5 Reasons to haul ass to Hydro Connect

1. The Location - It's in the grounds of a castle on the banks of Loch Fyne. If you can't appreciate that you must be a blind man who lives in a castle. You're not though, are you?

2. The People - There's no easy way of putting this: everyone at Hydro Connect is there for the music and the good times, as opposed to y'know, other festivals, where you get the impression some folks are there solely to make boke castles after downing enough booze to kill a whale. In contrast, drink with an outstretched pinky at Connect and you could easily be mistaken for royalty, or Rick Parfitt from Status Quo (it happens, seriously).

3. The Food - Sure, Glasto's got its Non-Traditional Meat Source Burgers, and T's got its famous I'm In A Hurry Curry Bus, but Connect's got fresh oysters from Loch Fyne - that's the one we're all standing beside - for a pound a pop! There's nothing quite like a giant salty sea-bogey to stoke a rumbling stomach, that's for sure.

4. The Summer - This'll be the last big weekend of the summer, before we settle down for seven months of wondering why the hell we still live in this god-forsaken country. Won't it be lovely to sit outside past tea time for one last time in 2008?

5. The Music - Apparently they're putting on some bands too. The Roots! The Breeders! Grinderman! Spiritualized! Sigur Ros! Best make that 10 reasons, at the very least.