. That they certainly are. Oozing cool, the band then start to play some of their classics including 'Bucket', 'California Waiting' and the brilliant 'Fans'. Not much left to say really. Kings indeed.

It's then over to the JJB Arena once more and for the last time to catch The Chemical Brothers. There's an almost tangible feeling of pent up energy in the tent as I arrive and I start to feel that we are about to witness something very special. The smoke starts to cover the crowd and lights go out to a roar of appreciation from the adoring audience. As they ready themselves to launch into opener 'Push the Button', the strobe lights start and the crowd know they are in for a dance. The visuals are outstanding and make the show comparable with Muse from the night before (just on a slightly smaller scale). 'Hey Boy Hey Girl' and 'Star Guitar' raise the roof and the crowd love every minute of it. 'Believe', which include the vocals of Kele Okereke is so loud, fast and undeniably brilliant that the reaction from the thousands watching is to lose the plot and dance like they're seventeen once more.

It's the perfect way to celebrate the end of the festival and as the sweaty crowd traipse back to their tents it occurs to me that V is actually quite good. It may only have Carling on tap, it may be a corporate weekend out and it may not be as diverse in its line up as some of the other festivals but let’s face it, it certainly has its market. I didn’t love it as a festival but would I go back again? Probably.

Latest Updates