Bestival’s a strange one, because if someone asks you what style of music they put on, it’s hard to give a straight answer. At first it seems like a disordered assortment of anyone and everyone – but give it a couple of days and you realise they’ve just nicely arranged something for all tastes. Their mammoth lineup covered all ends of the spectrum, but was so vast that it would be impossible to see all the big names, let alone take in the smaller ones too.

Among the headliners, there was a definite weighting towards grime acts. Skepta, Kano and Lady Leshurr all played the main stage, but Kano was the clear favourite. His live brass section gave his sound weight and the crowd reacted as though each one of his songs was a favourite. The other two drew giant crowds, but struggled to get the audience behind them as Kano did. In a contrast of style, The Cure were also a highlight on the main stage, utterly professional and with an incredible stage show.

Big names also graced the Big Top tent. Odesza’s sound was huge, by virtue of their two drummers and overdriven horns. Their keen visual artistry made their onstage performance mesmerising. Loyle Carner, competing with Skepta for a crowd, drew one that was smaller, but was intensely passionate about him and his music. He freestyled much of his set because of tech problems – a shame because his DJ was excellent, and guest-rapped with him for a while – but at least it showed off Carner’s skills. He’s absolutely one to watch. Crystal Fighters was an inspired choice for the 3am slot on Saturday. Perhaps best described as dance-rock, they were an unusual and exciting selection.

There were a surprising number of smaller stages, across an environment that had been very thoughtfully and attentively built to be adventurous and fun: the bizarre Caravanserai, the strobe-filled Bollywood Tent, the Amphitheatre, the Invaders of the Future stage. All showcased smaller, but no less exciting bands – the grungy Black Honey and the brassy Balkanoes, to name two. A VR cube, a paint-fight arena and a motorbike wall-of-death interspersed the musical stages to make it a well-rounded atmosphere with plenty of non-musical activities.

Topping off the environment was the Spaceport DJ booth, complete with giant astronauts and the iron skeleton of a rocket, in keeping with this year’s theme of ‘the future’. The sheer amount of electronic music here and throughout the festival was almost overwhelming. The quality of the huge names like Norman Jay was a given – but a surprise hit came from Sink the Pink who had Candi Staton making a guest appearance. Also a surprise was the noticeable hardening of the vibe after around 1am, when even hardstyle came out. Clearly, it’s not a festival for the faint of heart. The organisers embracing this aspect of the festival was however at odds with the lack of planning for after 4am, when the music ends and the arena closes – there was nowhere to go for the considerable number who wanted the party to go on.

Nonetheless it was a hugely enjoyable, and musically rewarding festival. The breadth of styles, which almost came out sporadic, was instead eclectic. The programme gives you the chance to see a spread of big names, alongside emerging talent that’s clearly carefully selected. It’s an expensive choice of festival, but the atmosphere and environment are lovingly cultivated, making it a good choice for the last summer celebrations.
Ben Noble