Beacons glows in its second year with genre-bending bill

The three-day affair saw twice as many punters through its gates yet still maintained its quirky intimacy.

An eclectic bill of bright young things went head-to-head with festival circuit veterans, creating a musical tasting platter catering to even the most jaded of music journalists.

Friday’s top draw Bonobo packed out the big-top main stage with their chilled out dub-vibes; a process replicated by Saturday’s glitch king Gold Panda who laid waste to the indie-banality of headliners Local Natives.

Stealing Sheep were blessed relief from the downpour on Saturday afternoon, soothing the pounding heads of punters with their glittering folk-pop and three-way harmonies.

Traams gave a riotous performance in the clumsily-named You Need To Hear This tent with fuzzy guitars and kraut-inspired outros, while Leeds’ own Hookworms deafened Sunday’s crowds with their punishing psychedelia.

A playground for the middle-class hipster youth, Beacons excels itself in its sophomore year with lashings of visual delights and hands-on crafts, basking in the glow of its neon art installations.