Unlike Glastonbury or even the Midland leg of the V Festival, there was no evidence of wellies or wet-wipes as revellers packed into Birmingham's East End for the city's second Gigbeth festival last night.

But that does not mean it was without technical issues, as a generator failure meant the launch of the three-day event was delayed by more than an hour.

The makeshift stage erected outside South Birmingham College in Digbeth High Street was instead powered by the generosity of The Irish Centre, which lent organisers generators to ensure the show went on.

As a procession of acts - including Warwickshire folksters Nizlopi and Handsworth hipsters Mr Hudson and the Library - waited to soundcheck, award-winning saxophonist Soweto Kinch gave the event a rarefied air as he rehearsed.

Also waiting to take the stage was compere and former Musical Youth singer Dennis Seaton, who planned to perform the band's 80s anthem Pass The Dutchie as the concert's finale.

The 40-year-old, who hails from Nechells, claimed much of Birmingham's musical heritage is often forgotten after names like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin have been mentioned.

He said: "I'm very excited about tonight as this city has a fantastically diverse history when it comes to music, but people think only rock and UB40 came from Birmingham. Gigbeth is our way of showing what's really here.

"Pass The Dutchie isn't a millstone round my neck, I've heard so many happy stories about what people were doing when they first heard it so I always enjoy performing it. It's never a chore."

Seaton added he was currently studying for a Masters in music: "Apparently I need one to talk to people about how to make a living in the music business, which is what I want to do next," he said.

With 45 gigs taking place over three days, featuring 500 musicians performing at 20 city venues, it is impossible to ignore the region's emerging talent.

Despite the delay, more than 3,000 fans patiently filed into the arena, waiting for bhangra group Achanak to kick off the proceedings.

Vijay Singh, the Birmingham-based band's lead singer, said this would be an intimate gig compared with recent performances in Dubai and Germany, in front of 200,000-strong crowds.

"We're all quite excited because we're from all different parts of the Midlands, so it's good to do an event like this on home turf," he said.

"There's a lot happening here musically and we've had a great time meeting and jamming with some of the different acts here tonight. It's a really good mix, I hope more people see what we've got to offer in the West Midlands."

Clare Edwards, who organised the £240,000 event, said she never intended Gigbeth to be "just another festival".

She added: "Bands don't come here just to play their latest single, instead we're going to see lots of interesting collaborations.

"One example is Malik, who is a rapper with well-known Birmingham hip hop act Moorish Delta 7, who is going to be joining both Mr Hudson and the Library and bhangra act Achanak on stage.

"And it's not everyday hip hop and bhangra acts work together."