They appear to have turned up the volume at this year's Larmer TreeFestival, held in the idyllic Larmer Tree Gardens in the Dorset/Wiltshire border.

At least that's what it felt like as the heavy bass of reggae pioneers Easy Star All-Stars throbbed through me like a juggernaut.

It was a good way to drown out incessant and irritating festival chatter as the multi-racial collective, famous for reggae versions of classic other genre albums, boomed through a set of highlights from the likes of Radiodread and Dub Side of the Moon.

Netherlands chanteuse Caro Emerald, purveyor of jazzy, pop and swing sounds, headlined to an appreciative crowd.

But it was the more unheralded gems that were, as usual, the jewel in Larmer's crown.

The Antipoet looks like an old style punk and is aided by a double bass player booted in six inch heels. His hilarious anarchic 'beatranting' on virtually any subject delighted an audience rammed to the gunwales on the now smaller Lostwood stage.

And over in the ARC tent accomplished singer-songwriter Will Varley mixed the serious with the daft with aplomb and trad folk duo The Drystones, who still look about 14, served up excellent tunes on fiddle, guitar and penny whistle.

And all that after the effervescent Southampton Ukulele Orchestra kicked things off.