local heroes Retriever steal the day from bigger acts on 2nd day of Evolution

Kicking off the second day with a bang was local trio Retriever, who, despite the obvious Jesus & Mary Chain and Siouxsie & the Banshees comparisons, are a band that seem to have found their own signature sound, and despite their obvious never, take to the festival stage incredibly well.

Using a drum machine in their live set, they create a mechanical precision that fits in well with the fuzzy bass, distorted, Kevin Shields like guitar sound, and the piercing vocals of front woman Jackie.

They describe their sound as a "swift, sharp punch in the face", and despite playing in broad daylight, the large number of early comers are clearly a bit taken aback by the energy the band give off.

Songs such as opener 'Lion' and 'Murder', with a would-be single chorus, go down exceptionally well, and it's clear that if this band stay on track then bigger shows will come, and with a live performance as tight as theirs, they deserve it.

With the sun continuing to beat down over the festival, the dark vibes continued with Brighton synth pop 4 piece, Mirrors, who seem to have taken some of the best bits of 80s pop and transformed it into some really excellent songs.

Suited out in sharp suits, and even sharper hair cuts, comparisons to the dark edges of Depeche Mode and Human League quickly become obvious listening to them, and with songs such as 'Into the Heart' and 'Look at Me' that the pop noir band can really re-create the sound of the 80s well.

The audience however failed to really get into the band's set, perhaps finding the songs too lengthy and never really seeming to go anywhere, or by the fact that the increasingly younger audience haven't really found the time to get into the dark sounds of their influences.

From here on in however, the summer festival acts took to the smaller Baltic Stage, with some of this year's most talked about pop artists taking to the stage. However, following two excellent performances, things seem only to get worse.

I Blame Coco, aka 19 year old Coco Summer, better know as local legend Sting's daughter, has been kicking up a bit of a fuss in recent months, and judging by the big audience numbers, all singing the songs back, she's become a bit of an overnight sensation.

The young synth pop songstress has been able to recruit acts such as the popular La Roux and Scandinavian singer Robyn to collaborate with her, and seems to have placed her in a really strong place in the industry.

However, her performance was disappointing in my opinion. I felt that the live set lacked on real energy and songs such as 'Caesar' and 'Self Machine' both seem to lack the real pop edge to them which they are supposed to have. However, Coco has a fantastic voice on her and will no doubt become popular on her own efforts, rather than off the family name.

By the time London rapper Example took to the stage in the early evening, capacity had been reached at the stage, people were turned away, and things were starting to get a little crazy. His surge in popularity is something I'd definitely missed, but it's clear that former underground, grime rapper is now a really big deal.

With new album 'Won't Go Quietly', the single of the same now as well as previous hits 'Hooligans', which saw crazy audience scenes and 'Kick Start' sees the rapper take much more of a pop edge, with a live band combining with a DJ cutting and sampling selections of hits, including hits such as 'Flat Beat' by Mr Oizo.

Example's performance gained the biggest reception of the day, but it's something that I fail to see why this is the case. Using other people's music as his own to create a party atmosphere is surely admitting that he can't do it himself, and even then the end result can only be described as poor.

However, Example is full of energy, is charismatic, leaving hundreds of girls all screaming after him as he left the stage, and was able to really work the audience and get them on his side, and for that, the performance was enjoyable, but musically, it becomes nothing short of dull.

Back in 2007, when the 'Nu Rave' scene kicked off, Hadouken! were one of the bands at the forefront of that movement, made increasingly popular by the teenage TV show 'Skins' using their song 'Liquid Lives', which coincidentally receives one of the biggest cheers of the weekend.

The band however have come a long way since then, swapping keyboards and synths in the main part for a completely live set-up, and from their performance, and their look, it's seems to have taken a more rock and metal stance and look.

Radio One have been really picking up on the band over the past month, and this has seen their popularity surge once more after a period of being at the back of people's minds, but with songs such as 'Mic Check' and new song 'House is Falling', it's probably better that they be left alone once more.

A set that again was full of energy, but lacked any real talent or anything to get excited about, with lacklustre 'rapping' from the front man, and the mix of genres in their music sounding dated, it resulted in a really poor watch.

Following them, and closing the second day of the festival were Delphic, a band who again have under went a surge of popularity over the past six months, no doubt helped by TV adverts and high profile festivals last summer.

The alternative dance band's singles gained the biggest receptions in their set, with 'Counterpoint' and 'Halcyon' showing the audience what the band are all about, combining the sounds of their local inspirations of New Order and the live synth pop sounds of bands such as Friendly Fires.

Their live electronic set was definitely impressive, mixing each song into another, something that several dance acts find difficult to achieve, but Delphic seem to achieve with relative.

The former Kitsune signed act were one of the redeeming features of a day which had ultimately disappointed, despite complaints that the sound was too quiet, and although Delphic lived up to the task of a headline set, the day was stolen by a local band rising to the occasion.

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