Having been first exposed to music festivals through some of the more rowdy weekend long affairs of festivals in the UK, entering the friendly and laid back atmosphere was quite a shock to the system although an entirely pleasant one. Despite the estimated 20,000 strong crowd the day was a perfectly chilled blend of musical passion, sunshine and ill advised chilli dogs.

Now for the exciting bit, my poorly informed and subjective reviews of the acts I saw!

Dan Sultan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKRJFz3BV94&feature=related

Kick-starting events was Dan Sultan and his band, providing an energetic and bluesy welcome to those at the Dark Stage. The palpable enthusiasm and raw power in Sultan's voice were an excellent beginning to the day and helped distract me from the fact that I had neglected to put on sunscreen and was quietly turning a fetching shade of pink.

High Point: The old style rock and roll best show cased in 'Cadillac and a Mustang'

Low Point: Ensuring a healthy red glow for the rest of the day through a mixture of forgetfulness and laziness

Lisa Mitchell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIPR6KRrMKc&feature=related

Before getting in place to watch Lisa Mitchell I had only heard her song Coin Laundry and was rather sceptical as to how well her delicately folk-pop style would translate to a live event. My concerns were quickly dismissed when she proved herself a confident, fun and lively performer, working the stage well and spreading an infectious enthusiasm throughout the crowd. In fact, she was good enough that although I had become only too aware of my encroaching shade of lobster I chose to hang around to see more of her set. I still stood by this decision a couple of days later even when peeling in a wholly attractive manner.

High Point: Hearing 'Oh Hark' a song which proceeded to stick itself in my head for the remainder of the day

Low Point: Narrowly missing getting my hands on an egg shaker that her band threw into the crowd. That shall haunt me to my death bed.

The Swell Season

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLIHpJFyMqw&feature=related

As a real fan of the film Once, starring both Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová of the Swell Season, my expectations from this set were pretty atmospheric. It gives me immense pleasure to say that all my preconceptions were shattered and I was utterly blown away by the passion, power and good humour of this performance to the point where I couldn't stop smiling for about half an hour after the performance was over. The sense of euphoria arising from the crowd was intoxicating and given the effort and skill present on stage The Swell Season deserve every single bit of the adulation that they are fast accruing.

High Point: Difficult to pick out just one, although 'When Your Mind's Made Up' and 'Astral Week' still give me goosebumps to think about now. Glen Hansard has freakishly powerful lungs is the lesson I took away from these songs.

Low Point: The set being over?

Newton Faulkner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpfzoKMAu_4&feature=related

Newton Faulkner made the most of his one man show, chatting the crowd and refusing to take himself seriously in a engagingly surreal way. The songs were excellent but the real magic occurred in the midst of them when he made use of the large screens to weave increasingly elaborate and surreal stories for the crowd. Watching hundreds of audience members, at Faulkner's command, pretend to be pirates with rabies out to regain family honour was an absolute pleasure to see and that alone was well worth turning up for.

High Point: Mother-kissing barbarians and the genuine excitement building in the crowd as his pirates story came to a close.

Low Point: Me forgetting the words to Bohemian Rhapsody and so being largely unable to sing along to his closing song. Sob.

Taj Mahal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtDnYflF504&feature=related

According to my exhaustive research (Wikipedia and gut instinct) Taj Mahal is 67 years old. Given the nimbleness and zeal with which he played I find myself doubting this, as he was able to outperform many other acts half his age. Demonstrating an excellent rapport with the crowd and performing many old favourites, Taj Mahal proved himself a sharp and enjoyable act.

High Point: Responding to a request from the crowd and playing Fishing Blues

Low Point: The disturbing old lady in front of my friend and I, who insisted on rubbing herself up against him, even when we politely moved to give her more room. Actually, I think that may have been a highlight.

Matisyahu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIz1dIscWmk&feature=channel

Upon the recommendation of a friend I turned up to see Matisyahu with no knowledge whatsoever about what I was going to see. The glee spreading across my face when a skinny, heavily bearded man began to throw himself across the stage to energetic reggae beats is hard to describe. The crowds reaction was pretty ecstatic and I find it difficult to see how any other response could have arisen. The sheer amount of fun I had seeing Matisyahu ensured that I promptly tracked down several of his CDs and I encourage you all to do the same now, if not sooner.

High Point: Watching Miller cartwheel and jump around the stage with boundless enthusiasm and cool

Low Point: The strange man next to me shouting out increasingly unpleasant statements about Israel and Jesus. Luckily they were mostly drowned out by the music but casual racism at concerts leaves a fairly bitter taste in the mouth.

Jeff Beck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHaRAfxLd7g

I was taught as a child that if I didn't have anything nice to say then I should say nothing at all. So ends the summary of my feelings on Jeff Beck.

High Point: N/A

Low Point: The excruciatingly self indulgent encore that lasted for the longest twenty minutes of my life.

Gogol Bordello

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWYTyfQe-o8

A joyous explosion of insanity brought the day to a suitably epic close. Having seen Gogol Bordello a couple of times before I had a pretty good idea of what to expect from this set but still found myself completely swept away with the dazzling amount of energy and bedlam on the stage and in the crowd. The manic drive with which the band throws themselves into the performance is truly awe inspiring, as the level of interaction with the crowd, when they began to stand on disassembled bits of drum kits to launch themselves into the crowd near the end it made strangely perfect sense within the unhinged logic of their show so far. If you haven't seen these guys before you really do owe it to yourself to rectify this as soon as possible, I promise you won't regret it (note: promises made during this review are not actual promises and the author refuses to be held to any of them)

High Point: The swelling roars of hundreds of people around me shouting 'Start Wearing People' until they were hoarse

Low Point: Looking at the pain on the stage manager's face as the band trashed mike stands again and again.

All in all the day was a real joy, an excellent variety of acts, beautiful weather and no lasting illnesses brought on by any of the food, sunburn aside I think the the 2010 West Coast Blues and Roots Festival can be chalked up as a triumphant success.