Joe Griffin marks out his highs and lows from this year's Oxegen music festival. Feel free to leave your own comments...

The highs

. . .

THE SOUND QUALITY

Quite a few people commented on this, and it was really noticeable; the sound quality was incredible, among the best I’ve heard at a festival. There was virtually no bleed of sound from neighbouring stages, and each performance I saw (especially The Strokes) was gratifyingly loud and clear as a bell.

THE WEATHER (FOR THE MOST PART)

The weather was pretty ideal – warm, but never too warm, and the often overcast sky ensured that music fans (apart from some tragically pasty ones) avoided sunburn. It rained a little on Friday, but for the first time in years, there was hard ground and dust (dust!) beneath our feet on the Saturday.

Disclaimer – this weather report was written on Sunday afternoon!

THE SPACE

This year the festival was well-attended, but not sold-out, and for this writer (apart from the odd sparsely attended gig), the size of the crowd was ideal. There were usually sufficient people to generate a good atmosphere, but there was also – get this – enough space to walk around quickly and comfortably.

THE FOOD

From franchise fast food, to sweets and nuts to noodles and more, the quantity and quality of stands was impressively belt-straining.

The lows. . .

ADVERTISING OVERLOAD

Yes, we know it’s expensive to put on a music festival, but it did feel like we were bombarded with advertising and sponsors. Ubiquitous three-cornered hats promoting rum were the vuvuzelas of this year.

SCHEDULING

A packed line-up is always welcome, but maybe it was too packed? In the evening time, it became an agonising Kramer vs Kramer decision, with the Pendulum/Primal Scream/ Bright Eyes dilemma on Sunday proving the most harrowing.

AMANDA BRUNKER

Publicity stunt, or genuine punt at a music career? We’re guessing the former, as the socialite/journalist sang just one tune (a cover). What a wonderful opportunity this would have been for a rising Irish (or indeed, international) act. That she was even considered for the bill is nothing short of a thundering disgrace.

MISCAST BANDS

We get the impression that certain bands were booked just to keep them away from rival festivals, and not all of them were a good fit for the young crowd. It was slightly painful to see some great acts play to a small handful of shoe-gazers when they should have been basking in the adulation of thousands.