More on: Noah And The Whale

The final day and already festival goers are packing away their tents and heading home. After the peak of the fireworks and Grace Jones, maybe they think that nothing is going to top such a spectacle. Mumford And Sons take stage at The Living Room, the place is jam-packed, extraordinary for such an early time. As I fight my way into the tent (the heat unbearable) it became clear that they certainly are the younger lady's choice, as the majority of the audience are teenage girls sat legs-crossed waiting for a romantic folk lullaby. They don't disappoint, and tracks like 'White Page' and 'Awake My Soul' soar, their harmonies so tight it's truly exciting to witness. The entire set sends a warm glow through the tent, a perfect way to start the final day of the festival.

Wearing a Noah And The Whale t-shirt (the tent's headliners), Beans On Toast serves up his usual shambolic comedy set to the Where The Wild Things Are tent. Aided by his 'jigsaws', or fans, onstage to help add colour to his stage show, Beans On Toast races through a set that made up of almost all his back catalogue (that he could remember), including fan favourites 'Myspace' and 'Coke'. His banter overshadows his tunes, but he is still a highly entertaining character and there's always the high possibility of him collapsing due to alcohol intake, which just adds to the excitement.

Over on The Great Stage were Swedish twee-popites Lacrosse who are more than enjoying the sight of a man in a Tardis costume having a hay fight - the Swedes go as far as inviting the man on stage. Outside of the tomfoolery, they do have a couple of decent songs to their arsenal, especially 'You Can't Say No Forever'. It's strange a band can all sing so unbelievably high, but they certainly pull it off live.

The Shortwave Set, dressed in yellow overalls devo style, seem confused in the afternoon sunshine; their pasty complexions seem to fit a darker venue than on offer and bizarrely play to a smaller audience than any other band on the bill. Soldiering on they give a delightful performance of 'No Social', but even some dancing cheerleaders on stage for their new single 'Now It's 69' fail to ignite the crowd into even standing up. They end with 'Sun Machine' and leave to somewhat weak applause - surprisingly harsh.

Having to wait for the inbetween band keep-fit session, The Little Ones fare the same response - it seems that day three is just too much for the passing fan, and to lie down and casually clap is the best that most can offer. I'm sure that the sun-drenched melodies of the Californians would have certainly gone down better the day before. They are promoting their new album 'Morning Tide' and try numerous amounts of times to connect with the crowd, but to dead silence. It's not everyday you see a random man on a bike, cycling to the front of the stage, and this is probably the stand-out incident of their set. The title track of their album is easily their musical highlight, and they try one last attempt to converse with us by asking "Who saw Grace Jones?" to more silence. They joke to themselves and leave the stage confused.

It seemed that Morcheeba are the reason for many people to stay on Sunday, as festival-goers flock to The Great Stage just in time to catch their opener 'The Sea', sung now by their new French vocalist Manda. It's a brave stance to open with such a well-known song - most acts would save their best card as their final track - and it's notable that people are sporadically leaving after the first couple of tunes. Guitarist Ross Godfrey is bizarrely the most rock 'n' roll character all day; with a fag hanging from his mouth and a bottle of whisky by him at all times, it's strange that he plays in such a tranquil band as Morcheeba. He is actually genuinely funny and mocks Amy Winehouse by saying that if we're not careful he will start taking down members of the crowd. 'Part Of The Process' is the only track to gain the same admiration as 'The Sea' and the rest of their set does get a little samey.

Saint Etienne's Sarah Cracknell (still looking great, even in a rain mac) takes the stage, just as the rain made its first appearance of the weekend. There's a notable lack of festival-goers left, and about nearly half have already packed up. Nonetheless Saint Etienne seem in good spirits and the remaining crowd ignore the rain by dancing to 'Nothing Can Stop Us' and their trademark anthem 'He's On The Phone'. They seem genuinely happy that we are still watching and although many of their tunes have dated, they actually deliver a good show - so there is a good chance that they may sell some copies of their new best of that Sarah kept plugging.

It is down to Noah And The Whale to end the Secret Garden Party, and luckily they are in the Where The Wild Things Are tent, as the relentless rain pours on down. Johnny Borrell (in his usual skin tight jeans and white t shirt combo) stands to one side of the tent chatting to Florence from Florence and the Machine. Probably the biggest star in attendance, and no one seemed to be bothered by his presence which highlights type of festival that Secret Garden Party is - everyone is equal, notable by the lack of security in the tent. By the time Noah And The Whale walk on stage the tent is ridiculously packed with teenaged girls, all wooed by singer Charlie's elegant blue and yellow outfit. The seven-strong band find it painfully easy to please, as they speed through a set consisting of 'Every Little Bit' and '2 Bodies 1 Heart'. Their warm folk-edged sound radiates the tent, and they sound much stronger live than on record. By the time '5 Years Time' is played there isn't a single person not singing along and they round the show off with a couple of, what Charlie says, "party hits" - Paul Simon's 'You Can Call Me Al' and The Smiths' 'Girlfriend In A Coma', the latter being nothing like the original. I doubt most of their fans had ever heard these before but that doesn't seem to matter, and I doubt I will ever forget the fiddle solo during 'You Can Call Me Al' again. Noah And The Whale seem to have the charisma to play much bigger festivals in the future, and it's a privilege to witness them in such an intimate environment.

The rain has now stopped, leaving behind the traditional festival mud. It is farewell to a superb festival - same time next year, wherever it will be.

Click here to read Friday's review!
Click here to read Saturday's review!

Francis Jolley

Noah And The Whale Myspace