Gurtenfestival 2018

There's always one moment at Gurten that catapults the festival from charming to breathtaking. This year's moment came courtesy of Prophets of Rage. Their rendition of Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" turned even the most placid of audience members into pogoing lunatics. Mosh pits formed left and right and everyone gleefully shouted the chorus back at the band. A bonkers highlight of the festival.

On the more calm end of the spectrum, Swiss band Hecht's impromtu set next to the food court one afternoon was another highlight, fans gathering around in a circle and singing along to every word.

A rejig of Gurten's layout - adding extra space with a view of the Alps - has worked wonders for the festival's vibe. That sardine-in-a-tin-box feeling has gone, replaced by a more spacious atmosphere. The three stages - Main Stage, Tent Stage and Forest Stage - have been given room to breathe.

For me personally, this year's line-up was less interesting than it has been in the past. Some bands were fine but unexciting; some rappers were so bad that they shall remain nameless. But there were enough bands with the energy and charisma to generate new fanbases, mainly on the Tent Stage.

New York's Sofi Tukker wowed the crowd with high-energy electropop; Parcels created a funk-inspired 1970s time warp, complete with big collars and bell-bottoms; Flight Facilities' set included one member dressed up as Biggles; and Alice Merton kicked off the festival with great vocal flair.

As always, the Forest Stage was reserved for Swiss bands: everyone from James Gruntz to The Cavers through Tobias Carshey, Saint City Orchestra and The Gardener & The Tree delivered the goods. The latter's earthshaking baritone was particularly impressive, while Bell Baronets and their full-bodied blues rock were a standout discovery - think Royal Blood meets Jack White.

On the Main Stage, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, Jacob Banks, Two Door Cinema Club, The Cat Empire and Opal Ocean were perfect afternoon headliners, drawing the audience to the stage despite the sun beating down.

Saturday evening headliner Mø
 was entertaining and upbeat, while Wednesday evening headliner Gorillaz were down in the dumps after England lost to Croatia in the football world cup a mere five minutes before the band were due on stage. They gamely powered through, but Damon Albarn pleaded with the crowd to give him the energy he needed - which they did.

Photographs of many of those mentioned above, plus alt-J, Angus and Julia Stone, Isaac Gracie, Pat Burgener, Plan B, The Two and Wincent Weiss are here on Flickr.

- Anna Wirz

Here's the English Show's interview with Tobias Carshey.