Fantastic weekend! Got sunburn, drowned my phone, my camera and my wallet in a puddle but still had a great time. Music, the company and even the food made up for any of this.

First act of the weekend was Europe and their massive string of hit singles… So one edition of The Final Countdown later and it was off to catch ASIWYFA, thought I should give them some support since they were local but I couldn’t help but feel the band were enjoying the performance more than anyone else in the tent.

Alice Cooper was fantastic, pure entertainment, more of a show than a concert.. we were not worthy! Then came Terrorvision.. this is the first band i ever properly saw, and for moments i felt all the excitement of that first gig, before reality taps you me on the shoulder, as i does, and says ‘Really!’. Ok they arnt that good and 16yr old Owen had a lot to learn, but it was very good fun.

Saturday brought with it Lacuna Coil and Skunk Anansie, with one of the festival highlights.. Lead singer jumps of the stage and forces some young dopey/drunk gent in the front row to ‘motorboat’ her, fantastic. Placebo were good. Motley Crue gave us the running joke of the weekend with Dr Feelgood. Rammstein blew the stage a new one and Therapy? when they finally made it onto the stage were tight.

Sunday morning started with a sermon by Rev Henry Rollins, I had every anticipation that this would be a self righteous, pretentious slog through the happenings in Mr Rollins life but it turn out to be a more joyous, invigorating insight. There’s little more to love than listening to someone talk about something they love with a passion, and when its something that I can be on the same page as such as The Stooges or Joy Division then its so much easier.

Slayer were pretty good and  Alice in Chains were meh, we listened to some other band I wont mention the name of in the hope that they will just pass on.. and then witnessed Iggy and the Stooges. This was the musical highlight of the whole weekend, from Search and Destroy to No Fun and beyond, this guy doesn’t stop. It was great, It seemed like he didn’t want to leave at the end. I didn’t want him too either.

Got about 20 minutes into Iron Maiden’s set before Bruce Dickenson started his first rant of the night, i think it was about the BBC, what a bunch of whining mary’s, that was my cue to exit and go catch 80′s Matchbox B-line Disaster, they were a lot more fun.

Campsite highlights included BBQ, slagging off the dutch (to there face), miserable neighbours, over-zealous Londoners and Jim.

Bring on next year, I’m off for a bowl of plain.