Photo by Becca Bailey

We spent a marvellous Sunday at Lost Map’s inaugural Island Hop, eating, drinking and listening to some great sounds in the nautical (ish) surroundings of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. Musically, Rozi Plain held a captive audience with her sparse, finger-picked electric folk, and it was great to see Johnny Lynch get up on stage with her too.

Lost Map Records’s latest signing, Glaswegian guitar-pop trio Tuff Love, played a sparkling set which got everyone up off their feet, and The Pictish Trail was, hands down, magnificent.

Enjoying the new video too, which premiered this week on The Quietus.

On the comedy side of things, Josie Long and friends, in particular Ben Partridge and Nell Frizzell, kept us entertained long into the evening. The inimitable wild flower Matthew Clayton was also there, all present and correct, proudly flying the flag for Caught by the River with his island-led patter, and Robin Turner and Pete Fowler were on hand to spin a cheery song, or five.

And elsewhere, the screening of Alison McAlpine’s wonderfully evocative, critically acclaimed 2008 film Second Sight was a welcome cinematic distraction.

An all round great day, so hats off to Johnny Lynch for organising and for all those who came down. Here’s to the next one…

Mathew Clayton will be part of the Caught by the River camp at Port Eliot and Festival No 6 this year.