After a good nights sleep recovering from the previous night's jollities, a nice hot shower,a hearty slap up breakfast courtesy of a supermarket chain and a walk through the Derbyshire countryside we make our way back to the site for the first official day of Indietracks 08. The sun is out (as is the sun lotion) and it's absolutely scorching. We are parched as we head to the main stage area for the days first summer ales and also to catch up with people who are joining us for the weekend.

Festival openers were Silence At Sea whose whimsical folk inspired indie pop was pleasant enough and they were worthy of the opening slot. However the heat inside the engine shed which hosted the main stage was intense and the member of Silence At Sea who was dressed in a heavy cat costume must have been regretting his decision. I am sure he shrank to a kitten by the end!

To get some air we head to the outdoor stage where, apart from a packed out tea tent, there was no respite from the sun's rays apart from the steps at the side of the stage which was crammed full of photographers. Town Bike were on and their Ramones style punky pop was refreshing to say the least. They were nicely kitted out in pink and black bowling gear too. They go down a storm and are as good live as they are on record. Go and see this band now.

It's back inside to See The Kick Inside a band who we have raved about on indie mp3 since coming across their retro pop music that takes in a range of influences which then re-emerge in a pretty effective manner. Frontman Sean oozes confidence and the rest of the band feed off him as they deliver the goods. indie mp3 even get a mention off them! Keep your eyes on this lot they are going to develop into something special.

When they finish we wander around. First to the tea tent (with soya milk - bonus!), another indie mp3 meet up where we meet Russell for the first time and then outside by the train tracks where we witness a mini tornado taking apart the solitary stall sellers merchandise. Not sure if heavy metal designs were a good idea for an indie pop festival but watching them fly in the air was entertaining as was watching the gothic stallholder chasing her wears. What a cruel lot us indie pop fans are eh? At this point Trev looks like Braveheart with the sun cream smeared across his face as we make our way back to the outside stage for Slow Down Tallahassee.

Not sure we should be swearing in front of these kids declares SDT's Claire as there are various children running about. They have a few teething troubles but put in a pretty good performance with Candy standing out. They then try and finish with a swear free version of Beautiful Light which cocks up nicely - not once but twice which raises a few laughs in the sunshine.

We head back into the main stage and see the first stand out set of the weekend by Shrag who were phenomenal especially the drummer who pounds away in the almost unbearable heat and passes out as she leaves the stage. We salute you Leigh Ann. The bands music is a mix of lo fi and screechy post punk which fits in nicely as one of their songs is called Mark E Smith! The set was so absorbing I completely forgot to take any photos....

It's back to the shade of the tea tent for another nice cuppa and the best carrot cake I have ever tasted with brief looks towards The Zebras and The Kabeedies who are on the outdoor stage. The latter are particularly energetic as they blaze through a range of noisy but sweet tunes whilst the former hark back to Flying Nun Records, Go Betweens and The Chills.

Roadside Poppies put a capital S in shambling with the only performance I caught on the church stage on Saturday. The band, whose members are split between Cambridge and Copenhagen, had major problems with the backing tracks loaded onto their i-pod which meant they played songs with the wrong drum beats! The band's sound is split depending on whether Matloob (jangling indie pop) or Martin (a more mature guitar based sound) are on vocals. However when they do it they do it good and their set was so enjoyable I forgot about catching Pocketbooks on the main stage and that's a compliment in itself!

Due to the heat Matloob's forehead resembled Niagara Falls at one point. "I'm not sweating out of shame" he quipped as more technological problems struck. He certainly had a great time playing his Mandolin behind his head in a Hendrix style. I like the diy ethos of the band and lets hope they ditch the mp3 player for a new drummer soon!

It was back to the main stage to catch the last two songs by Pocketbooks who judging by comments on the Anorak forum were the band of the weekend for many. I was amazed by the numbers in the crowd who were singing along and it was really good to see a band who I have followed from scratch being so well received. When are Elefant or Matinee going to come a calling?

It was still scorching as we headed back to the outdoor stage and for San Diego based Red Pony Clock whose Latin fused indie pop was fun fun fun. I thought their sound sounded like The Smithereens if they had some Latin rhythm but I am not sure if listening to these guys at home would have the same effect though. However for a brief while on a very hot and sunny Saturday afternoon they certainly hit the mark.

We stayed outdoors for a few cans with The Roadside Poppies and watch The Lodger. They get some in the crowd dancing with their recent brilliant single Good Old Days. However they do themselves no favours to those who say they are carbon copies of Orange Juice when they cover I Can't Help Myself in an almost identikit fashion.

We stay outside for the surprise hit of the weekend for me Punk TV who hail from Russia. The bands music mixes baggy, trance, shoegaze and indie dance. As the sun went down to the bands more trancier songs we could have been on Ibiza and the nearby Johnsons Buffet cafe transforms into an indie Cafe Del Mar. I am not sure if I would ever buy their records but Punk TV, like Red Pony Clock before them, were in the right place at the right time. Happy Daze indeed!

Because of the unexpected success of Punk TV I miss the first 20 minutes of The Wedding Present but soon make my way to the front where I last approx 1 and half songs in the mosh pit but at least I bopped about to You Should Keep In Touch With Your Friends. They do a stonking cover of Cinerama's Wow and Gedge is on top form. "What do you think of Ripley" he asks of the nearby genteel town? "You wouldn't walk alone" shouts out some wag in response as the band crash into Brassneck. The over zealous sound man who has obviously never seen a mosh pit decides to become a bouncer and heads in and he soon has been moshed out again. You would have thought he learnt his lesson but no he tries again with the same result. Doh! However the Weddoes and Gedge in particular demonstrate they are still one of the best live acts around.

The evening finishes with a few more beers whilst listening to the mix of punk and indie being played by The Bubblegum Killers dj's who are the DJ branch of the band Helen Love. Tiredness soon kicks in once more and I head off back to the camp site and the land of nod. Phew - what a day!

Additional Photos by Bob Stuart at Underexposed.