Without any of the attractions you'd expect from a boutique festival, 1234 Shoreditch persuaded 6,000 or so haircuts to descend on Hoxton Park yesterday. Nothing could stop it feeling like some sort of directional fashion convention, rather than a day of watching bands, not even the rain. There wasn't a sensible cagoule in sight.

Relentless drizzle meant there were bigger crowds in the tents than by the main stage, although nowhere was as busy as the VIP section, which even had its own line-up. It also made the hour-long queues for the loos unbearable. In fact, there were queues for everything, apart from the sunglasses stall, which packed up and went home.

The line-up made up for it — almost — starting with quirky Brit School singer Polly Scattergood. Dressed in a silver frock and pink feathers, she may have been channelling Toyah, but her am-dram pop, with interpretive dancing, was at least refreshingly uncool.

“Are you just in this tent to get out of the rain?” asked Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump, who probably would have been wiser not to draw attention to the fact. Ulterior were far better, with an Axl Rose lookalike singer and a
set of messy electronic rock.

Few people had heard of headline band Chrome Hoof but they were incredible, even if they are unlikely to be picked up by Radio 1 any time soon: they do space jazz, prog and doom metal all at the same time. While they dressed the best, in glittery monks' cowls, Patrick Wolf wore a cape of black rubber feathers that made him look like a kinky raven. He was brilliant, too.

The 9pm curfew was early, but indie band The Rakes did their bit to stop people dancing with a set that was, like the whole day, rather a washout.