IT'S five past eight in the morning, and it'll be a good 10 hours or so before the band themselves even consider taking to the stage. But the roaring masses up the back of the double-decker bus careering out of Edinburgh's St Andrew Square bus station don't give a damn.
The Fratellis' 'Chelsea Dagger' is being belted out at the top of their lungs, and there is little doubt that we are officially on the road to Balado 2008.
Headliners the Verve and Chemical Brothers kicked things off on Friday night, but yesterday was all about the 80,000 music fans who came decked in the obligatory wacky wellies and cowboy hats to rock to Sharleen Spiteri, Kate Nash, Biffy Clyro, the Kooks and Kaiser Chiefs. And today they await the appearance of Amy Winehouse.
As the fans arrive they have the option of an 'Express Pizza Breakfast', nachos and waffles superdeals, or just a plain old chip butty.
That said, this year's arena has smartened up its act, and appears to have taken a few tips from the more boutique-style music festivals which have cropped up around its heels over the last few years.
Away from the flag-flying moshers at the main stage, and just far enough away from the bpm hardcore in the Slam Tent, there is a new, more sedate side of T in the Park showing its face.
The Food From Argyll area of the field signals entry into a chilled-out zone of reiki head massage, a Refresh tent, complete with hair straighteners and beautifying products, and the longest food queue of the day is for the Puddledub Burger Stall (Buffalo and Auchtertool Angus). Changed days indeed: more people are queuing at the tea tent than the beer tent.
As the gates creak open at 11.30am, and the Kinross Pipe Band strike up to welcome the 60,000 Shaun Of The Dead-style extras from the campsite back in for more, and the fresh faced Saturday fans in for their first taste, Chief Superintendent Matt Hamilton is happy to report a relatively trouble-free festival so far.
"There are six people being remanded in custody, which is extremely low at this stage for an event of this size. We look forward to the continued good nature of the fans and once again we urge everyone to have a good time but remain vigilant."
Despite forecasts of showers, by the time the music kicks off around midday the sun is battling through the clouds, and the First Aid tent is already fielding sunscreen requests.
Greg, from Edinburgh, was one of the first through the gate. "Camping has been pretty good. I thought it would be worse. This is my first full camping experience here, and I've not used the toilets, so we'll wait and see. The biggest surprise so far was probably the Stereophonics on Friday. I thought they'd play their new stuff, but they came out and did all their old hits. It was buzzing."
Matt Kennedy, 32, a spray painter from Falkirk, is here with his wife Mandy, 30. Matt is wearing a tight blue and yellow nylon suit with Beer Man written across his chest and silver shades on his forehead. Definitely a homemade outfit with a holster for carrying pints of beer but sadly too small to fit the plastic cups of Tennants.
It turns out Matt is a veteran: "This is our last year at T in the Park. We've got three kids now and we want a holiday next year so we won't be coming back. We've been to 10 T and the Parks out of the last 15. We want to see Kaiser Chiefs, Ting Tings, Sharleen Spiteri. It feels a lot bigger this year, much more spread out. The whole atmosphere is really exciting."
Diane Dunbar, from Belfast, says: "I'm staying in the Tangerine Fields because I'm too much of a lazy snob to go elsewhere. You turn up and your tent's there, all put up for you. There are only two of us and we've got an eight-man tent, so it's pretty good. I saw a bit of the Chemical Brothers on Friday night, and they are always excellent."
In a decidedly white, male, rock-dominated line-up, reggae star Eddy Grant is a welcome festival opener on the Main Stage. As soon as he, and his bootylicious Caribbean backing dancers hit the mic, the party has officially started.
With the Blackout, the Black Dog and Fight Like Apes as the alternatives, perhaps he doesn't have much competition, but Grant's sexy-at-60 stage presence takes everyone by surprise. What that man can do with a guitar could put Prince to shame, folks.
Saturday's really big surprise is the appearance of Paolo Nutini, who performs a set at the T Break Stage.
Asked if the set was merely him road-testing new songs from the studio, the singer says: "We weren't on the bill so I just thought, is there any way we can do it without worrying too much about the size of the gig?
"So we got half an hour to basically have some fun, play some new songs, some old stuff. We're still in the studio, mixing, so it's good to get out and road-test the new stuff. This is my third time playing here. One thing I realised, going to all the festivals last year, is that T in the Park is the perfect size for a festival.
"You go to Glastonbury and you miss bands – you just can't get to them in time in case you're trying to catch the end of somebody else's set."
The impromptu feel of the performances are reflected in the attitude of the authorities at Balado. Police officer Chris Colman, who is mingling with the crowds at Main Stage after Eddy Grant's opening act, summed up the (so far) relaxed attitude and appearance of the police at this year's festival.
"I'm happy to be here. It's a fantastic atmosphere and a great crowd. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and just getting on with it. I don't want to tempt fate about the weather but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. This is my eighth T in the Park. Most years they seem to be getting better. It's much better working in the arena rather than the campsite."
Ensconced in the middle of the action, festival director Geoff Ellis is in an equally positive frame of mind.
"I am personally really looking forward to seeing Rage Against the Machine. They played the first ever T in the Park in 1994 so it's a real coup to have them perform at our 15th anniversary. The Balado atmosphere has been incredible, with the T in the Park crowds living up to their reputation as the best in the UK."
Winehouse still set to performTROUBLED singing star Amy Winehouse is still expected to perform at T in the Park tonight, despite the latest concerns over her health.
Winehouse's father, Mitch, revealed that from September 6 this year she would not be performing live "for the foreseeable future". He said: "She has five contractual gigs between now and then that she has to do. Then she will be relaxing and writing."
The 24-year-old singer was hospitalised last month after collapsing at one of her London homes. Tests revealed she had the early stages of the potentially fatal lung disease emphysema, common in much older cigarette smokers.
It is believed the singer's reported use of crack cocaine has accelerated the condition.
"I want people to understand – even if they give her one cigarette, they're causing her harm," Mitch Winehouse said yesterday.
Jen LaveryRead all our T in the Park news and reviews hereThe full article contains 1309 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
