Only a small fraction of the people who attend fall into the category "bearded, waistcoated old diehards with tankards strapped to their waistbands".

There is a suspicion that excessive sound levels may sometimes be a substitute for poor artistic quality. I didn't attend any of the marquee 1 concerts but I heard several comments about the 'loud rubbish' of some Indian band (Jaipur Kawa?) - and some people left Shooglenifty because (so I was told) the bass was just so loud it felt like they were being shaken in their seats. Pity - their music is generally very listenable (and danceable) in the right setting and at an appropriate volume.

Some youngsters may already have impaired hearing as a result of too much exposure to rock concerts (and IPods at too high volume?) which again is a pity.

A specific comment about Shrewsbury is that the sound from marquee 1 apparently interfered with events in marquee 2 - again I was only told this, I have no direct experience. It was certainly the case at the last Chippenham festival - people in the concert hall complained about the sound level of Florida in the adjacent ceilidh. And then the organisers ask in their handouts - please be quiet leaving the venues to avoid disturbing the locals !!!