"MORE like a gigantic garden party – with lots and lots of music!" – was the verdict of one reveller after enjoying two days of warm sunshine at the Cinderford Music Festival, which featured over 50 acts on two outdoor and one indoor stage over Saturday and Sunday.

The football ground was the venue, and attracted music lovers – and those just out for some free fun – with the stand (and the town) echoing to the music as the stage crews battled to keep the shows on shedule. Their success meant that there were minimum delays on the bands changeovers – which meant that the usual backstage angst amongst the musicians was replaced with grins and banter as the laid-back attitude of the overall festival took hold.

The fifth year of the festival saw the acts split between the Soundspace Stage, The Stagecoach West Main Stage and the Cinderford Town Council Stage, which took over the pavilion bar at the football ground, and provided a quiter haven for the acoustic music that was presented there.

Notable performances came from a spirited Guardians Of The Realm who opened the festival in explosive style, while later on the same stage, Karhu impressed the rock and metal crowd - though a string break in the first number was accompanied by lots of swearing, luckily in Finnish!

Too Rock For Country (Too Country For Rock) lived up to their name, while the Saturday proceedings were closed by popular local covers band Pandemick, who were playing their final gig before splitting up.

Meanwhile on the Town Council stage Mark Venus provided a finely accomplished set, helped by the silky tones of his backing vocalist, Onika Patterson.

The Sunday audience proved even more laid back than Saturday's, but the Gun Powder Plot soon woke them up, and later a new band Revenant, led by charismatic singer/guitarist Anna Edwards, played their very first live performance together, and proved very popular. More country-based music graced the Stagecoach stage, with Ghost of a Dog showcasing material from their new album, 'Coyote.' Meanwhile, the indoor acoustic stage was a fine showcase for Folklaw (who danced on the tables), and the quirky and fun Lydbrook Ukulele Band.

Pauline Wilson, from Cinderford, danced at the festival for hours and summed up the whole weekend:"The sun shone, the air was warm, the atmosphere was chilled out and the music went on and on. We had a lot of laughs and I didn't stop dancing and grinning. And this is Cinderford?"