I’d deliberately chosen not to do any reading on Los Campesinos! and their Harvest sets entirely because of one song – their two minute distillation of pop perfection, “Knee Deep at ATP.” It’s moving, funny and exhilarating and one of my favourite songs and I simply didn’t want to know whether or not to expect it. So when lead singer Gareth announced, “This one’s called Knee Deep at ATP,” I couldn’t stop myself from literally pumping the first and exclaiming “Yes!”

The song lived up to all expectations, and the rest of the set was fantastic too – suiting the early afternoon rays of sun peeking out from rainclouds. Other highlights:

–          “You! Me! Dancing!” has never really connected on record but was a lot of fun live.

–          “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” and “The Sea Is a Good Place to Think of the Future” were both great festival tracks, mixing pop melancholy with shouty catharsis.

–          “Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks” was the last song, and Gareth used the opportunity to charge into the crowd and perform from the damp hill of Riverstage.

The infectious enthusiasm resonated throughout the entire set – here’s hoping they’re back soon with their own show.