Boutique experience gives music lovers a taste of something very different in the grounds of Inveraray Castle
By Edd McCracken, Arts Correspondent

Several weeks ago the prospects for Hydro Connect, the last major music festival of the summer, looked decidedly soggy.

Sluggish ticket sales and record August rainfall threatened to derail the Inveraray festival.

But as it entered its second day yesterday, with bands such as Glasvegas, Bloc Party and Gossip attracting huge crowds, organisers hailed it as a success.

Three-quarters of the 20,000 tickets have been sold and nothing harsher than fine drizzle fell from the skies.

"With a line-up this strong you'd expect to sell out quickly, but it is changed times out there - it's difficult," said Geoff Ellis, the festival director.

"A lot of festivals haven't gone ahead, or if they have, bands have pulled out at the last minute because they didn't get their deposit.

"It's a difficult marketplace. We've done the same numbers as last year so we've got to be pleased with that. You'd like to be selling out, though. But we're here for the long-term, that's why we've put a lot of effort into the quality of the experience."

Still only in its second year, Hydro Connect bills itself as the antidote to T in the Park, a boutique gathering in the grounds of Inveraray Castle for the more discerning music lover.

The Duke of Argyll, who described himself as "the most rock'n'roll Duke in the UK", picked Amy Macdonald and Kasabian as his highlights so far and said this year's event was better than last.

"We wished it could have been a bit sunnier last week, but such is life," he said. "The site has held up really well. This time last year it was a disaster."

Aside from the Duke, other notable luminaries spotted around the site included Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch taking in acts at the Your Sound stage for unsigned acts, and Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody dancing in the Kopparberg One Big Tree tent.

Elsewhere on the site, dancers in Restoration period costume cavorted under trees, a New Orleans-style marching band appeared out of nowhere playing Europe's Final Countdown, and home-made cakes, acoustic sets and stand-up gigs mingled together in the Sunday Herald-sponsored Speakeasy Cafe. It is a long way from Balado.

As a statement of the festival's green credentials, punters could hail free rickshaws zipping about the site, wash their wellies in tanks full of rainwater and take a shower on the campsite, heated via solar panels and powered by bike.

"They were surprisingly good," said Jonathan Dunne from Oban, who is camping all weekend, "although it was knackering doing the bike so your pals could have a shower. You needed a shower just after doing that."

Organisers admitted it was "touch-and-go" whether the campsite would be habitable after a heavy downpour last week.

In the end it was ready for the 10,000 people who pitched their tents in the castle's grounds over the three-day event.

The rather uneven ground has been a boon to one of the festival's more exclusive elements, however. The Rest and Be Thankful Spa, housed in a series of teepees, reported it had been fully booked for massages since early Friday morning.

"I slept in a tent last night and could do with a bit of loosening up myself," said Katy Waring from the spa.

"That's why we're getting a lot of people coming in. We've also been booked up for hair treatments since early yesterday. It's a bit of a surprise. People are getting their hair cut and blow-dried at a festival."

Other more refined elements of Hydro Connect boasted of record business as well.

Loch Fyne Oysters, an iconic business which is based nearby, had sold more than 1500 oysters by yesterday afternoon. Demand was so great that it had to call back to the oyster farm to get more delivered.

"It's been phenomenal," said Virginia Sumsion, marketing manager. "We thought last year was good, but this year has been busier than expected. What's really nice is the reaction from the people.

"We have been up in the champagne tent, too, getting people to try the two together. We've had a lot of first-time oyster eaters. And 99% have loved it. You do get the odd one who doesn't take to it, but no-one has thrown up on me yet."

Police reported only two arrests and 102 people have received minor medical attention since the site opened on Friday.

Day tickets are still on sale for today's bands. Sigur Ros, Franz Ferdinand and Duffy headline tonight.