It was The Big Chill, but revellers could have been forgiven for thinking the weekend’s festival was a warm up party for the Mercury Awards as nominee after nominee took to the stage.

The feted St Albans band Friendly Fires, and lesser known cult groups Sweet Billy Pilgrim and The Invisible all played at the four-day-long Herefordshire festival and managed to dazzle despite a crowd traditionally more interested in dance music than guitars and drums.

Little known until their nomination three weeks ago, Sweet Billy Pilgrim took an unassuming afternoon slot on Friday but won over an audience curious to see the suddenly-famous electronic folk band.

Singer Tim Elsenburg bolstered his reputation as an Everyman – a refitter by day, he was working on a toilet seat when he heard of the band’s Mercury nomination – by posting a message on Twitter shortly after the performance.

“Big Chill show went well. Hot tea, bananas and triangular sandwiches backstage. A pig in shit, I believe the phrase is,” he wrote on the mini-blog site.

Playing as part of the long lead-up to club favourite Basement Jaxx’s Friday headlining slot, Friendly Fires drew an impressive crowd and added to it as they offered up a string of songs from their acclaimed 2008 self-titled album.

The art-funk band’s frontman Ed Macfarlane showed the audience his appreciation with some hip-shaking dancing before signing off with current single Jump in the Pool.

The Invisible managed to impress with their inventive brand of rock despite landing the unenviable position of playing to a Saturday night audience revving up for the electronic duo Lamb.

Dressed in a bright yellow jacket, Dave Okumu dazzled the audience with his energetic, and often epic, efforts on the guitar.

A few hours later and there was another Mercury reminder as The Nextmen pulled out a remix of nominee and woman of the moment La Roux’s hit In For The Kill.

But for the 30,000 revellers, it wasn’t seeing Mercury nominees, or indeed headliners Orbital, Basement Jaxx or David Byrne, that made the three-day festival – it was the weather.

Aside from a downpour on Thursday night, Eastnor Castle Deer Park was bathed in sunshine for four days, with temperatures firmly fixed in the mid-twenties.

Helen Mackeson, 31, who travelled from London for the event was among the thousands giving thanks for the clear skies.

“The music was great but the weather was fabulous,” she said.

The atmosphere was just as kind to revellers. Police said the festival lived up to its relaxed atmosphere and they made no arrests.

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