IT’S been a few years since I last visited the Larmer Tree Festival and I had a horrible feeling that it may have changed.

To my relief it was still the charming small-scale festival with friendly families, no litter and the cleanest toilets known to humanity.

The only difference was the weather, in that it wasn’t raining for once.

However, with no respite from the searing heat, the famous gardens and surrounding fields were starting to wilt in the sun.

Luckily the same can’t be said for the many festival-goers who chose to don a hat for Saturday’s optional hat themed fancy dress. Ranging from trilbys, fez’s and even lampshades.

The headwear matched the diversity of this quirky little music festival. For the uninitiated, the four day festival takes place in the grounds of the lavish at the Larmer Tree gardens in north Dorset.

With headlining turns already from Van Morrison, Dexy’s and Seasick Steve, tonight was the turn of Dublin-born rockabilly singer Imelda May.

The blazing sunshine meant that many chose to abandon a good vantage point of the main stage and instead seek shade and refreshment in one of the smaller music tents such as The Social, Arc or Big Top.

Inside these cool and cavernous marquees were a multitude of up and coming bands and comedians.

If you were lucky enough, you may have caught the downright bizarre and hilarious stand-up routine from Simon Panrucker in The Social.

Resplendent in bright red MC Hammer pants and wielding an 80’s keytar synthesiser, the comedian delivered a rollocking set of improvised music and gags.

For the packed tent hanging on his every word, it was a wrench for the audience to bid farewell to Simon and catch the Gentlemen Dub Club on the main stage.

It’s a common festival dilemma, deciding on which acts to watch and it never gets any easier.

Thankfully the Gentlemen Dub Club produced a top drawer live show that had the crowds clapping and skanking along in time to the trumpets.

It was then left to rockabilly queen Imelda May to close the evening with her uplifting set of hits such as Big Bad Handsome Man and Mayhem. As the singer said herself on stage: “It sure is good to be back at the Larmer Tree.”

Agreed.