Fans of the homegrown indie and alternative music scene here thronged the various venues within the Esplanade as annual festival Baybeats kicked off on Friday.

The sounds are eclectic. At the Chillout stage at the Concourse, singer-songwriter Jaime Wong put on a tender yet bluesy showcase of original tunes in a laidback unplugged set.

Psychedelic-rock quintet Spacedays at the Arena, or Outdoor Stage, lived up to their name by playing a multi-faceted, out-of-orbit set that was at times trippy, groovy and soulful.

Over at the Powerhouse stage, hardcore band Straight Forward played a meaty setset as their fans moshed along in the pit.

The newcomers from the festival's Budding Bands programme rocked impressive shows. Post-rockers Sphaeras mesmerised the audience with odd time-signatures and complex song structures while pop-punkers Attention! The New Portsdown had their fans jumping along to catchy, feel good anthems.