Suede are unstoppable on opening night of Optimus Primavera Sound

Walking through the beautiful park in which Optimus Primavera is sited for the majority of the four day run, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in some kind of Utopian dream world. There is a lake, with swans. People, smiling people, in family groups ride bikes. At the far end of the park is a massive sandy beach, where surfers sit around like extras in Point Break and bars serve ice cold Super Bock. It is terrific, and all throughout the festival, with its foibles and minor failings it remains the ace in the hole. The site is perfectly situated for getting to and from, and is the secret star for all our time here.

We arrive on site to be greeted by the familiar sights and smells of the festival season. Walking through the huge converted car park at Parque Da Cicade, there are even more familiar things. A pop up KFC next to another familiar burger chain. When did they get in on all this? The scent of thin grease doesn't carry far, and there is a reasonable selection of food on offer at other outlets. But vegetarian options are extremely limited, and tea and coffee on site remained a beautiful, elusive dream until the end. For a festival that runs so late, with acts starting up until 4am at points, that's essential. Red Bull will do the trick at a push, but just isn't the same when there's a nip in the air. Food and drink prices are reasonable by British festival standards, but aren't very cheap. Nearby T-shirts are about a fiver under UK prices.

The main stages (Palco Optimus and Primavera respectively) are about the same size as the big stages at smaller UK festivals, and are a short distance from each other, side by side at the bottom of a hill. The slope means that most people can get a good view of the action. If you're willing to drop a few extra coins in the bucket when you're buying the tickets, you can have access to a covered bar near the hilltop with prime views, tiered seating and its own security. Very egalitarian, and totally pointless if you're there to experience the festival. There are plenty of bars by stage side, and getting served is a cinch; it never took more than a couple of minutes, and getting up close to the bigger acts is never a hassle.

The sound on both stages is uniformly excellent, and running times are very rarely delayed (with one notable exception in bad weather, read on). There's a nod to disabled access, in terms of a couple of viewing platforms, but realistically the park would be quite difficult to get around in a wheelchair over extended periods of time, with hilly terrain, rough paths and pedestrian bottlenecks throughout the site likely to be problematic.

Thursday brings a limited line up as the festival opens, exclusively on these two stages. Yann Tiersen and his band draw a big crowd with their drab coffee table stylings, and come across like a budget Arcade Fire manned by maths teachers. Prior to them, Bradford Cox wore his Atlas Sound hat, played a set full of charm and wit that opened with a good version of 'Your Cheating Heart' and got half the applause.

We return to that stage for The Drums, who show up with their 90's Blur haircuts, and preen and posture excellently for their younger audience. There are screams from girls in the front row. It's like Beatlemania in microcosm, and even though they've got limited material and are reaching the end of their touring cyle, they have the decency to put on a show.

They cannot touch Suede on any terms though. We're in the hands of English heritage craftsmen here, half tigers on vaseline, half expert artisans. It is hit after relentless hit, with a few classic b-sides thrown in for good measure. Brett is looking in fine form, buff to the point where some shirt buttons might just pop, and his voice is holding up very well too. Mercury Rev put together the kind of setlist that fans can only dream about, and Grasshopper thrashes 'The Funny Bird' to within an inch of its life with a brutal extended solo. They play the cream of their material, but there's no getting past Suede's performance tonight. They were unstoppable, and sadly for Mercury Rev, untoppable.

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