La Prima Estate is an ambitious contender on the festival circuit

Its main stage in the seaside resort town of Lido di Camaiore lies than 50 metres from the Ligurian Sea and the line-up include Bon Iver, Nas, The Japanese Breakfast and Kings of Convenience. Sounds idyllic? While musically it can’t be faulted (curation, stage and sound are all immaculately executed), the more experiential side of the event is still a work in progress, showing the that the festival’s infancy can’t quite match its ambition – yet.

Lido di Camaiore in June is an out of season resort town – all faded glamour and beaches packed with empty cabanas that cost a premium to use. There’s good food but not a lot else to do and while last year's edition of the festival promised a myriad of activities to pad out the days, including cooking lessons on the beach with Michelin-starred chefs, the reality this year is limited to morning yoga, surfing or cycling.

The festival site in the compact Bussola Domani park – once a haven for music back in the day – is efficient and well laid out but lacking in any variety. It’s a problem since the cost of getting here (and staying too) is arguably prohibitive and a once-in-a-lifetime splurge for some but the event doesn’t feel too dissimilar to an average London-based festival (Field Day, Wide Awake).

These are teething problems though and the festival does get the most important thing right. Nas plays through a set that could easily be one of the best headline performances I’ve ever seen while Bon Iver’s is perfectly in tune with a humid Tuscan evening by the sea. But it’s Kings of Convenience – spiritually connected to the festival by Erlend Øye’s ten year old song that gives the event its name – that get the best reception. With the crowd in their hands, Øye and musical partner Eirik Glambek Bøe pepper in some Italian and provide the perfect soundtrack to the setting sun.