Standon Calling journey to the ends of the Earth on Saturday

Waking up on Saturday morning I was buying my morning coffee only to hear a rather off key rendition of Summer of 69 from the cowshed, and the whole crowd singing along. I thought to myself "this music isn't up to the standard of yesterday" so by the time I wandered over to see what the commotion was I soon saw the cutest thing I've seen in recent memory. A girl who must have been 8 years old at most, dressed as a scout, singing Smashmouth – All Star. It turns out I wasn't hallucinating, and this was in fact Rockaoke (Rock karaoke), once again, just another little touch at Standon Calling to get everyone into the spirit of things.

After witnessing such a nice start to the day I was soon in the mood to see what more fun the day had in store. This feeling of enjoyment was soon solidified when I walked over to the main stage and saw BIGKids bouncing around the stage in animal print outfits. They're a fun band with technically tight music, lots of non-offensive, 80's style, sexy sounding riffs. Switching between pop and rock music, and backed with saxophones and samples galore; the perfect, energetic way to start an afternoon at a music festival.

It was back to the Cowshed for me to go and watch Foxes. They’re an electro pop trio, with just a drummer, synth player, and the powerful vocals of Louisa Allen. Considering how few instruments are used you would be amazed at how large the sound is they create. Anthemic would certainly be one word used to describe the music they make, all of their tracks carrying weight, and meaning, they're certainly one pop act I would look out for in the near future.

After this it was time for lunch, but this was a hard choice. Yet another thing Standon Calling gets right is the food. The site itself isn't huge, and you can easily wander around the whole area in 10 -15 minutes, but there is a multitude of culinary treats to choose from. From chips and mushy peas and gravy, to your festival staple – the crepe, or even a gourmet burger from the delectable Byron, you were always spoilt for choice.

After I'd had my fill I once again headed back to the main stage to see King Charles, a band I'd heard a lot about, but hadn't yet had the chance to see. An eclectic mix of Dexy's Midnight Runners and the anthemic nature of My Chemical Romance, I was more than pleased with what I heard. The lead singer sauntering onto the stage with a bouffant that would make a Victorian queen jealous, they soon filled the area with exuberant music. Piano's and Synths with the occasional big distorted guitar riff thrown in for good measure, and accompanied by well-rehearsed and beautifully sang harmonies, they couldn't be faulted in their performance. The whole set was great music and tight throughout, and ended with the well-recognised anthem We Didn't Start The Fire with lyrics cleverly rewritten to reference the likes of Obama and Lady Gaga, which obviously, when the chorus came along, gave the crowd something they could all sing along too. Honestly, one of my highlights of the whole weekend.

A couple of acts later followed the costume competition, another highlight of Standon Calling. The theme this year was Journey to the Ends of the Earth, which gave people a rather wide spectrum of outfits to choose from, so people's creativity was in full flair. On stage we had a father and daughter duo mimicking the hit movie UP, a family with two kids recreating Monty Python And The Holy Grail, a giant octopus, and a man riding a dodo, and many more. My personal favourite though didn't make it onto the stage, and this was a girl dressed as a suitcase, taking the journey part of the theme really quite literally.

Trojan Sound System took the main stage soon after, and soon got the crowd in the party mood. With reworkings of Red Red Wine, and Let There be Love, their unique mix of dubstep, drum and bass, and traditional reggae, all of which accompanied by huge pounding bass lines, soulful vocals, and experienced MC'ing, had the crowd skanking their way into the early evening.

After this another personal favourite of the weekend started playing in the Cowshed, Revere. A cellist, violinist, and pianist all accompanied by a traditional three piece rock band of guitar, drum, and bass; the sound they created was huge. Reminiscent of other anthemic bands such as Biffy Clyro; all of their songs were powerful, and sung with energy and passion. Each time the charismatic lead singer ran to the front of the barrier the crowd reacted brilliantly, and I'll be hoping that in the next couple of years, we'll be seeing them play the main stage.

Finally on the main stage we had Death In Vegas, now on their 5th studio album these veterans of the psychedelic rock scene took to the stage in a haze of smoke and lights, befitting there brand of music perfectly. Emotionally uplifting and powerful, the music flowed over the crowd in a more than aesthetically pleasing manner. As you can always expect from a band like this they were technically amazing, and they put on a fantastic show. My only criticism being that the style of music put the crowd in more of a trance like state than really befitted the Saturday night vibe around the rest of the festival, but this isn't any fault of the band, they still put on a great show.

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