WITH the loss of big events such as Loop, Beachdown and White Air, 2010 has been the year of the smaller, grassroots music festival in Brighton and Sussex.

And it’s something which promotion company Melting Vinyl’s Anna Moulson believes is the way forward for Brighton’s music lovers.

“There’s a new form of festival beginning,” she says. “They are events that are quite manageable for someone on my level. Boutique festivals like Bestival provide a more intimate experience than Glastonbury and Reading, and Foxtrot is a bit smaller again.”

For the second year running Melting Vinyl has teamed up with Brighton’s Willkommen Collective to showcase some of the best folk-inflected music being produced in the city today.

“This is the second year we have done this,”

says Anna. “We are trying to build it quite naturally. A lot of festivals in Brighton have gone quite big too soon. Last year we had a 200 capacity, this year it is just over 400.”

The festival also wants to add an extra element to keep audiences coming back, and this year the Foxtrot is featuring its first big name headliner – Laura Marling, fresh from her appearance at Tuesday night’s Mercury Music Prize ceremony.

“Last year the event sold itself without a big headliner, but each year people want something different,” says Anna. “Laura Marling is quite a fitting and comfortable selection, and really relevant for the festival.

“Marcus Hamblett, of the Willkommen Collective, is in Laura’s touring band. She wanted to finish off her busy touring schedule with something smaller, surrounded by friends and fellow musicians. It’s been a hell of a year for her.”

This year saw 20-year-old Laura’s second album I Speak Because I Can get nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. She had already received the Mercury nod for her 2008 debut Alas I Cannot Swim. The double nomination puts her in the same class as Beth Orton and Brighton’s Bat For Lashes, whose first two albums were also up for the award.

This performance will see Laura performing solo, although she may be joined by a few guests from the Collective.

The Willkommen Collective itself has been active for the past few years, and earned an Argus Angel at the 2009 Brighton Festival for a trio of showcase gigs.

Among the bands involved in the collective are The Leisure Society, whose Nick Hemming was a surprise nomination for an Ivor Novello Award last year, mega-group Sons Of Noel And Adrian, Shoreline and The Miserable Rich.

“We hope it’s not just going to be full of Laura Marling fans,” says Anna. “Last year we sold out on the strength of the Willkommen bands, and a few that played last year are coming back. There will be a few surprises on the day.”

Melting Vinyl has also added a few of its favourite bands to the mix, including Francois and The Atlas Mountains, Anna Calvi and Rayon Breed.

And the other star is the venue itself, inspired by a Brighton Festival site-specific theatre trip to Stanmer Park a few years ago.

“That’s when it clicked with me, that I would love to do something here,”

says Anna. “It is out in the countryside, but not too far from Brighton.”

A new addition this year is the free Big Lemon Bus, which will be ferrying festivalgoers on and off the site all day, adding to the existing bus and train links to Stanmer Park.

“You have got to keep on your toes with Brighton audiences to survive,” admits Anna. “Something like this isn’t in a well-worn venue that people are used to.

“It’s a nice end of the year closure to the festival season.”

From 2pm to 10pm, tickets £20/£22. Call Rounder Records on 01273 325440 or Resident on 01273 606312.