The idea of a three day music festival set along the lake of Malawi just sounds wildly exotic, with appearances from eclectic artists such as Seth Lakeman, the Scratch Perverts and the Black Missionaries, Africa couldn't disappoint.

The Lake Of Stars is the only Malawian musical meeting of the West and Africa, when African rappers the Swahili Hip Hop foundation rub shoulders with Devon born, folk violin playing, Seth Lakeman. The mind boggles to what the Malawians imagine an artist called the Scratch Perverts will do on stage.

By Friday morning the typical African blue sky and hot sun was warming the crowd, the atmosphere was buzzing with smiling faces, the golden strip of beach and calm lake waters couldn't fail to keep anyone happy, coupled with the fact the bar, main stage, beach and campsite are all located within a one minute square walk from each other. It was a perfect festival site.

When DJ Mr Paul opened the main stage at midday, people danced in the shallow lake waters to Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' which pounded across the festival site and fueled the crowd.

The acts on the main stage had been ordered into alternating roughly between Western and African artists, ensuring the musical tastes of the audience were catered for. Malawians who dragged themselves from the lake to catch the energetic African Makambule brothers were treated to the end of the nice guy, British acoustic guitar act Nick Mulvey, singing his own brand of easy going Hawianesque Jack Johnson style lyrics.

The 12 piece Irish barber shop quartet, Kormac, had sent 4 of their finest on an 8 day road trip starting in South Africa and finishing at the festival the day before their performance. Allowing for the fact their two drivers, I quote the bass player "were always steaming" and had driven through three countries "map-less" it came as little surprise when their driver deposited them outside the festival gate 24 hours late, at 21:10 and they were due on stage at 21:15.

It must have been an initial surprise to the Malawians to see and hear 500 or so mzungo's dancing around energetically to Kormac's Irish ditties, but they soon joined in. I went to take a close up photo of the two lead singers, they grabbed my camera and decided to take a photo of me plus crowd instead.

Tiwonge and Bafipa jumped onto stage next and set the crowd alight as people danced to the samba African beats and fast paced lyrics. Just one of many excellent Malawian musicians that played the festival over the weekend.

DJ Ali B was to follow but a flight delay meant up-stepped Radio 1 DJ Mary Anne Hobbs to cover him. Mary opted to play a heavy dub-step set of underground dirty bass lines that soon left most Africans wandering off looking for the bar and a reducing audience. I'm a huge fan of Mary Anne, but there is a time and place for 90 min dub-step set, and possibly the main stage at the Lake of Stars festival wasn't one of them.

By midnight the crowd was crazy, as Skitz and Rodney P stepped up with a giant slab of party tunes, one of the festivals highlights for me, really kicked off. MC's you either love them or hate them - but you have to admire the almost telepathic communication between Skitz and Rodney P that just shows how much they practice and love what they do.

By Saturday morning the festival has ballooned to a record capacity of 2000 strong as Malawaians stuck in work on Friday built the tent village into a town, and got stuck into the milk cartons of Chibuku shake shake. A mixture of African and Reggae beats started the main stage off to a mellow crowd as people searched for some precious shade from the furious sun and some cold beer.

The Malawian minister for tourism had come down to visit the festival site and in the afternoon he delivered a speech on the main stage. He seemed overwhelmed that Malawi was the host for such a large and well organised music festival, and took the opportunity of an open mic to make a lengthy speech. As he closes he calls for a speech from the festivals founder and director - "Mr Will Jameison come on to the stage" The crowd waits, and waits. "Will, Will, Will?" "Ahhh, a word from Harry instead then".

The Mercury prize nominee Seth Lakeman played a solo violin in the evening and brought the crowd to a fever of appreciation. He introduced each song with a story of local folklore about Cornwall and Devon, 'now this song is all about if you don't go to church on a Sunday you will turn to stone'. He finished his set by playing in a sort of double string style, he played a rhythm and melody simultaneously that increased in tempo throughout until his bow moved into a blur of speed. Malawian and Westerner alike cheered him off-stage.

We sat down with an old Clevedonian friend, Alex Holdsworth and her boyfriend Chris on the Sunday afternoon for a Chibuku Shake Shake tasting session. After a few mouthfuls of gritty, white, pasty liquid heavy on the maize meal it got donated to a passing thirsty Malawian.

We watched a Malawian guitar hero play later, easily in his seventies, Edgar & Davis was brilliant. During his last number Malawians pushed forward to throw bank notes on the stage. Edgar left with a huge wedge of money and a very happy face. Guy Ninja and the shooting stars was another highlight of the festival, throbbing African drums, spluttering and catchy vocals and an electric guitar melody that held it all together brilliantly.Guy Ninja had acquired some crazy funky dancers that finished off the night on the main stage on a high.

We want to the festival hoping to be entertained and found it to be a stunning location, incredibly good music that rivaled the diversity of WOMAD festival. We left planning how to come back next year.

Cooper Out

Love Dan & Kat