I remember being at the first V Festival in 1996. Pulp headlined on the main stage which was amazing, Elastica headlined the 2nd stage with Tricky on the dance arena. Fantastic memories of Super Fury Animals, Supergrass and the Charlatans.

Something was definitely missing this year. Firstly the small venue where new and upcoming bands got a chance to play has gone. This year the festival booked British headliners rather than US acts and I felt there were too many DJ sets across all stages. However the festival organisers made some improvements by moving the Sure Arena nearer to the other two main stages allowing revellers to travel between the stages easier and taking in more acts.

Facilities were improved, toilets were well stocked, attended by V fest staff and by the end of Sunday were still smelling slightly fresh. Queues for food and drink were not too long, although many grumbled over the choice of bar - Carling, who offered their lager and cider. Gourmet dining that used to be available to all is now situated in the VIP area, so if you wanted a wider choice you had to pay considerably more. One highlight was the PG Tips tent-free tea for anyone requiring was much needed after the Sunday afternoon downpour. Fair ground rides again played a part of the festival, revellers enjoying being spun, lifted and whipped around. 

This year, especially Saturday, numbers were down on last year, at times making the venue feel large and lacking in atmosphere. Considering it was the 20 year anniversary a major marketing chance was missed to make it something special. Apart from the mention on the line-up lanyard which came with a special 20 year booklet the 20 year anniversary was forgotten. The Charlatan's being the only returning band from 1996.

It's been quite a year for Sam Smith, relatively unknown just over 12 months ago. He is now leading the latest British Invasion Stateside. With his huge success in America, It may have felt a privilege to witness his performance... Unfortunately the 23 year old seemed old before his years, drifting around the stage singing his hits and talking to the crowd. It had the feel of being aboard a cruise ship, soulful gospel songs turned into more easy listening.

Essex boy, Olly Murs headlined the MTV stage on Saturday night to a packed out crowd, thousands listened and danced to what was like a homecoming. It was a performance full of surprises, Ella Eyre joined him for a rendition of 'Up' his duet with Demi Lovato, before bringing out DJ Luck and MC Neat to join him for a mixture of their UK garage hits including 'With A Little Bit Of Luck' as well as his own 2011 hit 'Heart Skips A Beat'.

Kasabian headlined the main stage with vigour and enthusiasm that enthralled the crowd. They delivered a steady stream of hits, including covers of The Fugees' 'Ready Or Not' and Fatboy Slim's 'Praise You'. The Leicester band dedicated their song 'Goodbye Kiss' to the late entertainer Cilla Black as the word 'Pure' replaced words such as 'crumbs' and 'krang' on the stage's backdrop. The band finished their incredible set by braving the first row of the audience.

Scouting for Girls also gave a crowd raising performance, delivering not only their own hits but Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer', song choices accompanied with the bands enthusiasm, smiles and the sun shine meant the set had thousands singing and dancing along.

Ella Henderson gave a polished performance, delivering a medley of tracks from her debut album 'Chapter One', to a crowd defying the downpour. At one point apologising on behalf of the weather before dedicating her song 'Yours' to anybody in the crowd with someone they love.

George Ezra appeared along with the sunshine to effortlessly deliver his hits 'Budapest', 'Blame It On Me' as we'll as a over Macy Gray's 'I Try'. Ellie Goulding charmed the crowd as she left and sang across the stage performing songs from her back catalogue: her hit 'Starry Eyed', and crowd favourite 'Burn'.

The Script also performed a lively set. Front man Danny O'Donoghue appeared genuinely happy to be performing as the penultimate act on the main stage, taking into the crowd to sing a couple of numbers and even sharing his fans beer. 'Breakeven' went down a storm, with O'Donoghue thanking the crowd for what he described as the life changing moment of their career.

The Stereophonics headlined the MTV stage on Sunday, clashing with Calvin Harris on the main stage. Stereophonics offered a cool set, spanning from their first studio album 'Word Gets Around' to 'Keep The Village Alive' which will be released in September. Stereophonics have a strong festival history, drawing crowds over the last 20 years. They performed crowd pleasers such as 'Local Boy In The Photograph' and 'Graffiti On The Train'. Whilst on the main stage Calvin Harris performed a predictable and well aired set to groups of dancing teens, only the pyrotechnics could cover the continuing beat.

Other acts we caught included: Jack Savoretti who gave a heart-warming and toe tapping set in the Sure Arena, which also gave a home to Paloma Faith who filled the tent with her own eccentric style, strutting her stuff and belting out her hits including 'Only Love Can Hurt Like This'. De La Soul had the arena raving as they delivered their hip hop magic. Drum and bass heavyweights Pendulum reunited to performm together replacing a planned DJ set, much to the crowds delight.

The dance tent was ever popular with acts including Goldie, Toddla T, Philip George and Hannah Wants. Dance acts and DJ's filled other stages too, Radio 1's Annie Mac a strangely placed act on the main stage at 3.50 in the afternoon.

The Glee Comedy Stage was some what out of place. Saturday saw acts such as Seann Walsh, Frankie Boyle and Nick Helm. Whilst Sunday followed with Shappi Khorsandi, Russell Kane and Hypnodog featuring Kystyna Lennon. It was quite surreal watching grown men and women apparently falling asleep after looking at a dog! It didn't really pull in the crowds and with the final act appearing at 6.30pm, it felt like space being wasted.

Did it attract the wrong type of crowd? Too many young kids? I don't think so, there was a fair mix of ages, teenagers up to the more mature reveller.

Overall I think the festival has lost its way this year. I'm all for festivals with pop acts and electric beats but I always regarded V festival as a celebration of Brit/indie music and feel that this ethos has been lost. Let's hope we see it celebrate its 21st Birthday in style.

Tickets for 2016 are now on sale at a discounted price.

Review: Victoria Thornton Photos: Courtesy of V Festival