Ace of Base

BASEMENT JAXX

TURN 360 degrees in any direction and wherever you look you're likely to see fans with their arms in the air, grinning from ear to ear.

On stage, Simon Ratcliffe is bouncing up and down frantically, urging the crowd on.

"More, more," he yells as, behind him, musical partner Felix Buxton nods his head in time to the thumping beat pouring out of the speakers.

While dancers dressed as monkeys tear around them, backing singers throw back their heads and let rip.

As the blistering groove of Where's Your Head At? races towards its climax, there's no doubt that we're in the presence of something special.

This is Basement Jaxx at full pelt - and in this headlining slot they've delivered exactly what every festival-goer wants - a party atmosphere with some cracking tunes thrown in. If you ever wondered what a carnival might be like if you flew it from Rio to the banks of Loch Ness, here's your answer.

"One more tune, one more tune," chant the crowd when Felix and Simon finally leave the stage. The noise is deafening.

But it turns out, that's nothing. When they come back on, for a stunning version of Rendez-Vu, the whole place simply ERUPTS.

It's the culmination of a set that's perfectly pitched to bring the second day of this blissfully chilled festival to a rousing climax.

Hits like Bingo Bango crank up the atmosphere but the flawless playing and the all-action spectacle - not to mention this fabulous setting - make the climax, when it comes, utterly irresistible. No mean feat when you consider the sensational acts - including a dazzling set by Orbital - that they are up against. Wish you'd been there.

JAMIE CROSSAN

FLAMING LIPS

GRINNING from ear to ear, Wayne Coyne is on the shoulders of a furry alien that looks like it's just escaped from a Star Wars movie.

Around him, glitter cannons fire into the Inverness-shire sunset, showering the fans in a multi-coloured starburst.

At other points in this stunning, startling two-hour set on the banks of Loch Ness, he's joined onstage by around 30 Teletubbies, a werewolf, the sun, a 15ft bumblebee and, of course, Nessie herself.

Allied to a set drawn from every corner of their extensive back catalogue it's the kind of unforgettable magic that has made the Oklahoma outfit one of the most entertaining live acts in the world.

It all begins as the sun begins to set over the stunningly picturesque Rock Ness site. It's hard not to get dewy-eyed about this beautiful setting but just when we're starting to feel, well, a bit spiritual, the Lips arrive with a fanfare of trumpets and trombones. Suddenly a massive inflatable sphere begins to roll out over the front rows. Inside it, as is traditional for his shows, is Wayne, scrambling to keep his balance but looking like he's having a whale of a time.

Predictably the crowd, blissed-out by the extraordinary atmosphere, go mental.

They're rewarded with some brand new material which sounds like they have taken their psychedelic-freak-out sound and put it through a metal grinder. It's loud and heavy.

"When I was younger," says Wayne before a euphoric version of Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, "I used to dream of weird prehistoric creature living in a lake in a strange country called Scotland.

"I never believed it could be true, but you've made me believe in the Loch Ness Monster. Thank you." With that out comes Nessie. It's a great moment but they leave the best till the encore and return for the incredible Do Your Realize? which, tonight, sounds like THE anthem for blissed out festival revellers. The glitter cannons erupt again and Wayne fires streamers which rain down on the crowd. It's an incredible finale.

JAMIE CROSSAN

DIZZEE RASCAL

HE'S got a fistful of great tunes all his own but, tonight, Dizzee opens with a stonking cover of Ting Tings chart-topper That's Not My Name.

But the excitement at the front of the stage gets too much at points and he's forced to call a halt. "Everytime you start that," he tells the mad-for-it mob, "we'll play some R Kelly."

Along with old favourites like Sirens and Fix Up, Look Sharp, he gives us a sneak preview of the new Tongue 'N' Cheek album due later this year with the punchy Road Rage. But the anthem of the night - if not the festival - has to be Bonkers. The reaction it gets is pretty apt too, the fans go crazy.

JAMIE CROSSAN

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS

THERE are some fans down the front wearing elephant masks. Some have chosen to be pigs instead. SFA are that kind of band.

But tonight Gruff Rhys and his men turn in a set that's equally weird and wonderful. Drawn mostly from the new Dark Days/Light Years album with a few classics thrown in, it's a reminder that the Furries always like to explore the road less well travelled.

Opener Crazy Naked Girls is all bruising acid rock, while Mt is some kind of surreal psychedelic funk. It's brilliant and bamboozling at the same time. Of course, it wouldn't be an SFA show without a bit of stuff to make sure we don't forget them - this time it's when Gruff chooses not to speak to the crowd, instead simply holding up placards that say things like "Applause", "Danke" and "Woah!". Old favourites like Slow Life and Northern Lites bring it to a stonking close.

CATHERINE SHARP

BLOOD RED SHOES

"WE thought it would be fun to try out the new songs - hope you like 'em."

For a two-piece, the Brighton- based duo don't half make a big racket, their lush indie filling up the Fat Sam's Tent in fine style.

Despite the competing attraction of the sunshine outside, they quickly attract a crowd, previewing material off their second album, due out later this year, along with tracks like You Bring Me Down and I Wish I Was Someone Better from their Box Of Secrets debut. Laura-Mary Carter layers razor-sharp guitar over Steven Ansell's drums to thrilling effect and gets the fans under her spell. Blood Red Shoes? They're kicking.

ANDREW CURRIE

SNEAKY SOUNDSYSTEM

"I'VE heard Scotland loves to dance," grins Connie Mitchell as the Aussie outfit unleash their groove-heavy sound. It quickly draws the crowds out into the sunshine as they rocket through a set largely drawn from the new 2 album.

Despite the fact they left Sydney just a day or two ago - and packed in an Isle Of Wight set the previous night - they're up for the festival's party spirit.

Afterwards, Connie insists she'll cool down by dipping her toes in the loch. After this set, there are plenty of fans ready to join her.

JOE MILLER

CHEW LIPS

IN a weird bit of synchronicity, the London dance-pop trio are the first act to take the stage after the magnificent set by their fiery namesakes The Flaming Lips.

But while they don't exactly give the US outfit's grandiose performance the kiss-off, they DO deliver a brilliant start to the day with white-hot versions of Solo and Salt Air.

The gorgeous Tigs, of course, has everyone entranced, confessing she was up drinking until 5am. "No one here would do that, would they?" Looking around at the party faithful, the answer's obvious.

STEPHEN HUGHES

WAVE MACHINES

WEARING masks that give them a sinister, surreal air, the Liverpool trio don't say much - "Our drummer will sing the next song . . . take it away." is about the extent of their banter with the crowd - but their music speaks volumes.

Romping through the highlights from their just-released Wave If You're Really There album, they prove themselves to be something pretty special.

If no one has invented it yet, the Machines seem to have cornered the market in a hybrid that takes electro, stadium rock and indie and whips it together into a compelling brew.

Keep The Lights On is an obvious highlight but, overall, this short but promising set suggests this is a band we're destined to hear more from.

JAMIE CROSSAN

THE ALIENS

OPENING the festival, the Fife psyche-rockers pull off an impressive Pied Piper act. Within minutes of them launching into their gorgeously wonky set, more and more fans start bounding out of the campsite and down the hill towards the psychedelic beats tumbling out of the speakers.

Frontman Gordon Anderson looks like he's having a ball and his eccentric behaviour quickly spreads through the crowd.

It doesn't take long for the fans to start cutting weird shapes to Robot Man and the acid-rock classic Magic Man. But when the aptly-named Happy Song arrives towards the end of the set, it suddenly feels like the festival has kicked up a gear and now everyone is properly 'avin it.

JAMIE CROSSAN

THEATRE FALL

THEIR plan to get everyone dressed in yellow for this year's Rock Ness may not have spread much beyond the band themselves, but they certainly looked in the pink as they delivered one of the first highlights of the festival.

The local favourites tore into a largely revamped set of smart, sharp electro pop like 3.1 and Your Wish Is My Command And Conquer with singer Lauren MacKenzie proving hard to resist - even if her dress was the same shade as a daffodil.

They draw a pretty sizeable crowd too - suggesting that next year they could make the transition to the main stage without any problem at all.

They've been keeping a low-profile but, hopefully, we'll see a lot more of 'em.

JOHN LEWIS

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