By Andrea Munoz & Ru Musikavanhu

There is little doubt that Wilderness doesn’t quite fit the mould of most of the summer’s major festivals. Where else would you get to rub shoulders with the likes of Cara Delevingne, Jason Flemyng and Douglas Booth, while indulging in Laurent Perrier Brut and pavlova for breakfast?

Since Secret Productions took over the rather more sedate version of the festival a few years ago, they have broadened its appeal, while pulling in some heavy hitters from the contemporary music scene across a plethora of genres.

Friday kicked off with the heart-warming resonance of accordions, banjos and fiddles when Head North took to the Bandstand. Into the evening’s headline act on the Main Stage and despite the driving rain, Metronomy kept spirits high with a performance that eclipsed their much-lauded appearance earlier this summer at Glastonbury.

With their familiar mix of jangly guitars and effects-driven synths setting the mood for a night of revelry, the Pandemonium Stage provided a natural progression. Here, set back from the rest of the festival site in a steep-banked valley, Bristol-based DJ Eats Everything served up a delectable feast of turn-table trickery to the ravenous thousands who had descended into the ‘free party’ atmosphere.

Saturday started early and with all Wilderness attendees already on site and hungover, everyone knew the main day could not disappoint, after the debauchery of the evening before. The Juke Joint, a Dixie-themed enclave, was no doubt the festivals’ hidden gem. By midday, Mojo Hand had the crowds sitting on the nearby slopes transfixed as he meandered through a bewildering array of blues licks, punctuated by his gravely vocals.

Shortly after, Nuala Honan gave a tear-jerking performance in the Travelling Folk Barn – the combination of her intricate guitar-picking style and her vocal range are unrivalled on the folk scene.

When Tom Waits’ record label ANTI- signed The Melodic - a little known rag-tag outfit from Brixton – last year, many questioned the move. However, their subsequent debut album and performances have vindicated Waits’ apparent absurdity. Saturday’s dusk performance, although short, had everyone from buggy-pushers to bearded hipsters and frolicking neo hippies skipping in the rain, to this band’s unique blend of Charango-infused folk and dub.

Saturday’s headline act Burt Bacharach had been the talk of the festival. Such was the anticipation you might have been forgiven for thinking that all stages would have shut down for his performance, but not even the eager crowd could infuse life into a performance that saw the backing vocalists and band struggle to stay afloat, with a solemn and detached Bacharach at the helm.

Sundays are no longer the wind-down days of old, and the full compliant of acts kept the enthusiastic crowds in high spirits, despite the threatening rain. With her distinct mofro, Kimberley Anne gave an emotive solo performance laced with thought-provoking lyrics and memorable hooks that are bound to cause more waves on the music scene.

The WordTheatre Cosmos presentation on the Wilderness Stage has to take the award for ‘Most Dynamic And Extravagant Act’. Sixteen actors - including Jack Whitehall - recited excerpts from writings of George Lucas, The Beatles, Einstein, Stephen Hawking (and more) to the constant backing of a full live orchestra.

Before Sam Smith took to the Main Stage there was a sense that something special was brewing. From the moment he emerged and sent thousands into head spinning delirium he never let up. Most of his songs – Stay With Me, Money On My Mind, I’m Not The Only One - roll off the tongue with strange familiarity, but hearing his rich and bizarrely mature voice bellowing through the vast space of a festival is an unforgettable experience.

It was difficult to imagine that anything could top such a masterfully executed performance, but that is exactly what London Grammar did. The ease with which they approach their time on stage resonates with the rather mild manner in which Hannah Reid - the group’s lead singer - delivers her sometimes inscrutable and often haunting lyrics. Many have drawn comparisons to The xx and even Florence and the Machine, but listen closer to Wasting My Young Years and Sights, and London Grammar are stylistically in a league of their own. They occupy their own patch on the pop landscape and drew a perfect end to wholly enchanting festival.