Everything has to start somewhere but when you're the first band on the bill of the first ever garage, beat, punk 'n' roll festival in Edinburgh & your bass player can't turn up due to getting his dates wrong you'd be forgiven for wishing that start point wasn't occupied by you. Logan's Close, however, went from strength to strength in their enforced trio shape as they kicked off Franklin Fest downstairs in The Safari Lounge.

Having been praised as "the future of Beat in Scotland" by no less than Lenny van Helsing of The Thanes and, as their set progressed and they loosened up a bit, bringing to the table plenty of the energy & spirit exhibited by their forebears when cutting their teeth in Hamburg 50 or so years ago you'd have to say he's on to something there. And that was before they really started to sing. 

Whilst the drummer can hold a tune the two front men are capable of some serious projection when they get into their stride, providing more than a couple of instances wherein you can imagine them progressing very comfortably within the local scene and beyond.

A change of style but not of relative age when The Phlegm make their appearance. Clearly as a regular gig goer bands looking as young as they are takes over from that adage about youthful policemen. As with Logan's Close though these lads played a tight and confident set of originals and covers of rockabilly & punk tunes (including Devo's 'Mongoloid')with a lean towards the vampire & zombie end of things.

Ably deploying an upright bass for the latter thirds of their performance and exhibiting a good sense of humour throughout theirs was a show that clearly they'd not just fallen into but one which accumulated tens of hours of practice has honed to a thing with only a very few rough edges requiring to still be rounded off. Yet another up and coming band that thoroughly deserve greater attention and a further credit to the organisers for having the wit to put them on the bill.

Finishing things off tonight were The Creeping Ivies, last seen by this reviewer over a year ago. Wasting no time in starting they initially got things underway to an empty room, forcing the tardy punters to hastily make amends by scrambling downstairs and getting into place as the first chords reverberated around.

Blazing through such tracks as 'Alright For You' the trio stomped & yowled themselves into the sort of frenzy that temperatures earlier in the day would have made life-threatening. A fittingly enlivening performance to close out this first night of an event that promises to build high on suitably strong foundations.

Franklin Fest continues over this weekend at The Parlour and the Franklin Cricket Club. Further details here. 

Though now perched precariously atop a hill in Pikehall Derbyshire, Y-Not started life as a modest gathering of sixth formers in a quarry. Now playing host to thousands of punters annually, as well as the hundreds of bands which have graced its stages, Y-Not (along with sister site 2000 trees) has arguably gone on to become one of the best medium-sized festivals on the calendar.

It's been ten years this year since the fateful weekend in a quarry, and in order to celebrate, this year's line-up seeks to outdo anything the organisers have done thus far. With bands such as Augustines, Honeyblood and Jaws all joining the likes of Snoop Dogg, Basement Jaxx and Primal Scream who are headlining, it's clear that the festival isn't just indie-centric as many of their medium-sized contemporaries are; the Giant Squid stage in particular playing host to a burgeoning number of metal and post-hardcore acts like Pulled Apart By Horses, whilst the Allotment (previously hosting the likes of last year's Sunday headliner Frank Turner) offers those bands who are just starting out the chance to shine.

Like most festivals however, the music might be the main focus, but it isn't the be all and end all. The huge vistas on offer of the surrounding Peak District make for an imposing scene from which to enjoy the plethora of artisan food and drinks on offer, whilst the tongue in cheek tropicana of the Mussel Beach cocktail bar provides a welcome break from the gallons of beer inevitably being swilled.

Though ten years may have passed since the festival's very first iteration, it still manages to retain a definite feeling of intimacy, especially when compared to its larger, and less fiercely independent counterparts; a rare quality in an age where just about every festival stage is sponsored by one beverage or another. Thankfully this feeling of independence is something which bleeds through from the festival's ethos and in to its crowds, allowing for a wholly diverse, and utterly irresistible weekend away from the posturing and Instagramming that plagues other events. A perfect way to spend the last weekend of July.

This year's Y-Not Festival falls on the 31st July to the 2nd of August. Tickets for which can be bought here.

It’s not often that you get the chance to see rock and roll legends playing a venue as small as the Tufnell Park Dome. As such, the announcement that the London leg of the 2015 Radio Birdman tour would be stopping here wasn’t something I was going to miss despite the pre-ordained result of a Wednesday morning hangover and a warm Tuesday night found me sitting on the tube clutching a cold beer on the way to north London. For once my timekeeping is on point enough to catch the opener, a high octane blast of punk rock 'n' roll from the brilliantly named Michael Jackson. A four piece with a sound easily big enough to fill the room (the crowd was yet to fill out that much), their no frills garage sound is clearly underpinned by a strong musical ability.

Johnny Throttle are another 2000s era band bringing a revival sound to the fore, but while Michael Jackson were clearly weaned on a diet of The Stooges these guys have looked closer to home for inspiration – a set of '70s style punk rock contains both hits and misses, but with some undeniably catchy hooks. I can’t quite tell if the singer’s Mick Jagger meets Bez approach is tongue in cheek, but I’ve smoked too much to be worried by this too much and, with hindsight, can only assume that it is.

With the headliners soon to hit the stage, the room is busier but by no means filled up – a sign of how underrated the Australian proto-punks have always been. Looking at the crowd confirms that I’m one of the younger people in the room, while an attempted crew round up before the gig had been met with blank looks and questions of ‘Who?’ It clearly doesn’t affect the band themselves who, despite the questions surrounding the non-inclusion of original guitarist Chris Masuak, launch into their set with supreme confidence. They power through a good chunk of both Radios Appear and Living Eyes in a lengthy show which ably showcases their surf/garage/rock 'n' roll sound. Songs like ‘Murder City Nights’ and ‘Do The Pop’ are as vital sounding as they must have been in 1977, while ‘Breaks My Heart’ and ‘Hand Of Law’ highlight how well the current line up works together. ‘Man With Golden Helmet’, a Doors-influenced slice of psychedelia which I have always had a tendency to skip when wanting some hype to go skateboarding or for a night out, sounds incredible in a live environment with a fuzz of South London chronic still intruding at the edges of my consciousness. It shows the band’s range and songwriting maturity, a natural talent which made even the fastest race to the finish stand out. Talking of which, the classic ‘New Race’ sounds just as good as it ever has. This was a killer show, those who don’t know should go educate themselves on the band and hope they get the chance to catch them again!

As ever, Reading and Leeds Festival(s) fall over the last bank holiday weekend of the year, and though fairly late in the festival calendar, both sites provide punters with one last weekend of hedonistic debauchery before the darker months and cold weather begins to take hold. Traditionally offering attendees a mixture of both nostalgia and the cutting edge, recent years have seen the festival's line-up diversify even further, bringing in top names from grime, electronica and hip-hop to share stages with the usual fare of punk, rock and indie. Such changes haven't been without their share of criticisms, with naysayers claiming that it waters down the alternative nature of the festival, but for those who like to taste a bit of everything, but would rather not sully themselves with the hyper-corporate V Festival the weekend before, Reading and Leeds tick all the boxes.

This year's line-up unsurprisingly boasts a host of bands and artists that you grew up listening to, whilst providing a platform for those on the up. Where else could you see Limp Bizkit on the same line up as folk troubadours Bear's Den? Or see Frank Turner headline what's arguably the smallest stage on site? The answer to that is, probably nowhere.

Headlining this year are the recently reformed Libertines,who last graced the stages of Reading & Leeds back in 2010, making for one of my most memorable live music experiences ever. Joining them will be Mumford & Sons and Metallica, who, after their headline slot at last year's Glastonbury, are bound to pull out the stops for their appearance across both sites. Elsewhere over the course of the weekend, revellers can expect to see the likes of Deadmau5 rubbing shoulders with American Football, and the Boy Better Know crew bringing their uncompromising grime to the Radio 1extra tent at the same time as post-hardcore legends Refused tear the Lock Up Stage a new one.

It's eclectic, nostalgic, and, regardless of your opinion on the line-ups diversification, it's one of the most talked about festivals of the year. What it's critics fail to realise, is that though not every act on the bill will be to your own tastes, you don't have to watch those acts you don't like. Unless of course you're the sort of person who takes pleasure in trying to heckle a stage that's half a kilometre away, then there's certainly going to be one band or artist you want to see, when everyone else wants to go and watch Bastille. And even on the off-chance that there isn't, the festival offers a wealth of non-musical (and sometimes non-alcoholic) entertainment across the weekend.

Grab your wellies, quit your bitchin' and try to conceal the smug fact that you always knew learning all the words to Limp Bizkit's 'Rollin'' would come in handy some day!

In the words of Fred Durst himself: “Are You Ready?”

Reading and Leeds takes place across the last weekend in August, and tickets and more information can be found at the official website here.