The first tricky thing about going to the V festival was making sure that I got up in time for the train. I left Eastleigh station at 8 o'clock. Didn't know that this time existed on a Sunday!

Still, the journey up went pretty smoothly and after reaching Chelmsford station it was comforting to see that they had laid on plenty of buses to the site. We were all dropped off at a nearby village (couldn't begin to tell you what it was called!) and walked to the site down a country lane for about a mile. One of the amusing things about this walk was that you know how local people usually tend to moan about this sort of thing being in their backyards, well outside one of the houses two young entrepreneurial girls were selling cold soft drinks at 50p. This pleased me greatly as I was really in need of a can of Coke. Sorted!

After ignoring the queue to get in, I was on site at about midday. This gave a bit of an opportunity to have a look around site and who should I bump into but TV's Vernon Kaye. For all the Bo Selecter fans I shouted 'Bolton' in a silly voice at him which was reciprocated and posed for a photo - good lad. I have got to say that the Festival is very well laid out and the vibe is very good. This is the second time that I have been to this one and I think that it is like a mini Glastonbury (and in an attempt to be controversial preferable to)in the way that it is put together. Everyone seems to have a smile on their face and unbelievably the sun is shining in Essex today (I found out later that near enough the rest of the country had rain!).

After getting a beer (at V you have to buy beer tokens at kiosks which you then exchange at the beer tents - I doubt that this benifits the punter, I mean if you happen to buy a few tokens to save time and don't spend them by the end of the day, what are you going to do with them? Surely at £3 a pint they must be making enough profit - admittedly, though, this is a reasonable price for beer at a festival in this day and age), I went to the The Strongbow Rooms to see Leeroy Thornhill (ex Prodigy) who was supposedly DJing there according to my round the neck timetable thingy. He wasn't there. I've no idea who the bloke was DJing but he was pretty good and the free Cider was very welcome (although I did buy a pint) from the ladies and gentleman trying to entice us into The Strongbow Rooms.

After that it was off to see Wales's number one bands (I have only said this to upset fans of The Super Furries, Manic's, Stereophonics!) at The NME Stage. Goldie Lookin' Chain, a bunch of (hopefully ironic) chav's (townies - you know the sort of thing, wearing burberry hats and tracky bottoms with prison white trainers, gold chains outside clothes and sovereign rings) having the maddest laugh of all time. About 30 friends on stage and although the mic did get passed around I suspect only about 10 of them did any rapping. Still, it was very entertaining. 'Guns Don't Kill People, Rappers Do' seemed to set my mood for the day and I was particuarly impressed by Roscoe P's breakdance move called 'Safe as F**k'.

After this we had Mull Historical Society who I enjoyed although it has to be said that they did suffer from not being at energetic as GLC. I was a little bit disappointed that they started with 'Watching Xanadu' as it gave the set a sense of a lack of climax. I did think though that they had played their hearts out and I would say that they are a band worth checking out.

After another quick walk around it was off to V Stage to see Badly Drawn Boy. A typically melancholy set from the bearded and hatted one who had a string quartet with him on stage and the whole thing seemed very pleasant. Trouble was I was in the mood to Rock. Having said that ' The Shining' was probably the perfect song to play on what was turning out to be a lazy, sunny afternoon.

Another gap in proceedings and another walkabout. Happened to wander passed The Zutons for a couple of songs. They sounded rowdy and were dressed in rather fetching matching yellow boiler suits. Unfortunately, I was unable to get into The JJB tent to see Roni Size or The Audio Bully's so I went to the Music Choice Stage to see The Infadels. Got to say that I really liked them. In my humble opinion definitely a band to watch for the future. Infectious Rock/Pop tunes with a bit of early eighties style synths thrown in for good measure.

Next to The NME Stage again. Along the way I passed The Strongbow Rooms where I heard the unmistakeable sound of The Prodigy. Had a quick peek in and there was Leeroy Thornhill behind the decks. Back to The NME Stage for one of the main draws of the day the Scissor Sisters. It has to be said that all surrounding areas were completely packed. The appeal of this supposed retro disco outfit is a complete mystery to me. To me they sound like a cross between the worst bits of Jamiroquai and ' Rock DJ' by Robbie Williams. And that Godawful woman singer (I'm sorry, but I'm not interested enough to find out what her name is!) kept banging on about how we should all 'Get naked' at every possible moment, despite not getting naked herself. What a pointless act!!!

When the circus had left The NME Stage a sense of normality had returned in the shape of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Bearing in mind I have reviewed this band a couple of times I don't really need to say too much about them other than they were their usual high standard and at least I was at last getting the Rock out I required.

And now for the main event of the day. Two bands on The V Stage. Anyone who read my Review on "Frank Black & The Catholics" - London Astoria - 15/10/03 might remember that I said that seeing The Pixies would be something that I would consider unmissable if the rumours were true about them reforming, in so many words. And so it was. A band considered by many to be one of the main influences on modern indie bands. They did not disappoint me it has to be said. They ran through all the classics including 'Where is My Mind', 'Here Comes Your Man', 'Monkey's Gone To Heaven','Planet Of Sound', 'Debaser', 'Gigantic' and finishing on an absolutely storming version of 'Tame'. Tribute has to be paid to Joey Santiago who was getting some unbelievable noises out of his Les Paul. At one point his guitar was placed on it's stand and he was tapping out a rhythm on the string using drumsticks during 'Vamos'. Although the band did not communicate with the crowd much it didn't seem to matter and they looked as though they were having as much fun as me.If you haven't already got it, go out and buy 'Doolittle'. A must for any self respecting CD collection.

And now for the headliners. Julian Casablancas reckoned that The Pixies were a tough act to follow but oh, how his band The Strokes managed it. I can honestly say that I have never seen or heard a tighter band. They were spot on. I believe that Julian Casablancas was trying to catch the band out by starting songs without warning but there was no fooling this lot. If my voice was suffering from singing along to the previous band then this was really finishing it off. They started with a guns ablazing 'Reptilla' and the pace was only matched by the singers beer drinking (he certainly managed a few pints during the 80 or so minute set). Albert Hammond Junior is a very unlikely but very worthy guitar hero. The Strokes fairly much ran through both their albums with a cover of The Clash's ' Clampdown' thrown in. I suppose I had better mention a few of my favourite songs that they played so here goes 'New York City Cops', 'Last Nite', 'Is This It', '12-51' and then after 'Take It Or Leave It' followed a Who style smashing of equipment before they left the stage. Fantastic!!!

The most disappointing part of the day from the V festival's organisation's point of view was that the shuttle buses were not well signposted or stewarded. After about an hour of queuing behind metal barriers and jostling for position I managed to get on a bus back to Chelmsford. I have to confess that I didn't fancy the idea of camping ( been there, done it, bought the T-shirt!) so I booked a hotel. As we got back to Chelmsford Station the station announcer deserves a shout for his fine loud hailer comment of 'Trains to the left, kebabs to the right'. I opted for the train (of which there were plenty). It was a nightmare trying to get a taxi in London but eventually it was sorted and I dragged into The West Ham United Quality Hotel which is situated in The West Stand of the Boleyn Ground, Upton Park at 2 o'clock in the morning. When I pulled the curtains back after my kip what better sight could have greeted me than my favourite piece of grass in the world. I also have to say that I had a fantastic full English breakfast. Also a big up to the Staff who made my stay even more special. After getting a ticket to see the Hammers. I went into Central London where I had an enjoyable time wandering around The Saatchi Gallery before setting off home and reflecting on what a fine time that I had. Total cost of weekend - loads of cash, enjoyment gained - priceless!!!

Ric Mansell