Lacklustre Lovebox loses its legs

With a star-studded line up, London's biggest music festival hit Victoria Park in East London with legends like Jurassic 5 and Kelis.

Lovebox was a festival I'd heard of but never had much interest in. My perception of it was a pretentious, Shoreditch twat sort of festival for people who didn't like music or festivals, but wanted to be part of the scene. My perception wasn't a million miles from the truth. It was full of people who wanted to spend three days in a field getting wasted, the music was a happy by-product.

The highlight of the weekend, by a country mile, was Jurassic 5. The 90s hip-hop legends played early evening on Friday to a pretty sedate audience. The hardcore fans were in the pit - singing along and waving their arms in the air. The band haven't lost their touch, with fantastic DJs who scratched and mixed throughout the set. A turntable fashioned into a guitar and middle 8 that included getting the audience to mimic being on a motorbike, cemented their status.

The rest of the festival was baffling at best. One hit wonder Azealia Banks headlined on the opening night... No, she really doesn't have any other songs. They all merged into one and vocal sounded like a record being played really slowly. She had no stage presences and pulled out no stops. Not that the crowd cared, I think most of them would've danced to the microwave ping.

It was a disappointing turn out for Mercury nominated Ghostpoet. He was in the smallest tent and barely managed to pack it out. It didn't help that it was a scorcher of a weekend, so most people were taking advantage of the weather. He played a lacklustre set, but still was one of the best things on the line up.

Troubled Wiley also played, again disappointingly, he didn't call us all pagans or not show up. He saved all of that for the comically named Cockfest.

The band that sounded amazing, but I couldn't get anywhere near played in the Russian Standard tent. It was DJ Yoda and the Trans-Siberian Marching Band - I think that tells you all you need to know.

Unfortunately, So Solid Crew were cancelled because the festival claimed it had too many bands on the bill. This is a bit like the 'I'm washing my hair' excuse. The festival could've done with them, if I'm honest. If not for curiosity then for a bit of fun.

Having not ever thought much of dubsteppers Foreign Beggars and Rudimental, I have to admit they were pretty darn good. I really enjoyed their sets and was perfect for the first day.

Another disappointing (I'm told) performance was from former lovegod D'Anglo. I spent my youth 'listening' to his track Untitled (girls of certain age will know what I'm talking about). I'm unfamiliar with his music, but I enjoy his jazzy, soulful tones. However, I know his biggest fan was massively insulted by his lack of vocal, lack of guitar playing and lack of going to the gym.

It might shock you to hear this, but I found Lovebox disappointing. It lacked the atmosphere of a non-city festival and the line-up made no sense. Add enough dust to make Moses feel at home and you've got a weekend that failed to hit the right notes.