After what was a stonkingly memorable (and sunny) Glastonbury, the 02 Wireless had a tough act to follow. Sure, punters only had to make their way to Hyde Park and their warm bed and a hot shower was only a short train ride away, but could the central London festival rival the atmosphere at the more non-commercial farmyard fests? We were there over the four days to find out. The beer queues were unbearable, the weather temperamental and the food expensive. The music however, left little room for complaint. We take a look back over some of the more memorable moments of the 02 Wireless Festival 2008.

1. Lily Allen forgets her words
Main Stage, Thursday
You’ve got to hand it to Lily Allen; the girl makes looking bad a full time job. The pink-haired songstress made a guest appearance during Mark Ronson’s set and it wasn’t just her skin-tight leopard-print leggings that grabbed the crowd’s attention. After forgetting the words to her own tune ‘Littlest Things’, she covered Kaiser Chief’s ‘Oh My God’. True to form, she smiled and ploughed on, cigarette in hand. A class act as always.

2. Mark Ronson brings his mates
Main Stage, Thursday
Ask the punters and they’ll tell you Mark Ronson’s set was brilliant. He’s a man with friends in high musical places and in addition to Lily Allen and Wiley, Charlatans’ frontman Tim Burgess joined him on stage for a big band version of ‘The Only One I Know’. Candie Payne also banged out her track ‘I Wish’ and Daniel Merriweather performed a cover of The Smiths’ ‘Stop Me’. Hey, if you’ve got a jam-packed little black book you may as well use it.

3. Jay-Z does it again
Main Stage, Thursday
After a well received and highly controversial Glastonbury headline spot, Jay-Z proved he’s on fire. ‘Hard Knock Life’ and ’99 Problems’ were delivered with the confidence of a man whose album sales have risen considerably since his Glasto appearance. Despite rumours of guest appearances, Jay-Z once again performed alone and served up a smorgasbord of hits including a remix of Panjabi MC’s hit ‘Mundian To Bach Ke’. When the fans opened their umbrellas to the sound of the tune (minus Rihanna), the sight was an impressive one.

4. Alex Turner’s surprise appearance
Sandisk Stage, Friday
The Sandisk stage played host to The Rascals on Friday afternoon and the lads were joined by Arctic Monkeys’ frontman Alex Turner for their rendition of ‘It Is Too Late’. Turner played guitar in a special treat for fans. If girlfriend, TV presenter Alexa Chung had joined them on stage it would have made for a delightfully Kate Moss-esque moment. Luckily, the boys coped perfectly well on their own.

5. Lightspeed Champion does Star Wars
The Main Stage, Friday
Not everyone can get away with covering the Star Wars theme tune. After all, the ewok obsessed are a critical bunch. NME favourite, Lightspeed Champion however, took the epic tune on and came out unscathed. In what seems to be a common addition to his sets, the musician adjusted his trademark furry hat, leant back in his tight yellow trousers and strummed out a Hans worthy solo. Ah, the petulance of youth.

6. Morrissey’s epic set
Main Stage, Friday
There was just one thing the masses wanted to see on Friday and it wasn’t the overload of advertisements and branding that makes Wireless such a corporate product fest. Morrissey was just the thing to offset the negative advertising vibes and his 21-song set did just that. With the help of an orchestra, he ploughed through Smiths’ classics, solo tunes, a Buzzcocks’ cover and his new gems. One man dressed in a clown suit spent the entire set thrashing about on a blow up guitar. He summed it up really; this was something special. Some legends always get it spot on.

7. Beck keeps it quiet
Main Stage, Friday
The pint-sized funk machine had very little to say to the audience throughout his set on the Main Stage. Instead, he let the music do most of the talking. Beck previewed tuned from his forthcoming album ‘Modern Guilt’ and kept the crowd happy with a number of hits. After opening with ‘Devil’s Haircut’, he poured forth ‘The New Pollution’, ‘Loser’ and ‘E-Pro’. Dressed all in black, Beck proved that talent speaks volumes; a funky hat doesn’t go astray either.

8. Underworld steal the show
Sandisk Stage, Saturday
Despite an entertaining set by Fatboy Slim, the audience connection just wasn’t quite there. Underworld was Saturday’s highlight; specifically the anthem ‘Born Slippy’. The British electronic music group set the tent alight with the tune made famous in Danny Boyle’s 1996 film Trainspotting. The roar of appreciation from the audience was fully deserved.

9. Australian/American invasion
The Main Stage, Sunday

Sunday was the day for London’s international visitors to flock to Hyde Park for some homegrown trips down memory lane. Powderfinger brought lumps to Australian throats whilst Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals and headliners Counting Crows waved goodbye to the 2008 festival and hello to fellow Americans with gusto. The patriotism was as thick as the slosh underfoot. It’s just a pity the Aussies didn’t bring the sun with them.

10. Famous Faces in the crowd
Hyde Park, Saturday
Hold a festival in the centre of London and you’re bound to get a handful of celebrities decked in festival garb. After all, it’s a great place to get papped being ‘cool’ with the normal gig-goers for the next day’s papers. Except that the normal punters use the general admission portaloos. Celebrities wiping their backsides with VIP paper during 2008’s event included Russell Brand, Leona Lewis, Gail Porter, Alexa Chung, Richard Branson’s son Sam and, wait for it… Pixie Geldof. Slim pickings, but somebody has to do it.