Cumbria's biggest music festival returned today, kicking off only its second-ever four-day programme.

Expanded for last year's 10th anniversary celebration, Kendal Calling's line-up has arguably improved once more, as around 25,000 people look forward to seeing headline names such as chart stars Rudimental, ska veterans Madness, and ex-Oasis man Noel Gallagher over the next three days. The festival got under way this afternoon with teenage star-in-the-making Declan McKenna opening the Main Stage to a modest-sized crowd, which is set to swell to capacity tomorrow.

The young singer-songwriter - already with national recognition, having won Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition last summer - will have picked up some new fans with his accomplished set of originals, which have seen him land a high-profile tour with indie pop band of the moment Blossoms. The Manchester band are appearing on the Calling Out stage tonight.

Girl group Pins also appeared, performing catchy, no frills rock, before former Kendal Calling headliners Ash took to the stage, performing tracks from their iconic number one album 1977, which marks its 20th anniversary this year.

First night headliners The Charlatans have had a long association with the festival - based at Lowther Deer Park, near Penrith - and evidently had a huge following in attendance as they rounded out the night with a "greatest hits" set, featuring their top 10 hits from the 1997 album Tellin' Stories, which cemented their place in Britpop history.

Frontman Tim Burgess will curate the Tim Peaks Diner stage for the rest of the weekend - one of 11 music stages, that will see acts such as Craig David, The Darkness, The Hives and Pete Doherty perform in the Lake District for the first time.

Early heavy rain left its mark on the site, with the typical festival mud already set in. A relatively dry evening meant that everyone who had paid for the additional Thursday tickets - estimated to be around 10,000 people - enjoyed the high-profile Main Stage sets.

Today's action sees Rudimental top the bill, but with internationally-renowned names such as Catfish and The Bottlemen, US indie act We Are Scientists, and re-formed Brit band Milburn welcome in the weekend.