Driving out to the back of beyond in the drizzling rain it was easy to lose hope in what had been billed as one of the region's essential music events of the summer.

There were, after all, high expectations for Edenfest 2001, built on the back of the success of last year's sizzling event where the beer flowed and the sun shone and everything was perfect.

Looking at the damp fields on the way to Brougham, near Penrith the word "washout" sprung to mind.

But suddenly there it was - Eden's very own paradise - with people, fairgrounds and hot dogs and jugglers and of course music.

The Dum Dums got things off the ground to the delight of a hard core of screaming fans.

The lads really warmed to the atmosphere - even experimenting with a few "rockstar" gestures towards the end of their set.

Clothes were removed, a guitar was flung, a microphone kicked over and bass player, Steve Clarke, came over all manly and launched his belt into the audience.

"This song is dedicated to anyone out there who doesn't have a clue where they are going with their lives," said lead singer Josh Doyle.

An apt comment considering the chaps are poised on the brink of separation after nearly five years of happy union.

Straight after their set bass player Steve told Off The Record that the Eden crowd were a star bunch who had made the rain all worthwhile.

"We enjoyed it up there," he said.

" But we only arrived about two minutes before we went on.

We just had time to meet the other blokes in the bands and they are all cool, so we are enjoying ourselves."

Gesturing to his tanned torso he said, "I have just come back from Greece so this weather is pretty bad, but the people here are great and that is what it is all about."

After comparing performance-induced blood-blistered fingers with Steve, his fellow band member drummer Stuart Wilkinson told Off The Record: "I had a good time tonight.

I had a few sound problems but the crowd was great.

They have got some bottle to come out at all in this.

This sort of weather really doesn't bother me - I was born in the rain."

He added "YES, it is true that we are splitting up soon but as you can see we all still get on fine.

Just now we have done what we wanted to do as a band.

We have been together for nearly five years.

We have toured all over abroad and played at Wembley."

The band's plans for the future are still hazy but there is talk of three different bands to come out of the group with all three heading in different directions.

As Stuart put it: "There is more rock to be had elsewhere."

Then, with a swift change of set, it was time for the Bluetones to take to the stage.

With his slick buttoned down image, lead singer Mark Morris set the tone in shirt and tie.

Slick as can be, the grown up band, together for nearly a decade now, got to work with an eclectic mix of tunes from the mellow lullaby-inspired songs such as Tiggerlilly, through Beach Boy covers to the more upbeat Slack Jaw and a preview of a maybe-to-be-released single called Freeze Dried Pop.

"Listen to it and if it is released you can buy it.

We will be cool again and everyone will be happy," he said.

But the truth is, despite the vicissitudes of music-fashion industry, the Bluetones are cool and remain so because they just do their thing.

In one simple gesture Morris out-performed the lot as he reached out with one hand to catch a plastic pint glass arc-ing through the sky.

Without missing a beat he finished the song before rolling up his beer splattered shirt sleeves and getting stuck into the next song.

However, it was Feeder - the headline act - that the crowd really went mad for - the audience swelled and the lightshow was incredible.

Eden erupted as the band launched into the chart busting Buck Rodgers and Feeder just kept on coming up with the goods.

By midnight everything was as it should have been, the rock chicks wore damp hair and small tops the rock chaps were pierced, the small kids danced, the fairground glittered and the music - well it rocked.