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I know it's been another lifetime since Sŵn Festival already, and some reviewers were able to file live reviews from various venues on the spot. I've gone away, had a good chew over the amount of music I heard over the four-day festival, and have a little summary of some of my unexpected finds and musical highlights.

Overall, despite the festival growing and changing and celebrating its fifth birthday this year, Sŵn has managed to keep the balance between new, local and international. Admittedly a few queues and almost a horrible crush at O'Neill's aside, it's still an exciting, bar-hopping experience.

Five years into going to in Texas and I didn't feel quite the same feeling of liberation. There you sometimes have no chance to get in to a hot ticket despite going at an early hour. I once had to bribe a bouncer $10 to get me in round the back door, only to find it was a bit rubbish inside.

Anyway, Sŵn was a wonderful weekend, and what a wonderful array of new sights and sounds I have experienced. Here are my top 10 finds:

. A band from London who've astoundingly only been together a few months. They were the first complete surprise, sounding like a fresh Vampire Weekend or Local Natives, all jerky, melodic, African guitar sounds, and intricate drums. They'll soon be touring with Summer Camp and Neon Indian.

Like a high-pitched Cyndi Lauper with a dramatic, engaging scandinavian frontwoman, who's all power moves and beautiful broken English. They are an unusual signing to Sub Pop but in partnership with Mercury, so they've got a bit of muscle behind them. Go to their website right now and sign up for free track The Fox.

are a dance punk quintet from Eastbourne, who i caught by happy accident at Dempseys pub on the first evening of Swn. They're described as "dark dance" by the Guardian's Paul Lester, who made them . Their infrequent but funny blog is worth a look.

aren't so much of a new find for me; I've been playing their music on the radio for about a year, but this was the first time I saw them live. They are a five piece experimental psychedelic pop group from Oxford signed to Vertigo. Their live show is packed with intense, energy, fervour and 'music is life' seriousness.

. Confession time: many moons ago I was told to listen and watch Joshua by a friend in Cardiff. Two years later, and I made sure I do on the quiet Sunday afternoon at 10 Feet Tall. The troubadour from the Forest of Dean was sitting before a healthy crowd, he had a bleeding hand as he thrashed the guitar, his voice even and calm. It made for a dramatic spectacle, and I was left wanting more.

. Elena Tonra and Igor Hatfield from Switzerland are a delightful pair: their combination of quiet charm, intricate and delicate musings are the most captivating performance I see during Sŵn. Look even closer to the brooding lullabies and the words will shock and twist beyond their immediate folky appearance. Their Wild Youth EP is out now and available on their Facebook.

. Talk about impact! One self-released EP, and one visit to the Introducing Uploader and soon enough a few of us DJs are tripping over ourselves to play his music and find out more about him. That was in the summer, and this Sŵn festival was a chance to see him play. Listen to his simple honeyed vocals up close and bask in the warm glow of the world he portrays.

. It means 'fresh start' in Latin and here is another young voice, like Sam Airey, who came to prominence earlier this year being selected for the Radio 2 concert supporting the Manics at their hometown gig. It's another young voice which sounds wise beyond his years. Denuo is fresh faced and yet sings bitter heartbroken tales on the EP Wolf River.

. This band are no newcomers in Cardiff and no strangers to Sŵn, but the powerful duo of established musicians Rhodri Viney and Andrew 'Bernie' Plain is a force of nature and one of the Sunday afternoon highlights of the weekend. "Experimental, rock, shoe-gaze" reads their web description but they are so much more - a rolling, cascading wall of sound with a new album out soon to boot!

. This band are funny and musically on a totally different planet from everything else I've mentioned so far. It's the Californian harmonies, and alt country warmth of Zervas And Pepper that makes them a million miles away from any other Welsh sound! Formed by Kath Pepper and Paul Zervas, they exist in their own world, sing on another plain, and are pure escapism loveliness.

Thanks to the Sŵn festival organisers and crew for making the weekend so memorable too.