Pleasingly progressing into larger and larger venues each year, the line-up for Lexapalooza 2008 is as delightfully eclectic as ever. From hardcore to indie by way of folk singer-songwriters and metal acts, there's something here to satisfy everybody's taste buds on the third annual breast cancer awareness all-dayer set up by the sadly departed Alexa "Lexi" Burroughs.

It may well be tipping it down outside, but by the time Rock Midgets makes it inside the excellent Jedethan are brewing up a storm of their own. Mixing the discordant guitars of Quicksand with knock out hooks Kurt Cobain would have been proud to call his own, it's baffling why this London-based outfit aren't more of a household name. Having recently come off a European jaunt with this evening's headliner, the trio are an absolute revelation, scaling speaker stands and finishing the set wedged deep in the crowd. Band of the day, no question.

An act you'd much more readily associate with scenester hotspot Nambucca are Screaming Ballerinas. Looking every inch like they've just stepped off the cover of i-D, with vocalist Laura Trouble's dishevelled peroxide bob making her eerily reminiscent of a young Debbie Harry, the young five-piece's brand of disco-pop so achingly hip it hurts - leaves you in no doubt that Screaming Ballerinas could be huge if self-appointed tastemakers like NME latch onto them.

Now, there's few terms in the English language that strike as much fear into the heart of this particular hack as "prog-rock" does. So when one of Inertia Blooms's three guitarists takes to the stage sporting a Pink Floyd t-shirt, the prospect of sneaking off to watch a dire England side struggle past Andorra's part-timers suddenly looks strangely attractive. But credit where credits due, while they may not be as enthralling as masters of the craft like Oceansize and The Mars Volta, their winding, largely instrumental offerings still impress even the most cynical among us.

With the InMe faithful barging their way to the front of the stage, next up a tipsy Dave McPherson succeeds in surprising many. Accompanied only by bandmate Ben Konstantinovic and an acoustic guitar, McPherson's day job may leave many distinctly cold, but throwing in a cover of Death Cad For Cutie's 'I Will Follow You Into The Dark' is a sure way of winning over any naysayers.

A North London boozer where many of his songs take their inspiration from, watching Frank Turner in Nambucca is like observing a wild animal in its natural habitat. Coincidently marking the troubadour's 500th solo show, tonight also witnesses perhaps the first ever stage dive to his folk offerings, with event organiser Evan Cotter surfing across the crowd during a splendid 'I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous'. But the day's undoubted highlight comes during a tearful rendition of 'Long Live The Queen', a song penned in memory of Lexi - you'd have to have a heart made out of pure ice not to be moved. Surviving a mass stage invasion during the now obligatory ABBA 'Dancing Queen' encore, Turner provides a fittingly celebratory end to an incredibly triumphant day.

Rating: 4/5 by Dan Jones

Further links

InMe Online

The Inme Official site

Frank Turner on Myspace

Home of the Folk Punk on Myspace. HAs a thing about Myspace Messages.

Jedethan on MySpace

MySpace page of London's best keep secrets