A quiet seaside village on the south coast is probably the last place you would expect to find one of the most eclectic and pioneering music festivals of the year, but the All Tomorrow's Parties extravaganza in Camber Sands, Sussex, is just that. Benedict Moore-Bridger was there.

ONE of the most innovative and eagerly anticipated shindigs of the music calendar, the downright brilliant ATP is the rallying point for the best in underground and alternative music.

The event is curated each year by a headline act, who personally select all the bands to support them on the day. This year, Nirvana predecessors Mudhoney, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and folk hero Devendra Banhart each had a day to themselves, hand-picking their favourite bands to play.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs day brought the most surprises. US collective TV On The Radio's diverse beats and harmonies were a firm favourite, while Brooklyn's garage punk phenomenon Oneida thrilled everyone with their unhinged, avant-garde virtuosity and raw power. Genre-defying Celebration were an unexpected highlight, but it was the headline band themselves who stole the show.

Karen O's incredible stage presence was matched only by the ferocity of her band, and adorned with a costume that looked like something out of Donnie Darko for the encore, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were a unanimous festival favourite.

Sunday was a far more chilled affair, but was by no means any less arresting. The legendary Ramblin' Jack Elliot had the crowd hanging on his every word with his humorous tales of truck-driving dogs and opinions on flash photography.

And the exquisitely beautiful Natasha Khan from psychedelic folk group Bat For Lashes had some audience members actually in tears following her band's effortlessly intimate performance.

The festival has a very special atmosphere surrounding it: set in a Pontins holiday park, the oddness of the location cannot go unnoticed, but very soon the place feels like home. There is a beautiful beach a stone's throw away, and the sight of seeing all your new favourite bands walking around and enjoying the music the same as everyone else makes ATP one of the most unique festival experiences.

On regular occasions, people unfamiliar with a band before the gig are seen sprinting to the merchandise store, cash in hand to purchase their entire back catalogue after an earth-shattering set, proclaiming them to be their "new favourite band in the history of the world, ever", and there is a certain vicarious pleasure in seeing previously unknown groups grow in stature and success following their initiation at ATP.

Watching a set you could very easily be standing next to an NME hack or the next performer as much as your friends and, like all good festivals, when the bands are over the party continues in the all-night pub and chalets around the venue.

The next ATP event curated by Thurston Moore will feature Iggy and the Stooges and Sonic Youth among others.

Visit www.atpfestival.com for tickets.