AS Liam Gallagher swaggered off the stage to make way for Kasabian on Sunday night, it was, in many ways, like the changing of the guard.

The Britpop hero – sporting a rather gaudy Union Jack jacket – made his festival debut with Beady Eye, leading fans through a set of post-Oasis material that was more familiar than your favourite jeans.

His sneering voice was back to best as the band treated welly-wearing revellers to tracks from their debut album, Different Gear Still Speeding.

“You still look pretty good,” he assured the sodden crowd, before introducing Kill For A Dream as Kill For A Suntan.

Perhaps the set wouldn’t have sounded so irrelevant had Kasabian not followed with a blistering performance that surely cemented them as the biggest band in Britain.

Fusing industrial synths, crunching chords and good old-fashioned rock riffs, they rattled off hit after anthemic hit such as Club Foot, Where Did All the Love Go? LSF and Shoot the Runner.

They also aired new material, which sounds epic; Velociraptor and Switchblade Smiles left us eagerly anticipating the new album, set to be released in September.

The Leicester band ended with an extended version of Fire, closing the book on this year’s festival.

Well, not quite. The Manic Street Preachers still hadn’t finished their set in the Big Top and sent everyone back to their tents with a mixture of new material and classics such as Postcards From a Young Man and Design For Life.

Earlier The Script, Plan B, Pixie Lott and Two Door Cinema Club had the unenviable task of coaxing fans from the sheltered Big Top to the Main Stage. To be fair they didn’t have a bad turn out, though some might debate whether they were really worth getting soaked for.

In contrast, Cast livened up the Big Top with an energetic romp through their rock songs that would have undoubtedly earned them some more fans. Other highlights from a dreary day included a solo set from Starsailor’s James Walsh and a performance from veteran rocker Jeff Beck (who did a warm up gig at Bournemouth’s O2 on Saturday).

Talking of ageing rockers, this year’s festival certainly wasn’t short of them. On a sunnier Saturday, hobo-done-good, Seasick Steve (70) played his brand of blues rock using three stringed guitars and brooms to create his trademark sound.

The bearded one was warming up for another long-in-the-tooth legend, Iggy Pop, who didn’t let his 64 years stop him putting on a riotous set.

Arguably one of the most entertaining sets of the weekend, he played most of his 1973 album Raw Power… and sang it all topless, of course.

His enthusiasm was infectious and he goaded Dave Grohl on stage for a dance, before chucking his mic stand across the stage (I’m sure it was insured though).

A reformed and rejuvenated Pulp followed, taking us back to the early nineties with their anthems including Common People, Do You Remember the First Time? and This Is Hardcore.

The enigmatic frontman, Jarvis Cocker bounded around the stage and remind us that sometimes, reunions are a good idea.

However, Saturday night belonged to the mighty Foo Fighters, who wove 16-years of hits together with good old-fashioned showmanship and drum solos. Their new stuff slotted into the set seamlessly and the crowd sang along through it all.

If only the Kings of Leon could have said the same.

After their set on Friday night, fans still seem divided into two camps – those favouring the rawness of the first two albums and those who prefer the sleeker, stadium sounds of their recent stuff.

Mixing the two was the obvious solution, which is exactly what they did – Four Kicks, King of the Rodeo and Molly’s Chambers sitting alongside the likes of Use Somebody, Sex on Fire and Back Down South.

After some lacklustre gigs recently it was a return to form and frontman Caleb finally seemed to enjoy himself.

“I’m starting to have fun doing this,” he gushed.

Whether Sunday’s downpours would have dampened his enthusiasm is another question, but as ever the hardy British festival-goer kept on singing in the rain.

THANKS to Wightlink ferries (0871 376 1000 www.wightlink.co.uk) for squeezing Gavin onto a ferry at the very last minute. Without their help it wouldn't have been possible.