...and the crowd go wild. The Jersey Live audience enjoy Tinie Tempah on Sunday (Picture by Rob Currie, 1023388)

Jersey Live 2010 may have been deemed the most successful one yet but the organisers have come under heavy criticism for the length of time it took to get into the festival on the Saturday.

The event sold out for the first time since increasing capacity to 10,000 but the volume of people arriving on site within a short period of time had ‘overwhelmed’ planning: the entrance to the site was designed to cope with up to 1,500 people per hour.

However, if you’re putting on an event of such size, surely provision should be in place for such an eventuality?

The number of tickets sold prior to the event alone would have given the organisers some indication as to the volume expected.

Jersey Live has said the arrangements will be ‘refined’ for next year. Let’s hope so. It took us about an hour to get to the event and inside on Saturday. I gather others had a longer wait.

Once in, though, things picked up, with five stages (Wild West Tease Stage, Les InRocks Magic Stage, Hospitality Stage, Jersey Telecom Recharge tent, Main Stage) and numerous acts.

So where do you start?

Professor Green – impressive. (Picture by Rob Currie, 01042993)

East London rapper Professor Green was on the Main Stage, whipping the young audience into a frenzy with his excellent live band and finishing with the INXS-sampled I Need You Tonight. I thought I wouldn’t like him but I did, which just goes to show the power of live music.

Then it was a quick whiz round the other stages to see some of the smaller acts then back for Dundee’s The View, who pleased the crowd no end with their indie-guitar tunefulness. As soon as their big hit Same Jeans started up, the teenagers were flocking to the stage.

Previous Guernsey Live guests Biffy Clyro gave a dynamic performance with their machine-gun-like guitar antics but unless you’re really into their style of shouty indie sound, it pales after a while.

After a big-up for headliners Groove Armada from former Stone Roses bassist and compere for the event Mani, there was an embarrassing 10-minute wait. Their set started promisingly but then dragged on interminably, like their songs.

There was no problem with queuing on Sunday, which was a relief to many.

I had just missed Guernsey’s very own Last of the Light Brigade at the Wild West Tease Stage the day before so was determined to catch them opening the Main Stage.

Guernsey’s Last of the Light Brigade playing the Wild West Stage on the Saturday. They also opened the main stage on Sunday. (Picture by Rob Currie, 1023383)

It was great to hear them through a huge PA and really showed the band’s sound has developed, with some clear Johnny Marr-style licks from guitarist Josh Moore.

They ended with a stirring version of the song Little Billy. This a band that needs to play more and more as they can only get better.

The other Guernsey band at Jersey Live, Gay Army, are no strangers to the festival, having played in 2008 and 2009. Again, it was great to hear a local band playing through a good PA and on a decent-sized stage: Les InRock.

The clarity of the sound helped bolster their songs, with every instrument clearly heard. I’m sure they won some fans in the Jersey crowd.

Back to the Main Stage and Django Django’s ethereal echo-laden tunes worked well for the mid-afternoon set, as did Brighton trio Peggy Sue, two girl singers and a drummer – check them out.

The Magic Numbers’ melancholy songs failed the sparkle test but they did a great version of Curtis Mayfield’s People Get Ready. Numbers’ lead singer Romeo Stodart told me later that it wasn’t a great gig for them; the sound on stage wasn’t great and despite them asking for no dry ice, the stage was filled with it at one point.

Tinie Tempah, who was replacing Plan B, had the youngsters going wild in the crowd.

Saturday headliners Groove Armada. (Picture by Rob Currie, 1023388

Kate Nash didn’t seem to work. Her voice seemed quite weak and the crowd kept calling out for the hit Foundations while she was trying out her new material.

However, what I liked about Jersey Live was being introduced to the music of bands I wouldn’t normally seek out, such as New York’s hilarious Darwin Deez, who describe themselves as ‘indie rock with a side of calisthenics’.

And if you want French hip hop accompanied by a beatboxer, French horn and cello, then look no further than Cabadzi.

I kept thinking these bands would go down a storm in Guernsey at something like the Ivy Castle.

Others worthy of a mention are We Have Band and Enfant Terrible – tres bon!