THE sun, for modesty, has removed his hat and is using it to shield his eyes.

On the Radio 1 stage Ke$ha (✶ ✶ ✶), the American raunch-pop siren, is firmly establishing her status as bringer of party. Backed by a brace of glitter-sprayed, tight-pants-wearing beefcakes, Ke$ha is baring nearly all in a high-cut sequin leotard. What she lacks in grace she makes up for in sheer, brazen, energetic raunch.

She whips through songs and high-energy dance routines in a frenzy, pausing only to down a can of Tennent's.

Visually she's a treat but for a showing pushing so much sex, Ke$ha is oddly unsexy. However, she is ballsy, slick and a great deal of fun.

Earlier, T in the Park's Saturday began with a much gentler start as James Arthur teased the bleary-eyed campers from their sleeping bags and Gabrielle Aplin called the party-goers to the arena.

Deacon Blue (✶ ✶ ✶ ✶) truly get things going, giving what can only politely be described as laldy. Ricky Ross, lead singer, is the George Clooney of Scottish pop; despite getting on in years, you'd still give him the eye.

He is slick and personable and knows absolutely what he is about with this festival crowd, who are eager and willing to lap up some sunshine tunes to dance to.

And sunshine tunes to dance to are precisely what Deacon Blue deliver. Age aside, everyone knows the lyrics to the band's classic pop numbers: Loaded, Real Gone Kid, Wages Day, Twist and Shout.

The day is a line-up of chart music – Lawson, Noah and the Whale, The View, Frightened Rabbit. For variety, the Main Stage hosts Snoop Dogg (✶ ✶ ✶). Dreadlocks slightly greying at the parting, Snoop has segued nicely from one generation's moral danger to the next's cuddly nostalgia trip.

His four glamorous, scantily clad lapdancers and crew of hype men seem incongruous on a stage previously occupied by the glamorous Paloma Faith and the lovely folk rock of the Lumineers. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is part of the joy of T.

A medley of his most accessible hits including Drop It Like It's Hot and The Next Episode gives the crowd something to dance wildly to.

Snoop is ideal T fodder. He has never been a particular trouble-maker, just a hedonist, through and through. As are this crowd, as darkness falls and the real fun begins.

Rihanna (✶ ✶ ✶ ), dressed like a golden, gangsta tiger, is 20 minutes late to headline the Main Stage – practically early by her standards – and grinds and winds like her bones are entirely marrow.

She is surprisingly beautiful, this 25-year-old with the fine-featured face of a 1940s film star and the ability to turn it from coquettish to lascivious in turns.

Although the sun abandoned Balado hours earlier and the night air is thin and icy, Rihanna brings heat to the huge crowd gathered before her. She writhes through a greatest hits list – until it comes to a perfunctory Umbrella, a song it seems she can't wait to be over.

Diamonds and Where Have You Been bring her fully to life. The stage darkens and it seems the show is over but then back she comes for a lovely rendition of Stay before Diamonds again.

As she turns to walk off the stage, fireworks explode over the arena and it's hard to know which way to look.