The last couple of days at Sunsplash were pretty mixed. A couple of acts really caught my imagination, namely Ziggy Marley and Groundation, but there was a also a disappointing return to the artificial stylings I wrote about on the first few days.

Having been recommended to check out Groundation some time ago, I have a few of their records, but the band is equally good if not better to see live. In the post-show press conference, keyboardist Marcus Urani talked about how the group started off playing jazz together before introducing elements of reggae and gradually arriving at the progressive sound they have today. Indeed, there was a strong emphasis on individual improvisation to complement the strong roots reggae foundations of the music. The horn section of trumpet and trombone were treated to frequent solos and it was fitting that the first bass solo I'd heard at the whole festival came on the last day. All were of a high standard and the crowd also felt the impact of the lyrics, which consciously tackle a number of prominent issues. Definitely one of the highlights of the festival for me.

I'd heard mixed things about Ziggy Marley and wasn't really sure what to expect, since I don't own any of his albums. There was some talk of the cheesy catch-line "love is my religion" as one of his major slogans, but he didn't really go on about that during his set. Instead, the extensive band gave a tight display of mostly roots-style reggae, combining original songs with new arrangements of a few Bob Marley numbers. Ziggy definitely has a hauntingly similar voice to his great father and there was no messing around with live "rewinding" or anything like that. A couple of tunes near the end did get a little commercial and tiresome, but on the whole I really liked his music.

Some of the other acts of the final two days included Tanya Stephens, Famara, Toure Kunda and Shaggy. The iconic pop-dancehall singer was making a highly anticipated appearence, which the festival organisers didn't stop emphasising was his only in Europe this year. I don't want to think about how much they paid him, but I won't go on with criticism because I think there's been enough of that recently. Out of the other names on that list, I enjoyed the African reggae sounds of Toure Kunda and his band from Senegal. Maybe it was a bit of a token gesture that he was the only real African artist playing at the festival, but the music was chilled out and relaxing - perfect for winding down on the penultimate day of this long festival.

Of course the programme was always going to be a compromise between the more and less commercial elements of reggae music, and I'm not sure if the formula was balanced in the right way. DJ Neil Perch of Zion Train summed it up during his session at the Reggae University by saying most record companies function like an "audio McDonald's" - they produce what is easiest to sell. That's just the industry for you; I think it's the same in every genre.

And I haven't yet talked about any other activities than the music: the festival consisted of a lot more than only the artists performing on the main stage. The aforementioned Reggae University ran daily sessions in the Dancehall tent on a variety of topics, from history of the music to discussions looking at specific sub-genres such as dub. The eminent biographer of Lee "Scratch" Perry, David Katz, was involved in many of these, as well as a selection of other authoritative guest speakers. The primary setback was that these workshops often ran at a very slow pace due to the need for translation into Italian or English of much of what was being said by different people, but the content was usually of an interesting nature. It was a nice idea to involve this kind of education programme in the festival, as the history and origins of reggae music are incredibly convoluted and diverse.

There were also other performance areas such as the "original showcase" and a couple of smaller tents, which gave upcoming bands the chance to get some new fans. On the first day there was an international Reggae Contest in the Dancehall tent, the winners of which are now embarking on a lucrative tour of several European festivals. I don't really think music should be about competition, but this idea represents a great opportunity for new and developing bands to gain a greater following. Perhaps unsurprisingly it was an Italian group - Franziska - which emerged victorious; I didn't watch all the contenders, but this genre-mixing band could be one to look out for.

Finally, many attendees of the festival had the chance to develop their own skills during a series of classes in such things as African and Brazilian percussion and various styles of dance. The djembe workshops were particularly popular and it was great to see people from all different backgrounds brought together by the desire to learn.

The general atmosphere of this festival was perhaps the best thing. For the whole nine days everything was so relaxed and laid back, as one would expect from such a combination of the Italian mentality and Jamaican soundtrack. A match made in heaven? The Sunsplash has definitely been a great festival and maybe I will even return next year!