If anyone was feeling any early morning cobwebs lingering in the recesses of their brain this morning, the perfect tonic was first on the agenda on the Main Stage East – a thoroughly raucous set from the frenetic Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes. It was hard to believe that the set was only half an hour long, as they managed to pack so much frenzied excitement into just a handful of songs.

Opening the pit up to all who identify as women during ‘Wild Flowers’ made for, in Frank’s own words, “the happiest mosh pit you’ll see all weekend”, as girls flooded into the centre of the crowd, hands raised and wild eyes gleaming in the blistering midday sun. Not that the men, including Frank himself, were going to be left out of the action for long! Jumping into the crowd with unbridled abandon, he hoisted himself up to his feet, borne like an Egyptian pharaoh on the hands of the adoring crowd. As guitarist Dean Richardson was hauled up parallel to him, the crowd began to swirl like two vicious whirlpools around each of them, as though the packed mass of bodies had become liquid, drawn in by the sheer force of the band’s enigmatic stage presence.

The blistering ‘Devil Inside Me’ rode white-hot from the speakers, calling to the anarchist inside each of the enraptured crowd, and by the time proceedings closed with the thunderous rager ‘Crowbar’, not a single member of the crowd was left without a sheen of sweat on their brow and the broadest smile upon their face. This band has already shaken this festival to its foundations, which is no mean feat at any time, let alone as the first band of the day! But mark my words, they won’t be reserved to such an early slot for long – here, we definitely have future headliner material on our hands. GOOD MORNING Mr Carter!

Boston Manor:

​​Competing with the almighty Stormzy’s headline slot for the attention of festival goers is no mean feat, but Blackpool boys Boston Manor didn’t show the slightest bit of intimidation about their late billing. On the contrary, it left then with a hardcore contingent of fans who danced, sang, and screamed along to every word. From the ferocious ‘England’s Dreaming’ to the creeping ‘Bad Machine’, the band illustrated how they have grown from their pop-punk infused roots to one of the most stellar hard rock bands this generation has to offer. When you can get an entire room to crouch down and leap back skywards on the drop of a chorus without having to utter any instructions, that is when you know you have won hearts and minds as well as ears. Hats off to you, Boston Manor!

Catfish and the Bottlemen:

If huge, stomping rock and roll is your cup of tea, then Catfish and the Bottlemen have it – and have it in spades! Their massive, stadium-shaking tunes shook the ground by the Main Stage West to its very core, as the jumping of the crowd sent out shockwaves that felt like miniature earthquakes. Set against a deceivingly tranquil summer sky, streaked with pink and gold, the band brought all the venom of their dirty, brooding riffs and blazing vocals, encapsulated perfectly even in just the opener, worldwide hit ‘Longshot’. Yet still, there remained a party atmosphere bubbling over the heads of the enthralled onlookers. Catfish have that oh-so-rare a talent of being effortlessly cool gods of rock, without ever taking themselves or their performance too seriously, and for that, they should be applauded – although, something tells me that the thousands who gathered to watch their set did a pretty good job of that already!

Sam Fender:

Proud Geordie Sam fender has gained himself a reputation as the ‘nice boy’ of rock and roll, with his humble demeanour and down-to-earth humour, which persists even when in front of a crowd of thousands. Amiably challenging the audience to outdo the previous day’s performance at Reading (which, they more than did – his words, not mine!), beaming smiles could be seen plastered across every face in the tightly packed crowd.

Perhaps even more impressive, however, was the sheer waves of talent rolling off the stage. Sam’s vocals seemed to glide effortlessly over the top of the full, bright melodies, as clear and crisp as on a studio recording. Only the second live performance of his upcoming new single brought an air of U2-esque melody to the proceedings, in a set packed with all the grit of Idles and all the pop sensibility of George Ezra. And, as if more was needed, the addition of a live saxophone which elevated the performance to another tier- this isn’t just radio-ready indie rock (though, it is that as well!), but wonderfully crafted musicianship. The title of ‘Set Highlight’, however, has to go to closer, ‘Hypersonic Missiles’. With the setting sun streaming overhead, turning the whole sky to gold, the glorious gang vocals and soaring melody were nothing short of tear-jerking. What. A. Performer.

Nova Twins:

Standing like two idols at either side of the front of the stage, the dual talents of vocalist and guitarist Amy Love, and bassist Georgia South, shone like beacons out through the slowly dimming Lock Up Stage. Each word delivered with a punching power, the two almost appeared to be throwing a ball of energetic power backwards and forwards between them, igniting the entire stage in the process with their passion and fury!

Their songs were dripping with a wonderfully scything energy, seemingly challenging the audience to rise to their heady heights with them. The incredible power of Amy’s vocals came stealing its way out from the stage, perfectly controlled and with a hugely impressive range; from low and growling to huge and belting, it was a privilege to watch.

It can be in no doubt – these are women who take no prisoners and own every stage upon which they step!

Mabel:

Fierce pop princess Mabel gave all the acts who came before, and were to come after her, a sharp lesson in how to make a stage your own, and do it with style! Her red pleather outfit set against her bright yellow hair gave her the image of a conquering superhero who had just landed to show her ardent followers a formidable display of what girl power truly looks like – and so she did! Opening with her gargantuan single ‘Mad Love’, its unmistakable chorus of ‘down, do-do-downs’ was enough to get hips swaying and hands waving. Her flanks of backing dancers rolled and sashayed with every rollicking beat of the backing track – although none more so than the sign language interpreter on the access platform, who gave a performance as impassioned as anyone on the stage itself! A veritable storm of brilliant female talent, and a true sign that the music industry is finally recognising the women who deserve to be gracing its biggest stages.

Wargasm:

“Peace was never an option” – well, not with Wargasm around at least! Their explosive set rocked the Lock Up Stage to the core, fashioning one of the weekend’s most raucous mosh pits within seconds of the opening notes! Bassist Milkie Way is the very definition of a fireball, her powerful screams accompanying partner-in-crime Sam Matlock’s unrelenting, shredding guitars that rip and tear at your guts! While many of their tracks start out with darkly seductive vocals that drip with angst and malice, before building to a shredding crescendo, closer ‘Spit’ was utterly explosive from the off, leaving you barely a second to breathe in between lines that hit you like sucker punches! Entering into the fray was just as punishing on the body as the eardrums, but the white-hot screams were indeed ‘disgusting’ – in the very best of ways!

Declan Mckenna:

Opening your main stage set with a rendition of a song as iconic as ‘A Little Help With My Friends’ is a bold move indeed, and one only someone with the infallibly sunny demeanour of Declan Mckenna could get away with! In fact, this opener set the tone perfectly for the joyous event that was about to unfold! Declan himself cast an enigmatic figure in his red pinstripe jumpsuit and huge, Elton John-esque sunglasses (which also served a very practical purpose in the blinding afternoon sunshine!). A set packed with funky groove and infectiously light-hearted energy, the bassline rumbled out through the ground, as jangly and bright as the very festive sparkles on his backdrop! To top it all off, a guest appearance on guitar from the hugely talented Sam Fender is enough to get anyone hyped for the night ahead!