THE one that turned Somerset into a tropical carnival: Seeed, JazzWorld Stage. If Glastonbury gave awards for explosive musical fusion and dazzling old-school showmanship, Seeed would have won both this year. Their multicultural set wove together dancehall reggae, funk and soul, all topped off with the booty-shaking gyrations of a three-woman formation dancing team.

The one that could be headlining Glastonbury 2007: Clor, The Lounge. Glastonbury debutants Clor lived up to the media buzz gathering around them with an energetic set of quirky, jerky, cerebral funk-pop. Marrying guitars and electronics, they sang in shrill robot voices while playing complex progressive-rock rhythms at breakneck speed. With sharper haircuts, they could be the next Franz Ferdinand.

The one who made a political party broadcast: M.I.A, John Peel Stage. She has been hyped all over the hip style press, which is usually not a promising omen, but the artist formerly known as Maya Arulpragasam proved herself to be worthy of the media frenzy on Friday.

The one who made Gwen Stefani look like a shy wallflower: Roisin Murphy, JazzWorld Stage. Airing tracks from her first solo album since quitting Moloko, Ruby Blue, Murphy’s new songs really came alive as a full band wrapped clonking jazzy rhythms and parping big band brass around her extra-terrestrial disco diva catwalk show.

The one that had prairie tumbleweeds blowing through their songs: Rilo Kiley, John Peel Stage. Youthful devotees of traditional back-porch Americana, Rilo Kiley were the rodeo sweethearts of Glastonbury 2005. Specialising in rich, polished country-rock with close harmony vocals, the Los Angeles quartet’s set brought a warm romantic glow to the mundane festival mid-point late on Saturday afternoon.

The one that went back to the future: Headland, The Lounge. Bringing art-school wit and urbane retro-pop collage to the heart of the festival mudbath, Headland’s low-key set was a welcome blast of fresh city air.

The one wearing a ten gallon hat of tongue-in-cheek irony: Hayseed Dixie, Avalon Stage. The name is a laboured pun on AC/DC, and their musical jokes ought to wear equally thin after a few numbers. But not so, because this foot-stomping bluegrass tribute act invested their comedy cover versions of hard-rock classics with genuine affection and skilled musicianship.

The one who could not quite believe their sudden revival in popularity: Chas & Dave, Acoustic Stage. Old masters of the pub singalong, the evergreen Cockney duo — or trio, to be accurate — were one of the unexpected sideshow hits of the festival. Their unplugged version of There Ain’t No Pleasing You, most notably, was better than Coldplay’s entire set.

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