Bugged Out Weekender 2016: Laughing in the face of seriousness

Bugged Out veteran Erol Alkan is our first port-of-call at The Escape on Friday night, one of the many carpeted arenas but also the smallest and most intimate. Once we've grabbed our double vodka Slush Puppy, it's to an already pretty-full dancefloor.

Erol provides one of the heavier sets of the weekend, franticly mixing tracks like 'Lack Of Love' by Charles B and his reworks of 'Waldorf' by Margot and 'Engine' by LA Priest, which he ended the set with. He's one of the only artists to have played every single weekender and as part of the family, we couldn't not go and check in.

Over on Centre Stage, Kurupt FM hilariously tee up their idol DJ EZ. But the master turns in a disappointing performance, his uber-tight mixing and head-spinning button mashing let down by too many chart hits. The crowd came expecting garage classics but are subject to 'Hotline Bling'. As I leave, one girl describes the set as "worse than getting dog shit on your shoe." EZ should have drawn for the Beddingfield.

Some quality fancy dress instantly puts a smile back on my face, though. One woman is going up to people asking if they "want an E" before handing out a small letter E made of felt, while her partner walks round with a flip-flop with ping-pong balls for googly eyes attached to a lead. After further investigation, the creation on the lead is called Phillipa-flop and she's been a massive success all weekend.

Paranoid London back in the Escape is the perfect leveler after EZ's stinker, with the duo's chunky acid and pumped-up basslines garnering cheers from everyone inside. A perfect festival act and the perfect contrast to Centre Stage.