Isle of Wight Festival 2017

Thursday 8th June 2017 

The Isle of Wight opened its gates to the crowds on Thursday afternoon, the skies had opened up and people were arriving for the pre-festival evening on The Big Top stage, ‘The sex pissed dolls', 'The Alarm', 'Starsailor' and the headliners 'Razorlight', were waiting to perform. The rain surrounded the crowd but nothing but good music and a pint or two couldn't cure. 

When arriving at the festival, security was on high alert, this didn’t alarm people attending the Isle of Wight. They just made people aware that there would be more of a wait than normal whilst checks were being made. Most punters did not mind or complain due to the current events happening around the United Kingdom, most talked and got ready to enjoy the festival waiting on the other side of the gates, some made it known they didn’t appreciate the wait, but they didn't ruin a good vibe between the crowds waiting for the four-day festival to begin. 

This year I decided I wanted to rent a tent rather than build one, yes this does sound lazy but actually totally worth it. Not only was there heavy rain when I arrived but it was cold and damp, building a tent in that would have been a nightmare. (Sorry to all those who had to do this.) But I was not one of them, This year I rented a tent from the company 'Pink Moon Camping', (http://www.pinkmooncamping.co.uk) Things didn’t go as smoothly as one would have hoped, When arriving the two Tipi tent that my friend and I rented was flooded inside and not looking appealing to sleep in. We had to go and get assistance whilst waiting in the pouring rain for the manager to help us. She helped us as quickly as possible and in turn upgraded our tent to a much more sturdy four person tipi. This tent was dry and a lot bigger than we were expecting, and at no extra cost was perfect for the four nights we were attending the festival. The facilities were limited but decent enough for a quick shower or toilet break, they could have done with a few more toilets and showers for a number of people hiring the tents, as the wait could be long. but the staff themselves were helpful and polite at all times and they did keep the facilities as clean as possible. 

After venturing out in the rain on a few occasions 'Razorlight' performed hits such as ‘America’, ‘Golden Touch’ and ’Before I fall to pieces’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIj97HUUT0E&feature=youtu.be) They provided good entertainment that got the crowd riled up on what felt like a cold winters night, it was hard to believe it was the first weekend of June, with the weather conditions as they were. The forecast for the weekend at first looked peek, but after the torrential rain on Thursday the skies turned blue, clouds came out and some high winds blasted their way around. To say this wasn’t wellies season would have been a lie. 

Friday 9th June 2017 

After the down poor on Thursday, I was surprised to see the tent was still standing, but the blue skies were peeking through. Today looked like a good day, thousands upon thousands of people were arriving to celebrate the best of the music industry within the United Kingdom. 

The big top stage supported acts such as 'Paradisa', 'Lucy Spraggan', 'Ward Thomas', 'The Pretenders' and 'Alison Moyet'. 'Alison Moyet' performed a 55-minute electronic set, bringing all her hits to the stage, she performed songs such as ‘all cried out’, ‘Only you’ and ‘don’t go’. She gave a sensual and elegant performance on The Big Top Stage. 

On the other side of the festival on the Main stage people were gathering for the likes of  'David Guetta', 'Run DMC', 'Kaiser Chiefs', 'Rag ’n’ Bone Man', 'Nothing But Thieves' and the 'Sex Pissed dolls'. 

'Sex Pissed Dolls' opened the stage with famous covers such as 'Teenage kicks', 'Common people' and 'Serial Killer', they provided and energetic and engaging performance, getting the crowd ready for the line up of the evening and what a line up it was. 'Rag ’n’ Bone man' performed for 45 minutes covering his first ever Isle of Wight festival. Performing to thousands of fans, he provided songs from his debut album belting out hit after hit such as Skins, Humans, Fire and ending with the Bitter end. He opened up the road for 'Kaiser Chiefs' bringing back classics such as 'We predict a riot', 'Ruby' and 'Na Na Na'. These songs got the crowd up and dancing like it was 2007. They were engaging and on point and provided great entertainment. 

The Headliners for this evening where the legendary Hip Hop kings of New York 'Run DMC' and the sensational  'DJ David Guetta'.  'Run DMC' took us back to the 80’s with hits such as 'It’s like that', 'My Adidas' and 'Runs House'. He provided stories of legendary 'DJ J' and his sons whom in turn have followed in their fathers' footsteps, we paid respect to late J and enjoyed singing along with 'Walk this way' at the end of the night. Due to technical issues throughout the first night. We had to wait a little longer for 'David Guetta', he was definitely worth waiting for, he isn’t known as one of the Best DJs around the world for no reason. He provided a light show that connected to his music and got everyone raving, to hits such as 'Play hard', 'Titanium', 'shot me down' and the outstanding beat of 'Bad'. There was no way you could sit still through this legendary set that ended a fantastic night with fireworks. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by Callum Baker

Saturday 10th June 2017 

Day three started with a bacon bap, some sunny spells and a shower, once fresh and ready to go we checked out what was on the agenda for today.  The Big Top tent provided artists such as 'The Germain Sisters', 'Bang Bang Romeo', 'Melanie C', 'Zara Larson' and 'Example and DJ Wire'

Over on the Main Stage, 'My Baby', 'The Slow Readers Club', 'Tom Chaplin', 'Jack Savoretti', 'Texas', 'The Kooks', 'Catfish and the Bottlemen' and 'Arcade Fire' were performing throughout the day. 

'Tom Chaplin' lead singer from Keane, provided songs from his debut album The Wave, he played songs such as 'Quicksand', 'hardened heart' and 'hold on to our love', he sang a classic from Keane 'Somewhere only we go' and the audience joined in, his voice and performance was sublime, no fault found he performed with such ease and confidence. A pleasure to watch. 

As the day went on the sun made its appearance once and while, but the wind made the day feel like a winter's afternoon, For a day in June I was supporting four layers of clothing and a rainproof jacket. The kooks provided movement and great music before opening up the stage to the one and only 'Texas', This was their first time performing at the Isle of Wight Festival, Texas provided songs from their 25 years within the music industry such as 'I don’t want a lover', 'Black-eyed Boy', 'When we are together' and 'summer son', which in turn brought the sun out from behind the clouds. Creating a warmer environment for performers Arcade Fire Who headlined the festival on that Saturday evening. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by David Rutherford

In the mean time i ventured over to the tents, Exploring the 'The Electro Love 80’s Tent', Catching the Tribute band Gun’s and Roses who sounded and performed with as much energy as the originals, They were followed by the 'Mocky Horror Show', a group of actors performing classic songs from the Legendary Rocky Horror show. The show was entertaining and to the Tee. We ventured over to the Kiwi Camp for an Acousticokkee night, where individuals could sing their hearts out, The punters made the night brilliant the humour mixed with decent voices made a great end to a brilliant evening. 

Sunday 11th June 2017 

The last day of the festival, one more night in a tent and then a two-hour journey back to the good old South West. Today's agenda is looking strong and exciting. 

The Big Top Tent is providing music from 'Judas', 'The Amazons', 'The Sherlocks', 'The Undertones', 'The Strypes' and 'Clean Bandit'. 

But today for me it is all about the Main Stage, today on the agenda was no other than the legendary 'Rod Stewart', who shared the stage with 'Bastille', 'George Ezra', 'Imelda May', 'The Shires', 'The Vamps', 'Jack Maynard' and 'Scouting for Girls'. 

'The Shires' brought the sound of the country to the isle of wight, bringing Nashville to the United Kingdom, Their unique sound and vibrant voices bring goosebumps to your soul. They performed songs from their latest album and their debut album, such as 'Beats to the Rhythm', 'State line', 'I just want to love you' and 'Daddy’s little girl'. When listening to them perform you can feel every word they are singing and no they mean every word they perform. 

The Irish singer/ songwriter 'Imelda May' performed for the first time on the Main Stage at the Isle of Wight, she bought her unique and roar talent centre stage. bringing her own style and energy giving an honest and soul-bearing performance to the crowd, performing songs such as 'Black tears', 'Leave me lonely' and 'Human'. She generated the true essence to show the beauty in the words of the music. 

This opened the ground for the young and talented 'George Ezra' his performance was giddy and fun and very innocent. Performing music that was created when figuring out what life is all about, he performed songs such as 'Barcelona', 'Blame it on me' and 'Budapest', which he closed his set with and everyone got involved and danced around. This opened the night for the Legend 'Rod Stewart'.

'Rod Stewart' Closed the festival with an hour and fifty minutes performing hits that ventured over the last 56 years within the British music industry. This was his first time that he had performed at the Isle of Wight Festival and what an honour it was.  As an artist, he has had six consecutive number one album's within the UK and has sold over one hundred million records worldwide. He bought his sound and his husky voice to the Isle of Wight festival. As a performer, he sounded just as good today as he did 56 years ago. He hasn’t lost his vocals but yet adapted his performance.

He added layers to his sound and used beautiful musicians to capture the sound of his songs that he has created over the last few decades., His performance was strong and epic to watch he was outstanding and charismatic with the audience. His many clothing changes brought out his fun, loving and cheeky side whilst he performed songs such as 'Maggie May', 'I don't want to talk about it', 'Do Ya think I'm sexy' and ended the night on 'Sailing'. He was for me the highlight of the weekend and provided great entertainment. What a great way to end 2017. Now here’s to 2018 IOW festival…. Let's hope it’s as good as this one. 

The Isle Of Wight Festival Preview, June 8-11 2017

Festival season is nearly here 2017 is starting off with a bang and the Isle of Wight Festival will be taking place on the weekend of the 8th – 11th June, this year will be celebrating 'The Best of the British'. 

This year's headliners are some of the most creative, outstanding and some of the most influential performers to date. Rod Stewart and Arcade Fire will be joined by RUN DMC and David Guetta who will be performing some of the most outstanding anthems that they have created over the past few decades.

The Isle of Wight will be opening their gates for festival goers on Thursday 8th June, with the one and only Razorlight, They will be sharing the stage with artists such as Starsailor, The Alarm and The Sex Pissed Dolls. They will be creating the atmosphere for a weekend of antics and live music, for people from all around visiting one of the biggest festivals in the UK. 

Joining the isle of wight headliners, artists such as: The Kaiser Chiefs who will be bringing there energetic and powerful performance to the stage with fellow artists, Example + DJ Wire, The second sons, The amazons, The Novatones, Judas, The Vamps, The Strypes, Clean bandit and Zara Larson who will be followed by the band Texas who is performing for the first time in over a year after celebrating 25 years in the industry, they will be sharing the stage with artists such as Alison Moyet,  Rag 'n' bones Man, George Erza, The shires and Jack Savoretti. With the Pretenders providing us with a classic such as 'I will walk 500 miles and i will walk 500 more"  getting the crowd to there feet to party the night away. 

2017 will be the 16th Isle of Wight Festival since it was successfully relaunched in 2002 to become one of the most popular weekends of the summer, with a proud heritage of show-stopping headliners such as Foo Fighters, The Rolling Stones, The Killers, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Blur and Fleetwood Mac and the legendary Queen starring Adam Lambert.

There will be crowds of people celebrating the best within the industry, that have created so many lasting memories within British History, they have performed to thousands upon thousands of fans within their careers and they will be playing to one of the largest audience within the UK.  Celebrating the Isle of Wight festival, whilst creating the atmosphere,  bringing the crowds of people together to sing along, dance and to create new and long lasting memories.

So Bring your sleeping bags, your tents and lets celebrate 2017 as it is meant to be celebrated, with good people, laughter and outstanding music, Here's to 2017 The Best and most influential Artists In the music industry.

See you there guys,

Isle of Wight Festival Information:

Basic information:

Weekend with / without Camping – £195
Day Ticket: Friday – £60 / Saturday and Sunday – £80
Student – £175
Teen – £145
Children Under 12: Free
*Prices subject to a booking fee

Camping options:

Camp Kerala Mademoiselle provide Luxury Glamping backstage with room service and VIP transport.
Eve's Tipis – Try something different and stay in a tipi! Enjoy cocktails or champagne from the bar, or some hot breakfast options to start your day right.
Podpads – Bunk down in the colourful Podpads with solid wood or canvas options.
Love Your Tent – Enjoy an ethical camping experience plus hot showers and a Poodle Parlour!
Pink Moon Camping – Choose from a colourful collection of accommodation and enjoy your weekend with a unique camping experience
Tangerine Fields – This is ever festival-goers dream for a hassle free camping experience. Just book your pitch and the rest is done for you!

To find out more information on Weekend Tickets, Day Tickets and camping check out
www.isleofwightfestival.com

 

Isle of Wight Festival 2016 Review

Bags ready tent purchased and we were ready to hit the road for an epic weekend of random antics, filled with laughter, good friends and live music, a line-up so large, that no one could contain their excitement.

Thursday evening has arrived tents up and its time to see what the Isle of Wight Festival 2016 has to offer. The 'Big Top' stage opens up with performances from 'The dolls''Maxi Jazz and the E-Type Boys' and 'The Cast',  who were getting the audience ready for the headliners of the evening 'Status Quo'

'Status Quo' hit the stage at 9:30 to perform to the festival goers, filling out the 'Big Top', and leaving fans to listen from the sidelines, filling the area around the Big top, creating some members of the audience to suggest they should have opened up on the main stage as the sound was distorted by the carnival in the background. 'Status Quo' performed songs such as ‘Down, Down’, ‘Caroline’, 'In the army now’ and 'Rocking all over the world’ Starting the festive antics with a powerful and electric performance, the audience roared in excitement  which created a great atmosphere that thrived over the weekend at Isle of Wight Festival 2016; lining the stomach for the acts that will be hitting the stage in the days to come.

Friday was the first official opening of the main stage with performances from bands such as 'Reverend and the makers''Busted' and 'Everything Everything'. Just many of a great line up.

  

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

Charlie Simpson and Matt Willis share a joke as Busted perform on the main stage on Friday 'Busted' took us back the noughties performing hits such as ‘what I go to school for’'Air hostess’, 'Crashed the wedding’, and ending the performance with ‘Year 3000’. This was a nostalgic performance, creating a great atmosphere through the field as people interacted with the band and danced like no one was watching.

They were followed by 'Jess Glynne' a British female artist, Who took the crowd on a powerful journey opening up with ‘don’t be so hard on yourself’, and performing hits from her latest album such as ‘Hold my hand’'Real love' and ‘Take me home’ her vocals were flawless and her performance created a stamp on how the evening would continue. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

For me the performers of the night were ‘Stereophonics', the crowd were waiting in anticipation as the welsh boys were getting ready to come on and perform to thousands of fans across the isle of wight, the weather was holding out and the sky was drawing in and they arrived, the crowd went wild and the anticipation was over, 'Kelly Jones' has such stage presence that captured and got the crowd to their feet, performing songs such as ‘Handbags and Gladrags’'Have a nice day’, 'local boy in a photograph’ and ‘A thousand trees’ hit after hit just blaring from the stage, getting better and better and each song bringing the audience to life. They ended with 'Dakota' getting the crowd to join in and get crazy for one last hit of the night before introducing their co-headliners 'Faithless'. 

'Faithless' closed the night with and electric performance, performing hit such as ‘God is a DJ'‘insomnia’ and ‘Fatty Boo’ just closing the night in the right way, Lights, good music and dancing all you needed was the glow sticks and you were set, this got the crowd ready for the rest of the weekend, for the acts to follow.

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

Saturday brought many artists to ‘The Big Top’ and ‘The Main Stage’ the festival was picking up and the bands were getting ready to perform for the many crowds surrounding them today. 

The ‘Big Top’ seen many artists such as the ‘Simon Townsend’, ‘The Damned’ and ‘Pendulum’ perform throughout the day, Two artists stood out for me the most ‘Bang Bang Romeo’ and ‘Adam Ant’.  'Bang Bang Romeo’ performed at the Isle of wight 2015 on the 'Jack Rocks Stage', they were invited back and given a space on the 'Big Top'stage for 2016, they gave a dynamic and creative performance, the Vocals were powerful and edgy, which created the atmosphere of their music and got the audience supporting the Yorkshire based band, performing songs such as ‘Chemical’, ‘Johannesburg’ and their new release ‘Invitation’.

The legendary ‘Adam Ant’ gave an eccentric performance, performing songs such as ‘Kings or the wild frontier’‘Dog eat Dog’, ‘Stand and Deliver’  and ‘Goody two shoes’. He bought the eighties to the festival, giving the crowd quirky and stand alone performance.  To Help bring awareness Spandau Ballets 'Gary Kemp' and The Corrs 'Andrea Corr',  performed 'Starman’ in a touching tribute to the late 'David Bowie’ for Stand up for cancer who are raising awareness and supporting those who have been affected by cancer. At 3:45 there was a short video celebrating 'David Bowie's’ Life and capturing hundreds of fans, bringing awareness for the course, by wearing 'David Bowie’ masks and posing for a picture on the MainStage.

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

The MainStage gave the crowd artists from ‘The Kills’,‘Turin Brakes’‘Alabama 3’ and ‘Polly Money’ warming up the audience for the headliners of the evening ‘The Who”.  Before 'The Who’ we had some amazing acts perform ‘Iggy Pop’ hit the stage his character larger than life and his movements creating an interesting view as he performed hits such as 'Wild Thing’, ‘Sweet 16’ and ‘Passenger’ the audience joined through the performance creating an atmosphere that leads on to the next performer to grace us with his presenc 'Richard Ashcroft’ performed songs from his album ‘Urban Hymns’ performing songs such as ‘Out of my body’‘Breaking the night with colour’ and two new ones ‘Hold on’ and ‘This is how it feels’ whilst performing classic such as ‘The drugs don’t work' and ending with the classic ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ the audience went crazy for this and it was an amazing way to introduce ‘The Who’.

'The Who’ headlined the isle of wight on Saturday night performing to a verity of individuals, people who have been following them since the sixties and the younger generation who has been influenced by their music from their parents of even their grandparents. ‘Peter Townsend’ and 'Roger Daltery’ performed for over 2 hours, performing hits such as ‘My generation’‘Behind blue eyes’, ‘The Kids are alright’ and ‘Pinball Wizard’. They opened up the show with “who are you’ getting the crowd worked up and ready for the night ahead.  After 5 decades of being together they still can put together a great live performance, even though at times there were moments of strain In ‘Roger Daltery’s’ voice but this overcame by the commitment to the performance, by showing that he still could hit those high notes in the song 'love reign O'er me’, put those moments of strain behind the crowd the ended a night with a high. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

Sunday was the Day to celebrate the Queens 90th Birthday but not only celebrate one 'Queen', but to celebrate legend we know as ‘Queen’ the one and only 'Freddie Mercury’. With 'Queen with Adam Lambert' Headlining the final show of the weekend. The show everyone has been waiting for. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

On the Sunday 'The big Top’ welcomed artists such as ‘The Novatones’, ‘The Carnaby's’, ‘Reef' and ‘The Second Sons’.  The Big Top was closed by the Welsh band known as  ‘Feeder' after 'Queen' had closed the MainStage, ‘Feeder' performed songs such as ‘Buck Rogers’‘Just the way I am feeling’ and ‘Just a day’ bringing the audience that was  already buzzing to their feet, dancing and bouncing around the tent intertwining and celebrating the end of an amazing festival. Their performance was electrifying, loud and on point. A fab close to a fantastic day.  The Main Stage was warming up and bring the sunshine out, acts such as ‘Twin Atlantic’‘Half Moon Run’  and ‘The Cribs’ performed alongside Former ‘Genesis' 'Mike Rutherford’ 

With the band ‘Mike and the Mechanics’ performing some of the classics from ‘Genesis’ ‘I can’t dance’ and 'Land of confusion’ bringing the sun out with every song, the crowd building up and joining the band on a sunny but yet cloudy day. This was a great way to start the Sunday line up for me. 'Ocean Colour Scene’ set of the evening with ‘Hundred Mile  High City’ bringing the audience to their feet, one hit after another ‘The RiverboatSong’‘The day we caught the train’ and ‘You’ve got it bad’ this got people pumping and ready, even with the rain this did not stop the crowd  from jumping up and down and enjoying themselves at the Isle of wight festival. 

Now that we were warmed up, rained on and waiting in anticipation…. 'Queen' was about to come on, the music starts and the crowd roars, the field was packed to the edges, from everyone finding their perfect spot, so they could enjoy the celebrate the life and legend of 'Freddie Mercury'captured through the Vocals of 'Adam Lambert'. This is the closest we will ever get to seeing Queen as a whole, 'Brian May''Roger Taylor' and the flamboyant singer 'Mr Lambert''Lambert' from the start made it known that he was not there to replace 'Freddie Mercury' as no-one could, but to bring the songs that were once created and performed by a legend to life, and to honour and celebrate his life. With Rock Legends 'May' and 'Taylor'.  'Lambert' captivated the audience with his outgoing and eccentric performance, starting the night off with ‘One Vision’ and from their belting out hit after hit such as, ‘Fat Bottom Girls’‘Another One bites the dust’, ‘I want to break free’ ‘Don’t stop me now’ and ‘Somebody to Love’.  Whilst Performing ‘Lambert’ dedicated a song to the Victims of the Orlando shooting and anyone affected by acts of terrorism, he performed a beautiful and heart warming version of ‘Who wants to live forever’'Brian May’ Performs ‘Love of my life’ asking the audience to join in, dedicating this song to the late 'Freddie Mercury', at the end of the performance a video Clip of ‘Freddie Mercury’ finishing the song to the audience is introduced. This is closest that we would come to witnessing the Legend Perform. This was used in one more song ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ using ‘Lambert’ and Clips of ‘Mercury’ to perform parts of the song to the crowd. This was done just right, not overdone but capturing the man that helped to build such great Anthems.  The crowd joined in for every song and captured every moment together ‘Radio Ga Ga’ was a highlight of my evening everyone in the audience clapping and creating that moment When they sing “Radio Ga Ga ( Two Claps) Radio Go Go" and the audience clap in the middle , that for me was epic and immense, it is something I have always wanted to be involved in and now I can tick this moment of my bucket list.   They Finished the show with such power and energy that we were still buzzing even when they were no longer on, They performed ‘We Will Rock you’ and ‘We are the Champions’ Everyone joined in sang their hearts out and enjoyed the show-stopping, breathtaking band of the weekend, they truly finished with a Bang. 

A Show turning event for the Isle of Wight festival 2016!

Isle of Wight Festival 2015 Review

The Isle of Wight festival has returned for its annual event bringing artist and music lovers together to celebrate 45 years since Jimi Hendrix performed his last ever UK performance in 1970. Where they estimated over 600,000 people turned up to experience his music in the flesh, In celebration of the man himself they have taken the opportunity to name the main stage ‘Electric Church’ This referring to how Jimi Hendrix himself described his music, as though music itself is a religion, away to express, influence and bring positivity to audiences all around the world, through his guitar and vocals. 

45 Years later music is adapting, changing and influencing their audiences, and today i am in Seaclose Park, Newport in the Isle of Wight,  The festival begins, here’s to threes days of music, dancing, paint fighting and food.

FRIDAY 12th JUNE 2015. IOW OFFICIALLY BEGINS

So it is Finally here I am arriving at the Isle of Wight festival 2015.  Gear at the ready, Tent… check, Portable toilet… Check, Clothes… Check and myself… Double check. The crowds are gathering and the atmosphere is captivating, The fashion of the season is floral, and the young female hipster’s seem to favour the hotpant welly combination, this was thriving through the sea of people, they might find that they will be regretting that later. When the monsoon type weather hits the isle of wight. Although this has not dampened their spirits but motivated them to create a buzzing atmosphere and supporting the artists of the festival, with what i would consider rain dancing, glasses of cider and laughter. Myself on the other hand thought after being in the rain for an hour, that is was more sensible to listen to the artists from my tent, in the dry. 

When walking around the event, which you do a lot of you see a variety of people from all walks of life, getting involved in the festival spirit, getting creative with the airbrush tattooing to dancing in the rain to 90’s pop sensations, communities sitting around being social with each other getting involved with the discussion of the moment. Getting the feeling of what the isle of wight festival is about, Families, music and people appreciating and creating that memorable year at the Isle of Wight festival. 

Through out the evening there were bands performing on the ‘Electric Church’ stage. The line up included The Struts, Kodaline, Counting Crows, You me at six, The Black Keys and the prodigy. Even though there was heavy rain Festival goers still went out and supported the bands, The Black Keys alone sounded amazing, you could hear them from the camp site and even hear the audience cheering along with them, you could imagine the audience was their in the rain, rain macs on and arms in the air enjoy the sensational Black Keys and not caring that the rain was lashing down. The headliner of the night The Prodigy I was informed was outstanding, they didn’t falter under the weather conditions, the crowd went wild, raved, danced and enjoyed the electronic music from the 90’s and now. Some people only lasted half of the set but most stayed for the whole gig enjoying the captivating performance from their fellow English brothers. 

Even though the weather was horrendous it was a great way to start the Isle of Wight Festival 2015.  Now the sun should shine the clouds be visible and the weekend should improve for the upcoming bands of 2015.

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by Sara Lincoln

 

SATURDAY 13TH JUNE 2015-IOW: DAY TWO 

After the torrential weather from the  previous night, The people at the Isle of Wight Festival were ready and waiting for the music sensations to start tickling their ear drums, no matter how much rain that came down,  it did not dampen their spirits, it just egged them on and made them want more. I can tell you, that day the small stalls around the festival made some money from Welly Purchases and Clothes alone before the food even came in to play. Lucky enough I woke up to slight clouds and a tent that was still standing, I feel this is a proud moment i would like to share with you guys, I Sharron put a tent together and it survived a storm and a half, and i survived sleeping through it, which i am grateful for as there are some outstanding acts that the Isle of Wight festival Goers are going to experience today.

Today was the Day Blur was performing on the 'Electric Stage', Their first ever performance at the Isle of wight festival, For me it was bag of mixed emotions. Damon Albarn the lead singer of Blur had previously lost his voice to illness before the gig, but this did not stop the man from performing with power, passion and giving 110% to his fans. They Did an hour and fifty minutes. Their first section was a mixture of their new album, which i felt didn’t get the crowd moving as much, and i found that it was to much new and not enough of the classics, which finally came towards the middle of the set, when they started playing songs such as Parklife which had guest star Phil Daniels performing with the guys,  this got the crowd jumping around, the atmosphere changed and people started moving and getting involved with the music, they followed this up with Coffee and TV, Girls and Boys, Song 2 and the classic Tender. For me the classic win over all, it got people moving and ended the night with a bang. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by Sara Lincoln

Previously to Blur we had the one and only Pharell Williams who first performed at the Isle of Wight festival back in 2008 with his band N.E.R.D, Tonight he gave a performance of old and new songs which included his special Guest his band member from N.E.R.D, They performed classics such as Lapdance and She likes to move, which they welcomed fans from the audience to dance on stage with them, a highlight of the night was the women who danced with the band to the song she likes to move. She bought entertainment to the Isle of Wight festival and the audience cheered her on as her performance bought laughter and fun to the event. He took a moment to celebrate Jimi Hendrix 45 years through an instrumental of the song one love, which the audience in turn put one finger in the air to celebrate a legend that stood on the Isle of Wight stage 45 years ago. He then went on to play renditions of songs that he performed with artists such as Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and many more.  He ended the set with the all time Minon favourite song ‘Happy’ He bought to the stage, the children that the Isle of Wight festival where raising awareness and donations for. To join him and to perform and dance on stage to get the crowd clapping along to the song. 

Between Blur and Pharell Williams we had the sensational DJ Shortee Blitz, Getting the atmosphere and audience ready for the next big act Blur, he played songs from the 80’s and 90’s to get people on their feet, the last two songs were from the legendary Queen, We are the Champions and Bohemian Rhapsody. This got everyone going and ready for the rest of the night, the crowd was singing and the Isle of Wight was in full song. It was a stunning moment to bring on the one and only Blur

Through out the day we had performances from bands such as, Ward Thomas, Nothing But Thieves, Jess Glynne, James Bay, Jessie Ware, Kool and the Gang and Dj Shortee Blitz. James Bay created an electric acoustic feel to the festival, He bought his soul and spirit to his music creating a mind blowing set that inspired people and relaxed them, whilst they singing along to the lyrics from hold back the river from his number 1 album and songs such as Let it go and if you ever want to be in love. He was followed by the astonishing Jessie Ware our London goddess, she bought her wonderful voice and performed her electro-pop music, whilst enchanting the audience with songs known as champagne kisses, wildest moments, Say you love me, running and kind of.. sometimes.. maybe which she considered to be her flirtatious song. Jessie ware gave an exceptional performance one of my favourites from this years Isle of Wight festival. 

Over on the 'Big Top' stage we had band such as Twin Wild, New City Kings, La Femme, The Shires, Foxes, Stiff Little Fingers and Paul Oakenfold. Foxes performed on this stage creating a strong and fun atmosphere for their audience, people where coming from other venues such as the Colourena, where they had live Djs performing around the clock with classics from the 70’s 80’s and 90’s they provided Paint fighting with music for people to go and let their hair down in between acts and to burn off those calories added from all the food venders on site. It was a fun way to meet, mingle and to dance your socks off before going to rock out to your favourite artist on stage. 

SUNDAY 14th JUNE 2015 IOW: DAY THREE

Sunday was the lead up to the headliners Fleetwood Mac and Paolo Nutini, through out the day you witnessed more and more people arriving to get a good spot at the main stage known as the ’Electric Stage’ for the evenings events to unfold.  The line up through out the day consisted of The Rainband, Suzanne Vega, Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, The Courteeners, and First aid Kit.  Suzanne Vega performed with her Guitarist classics such as Left of centre, known for the Pretty in Pink soundtrack in the 1980’s. 

In the ‘BIG TOP’ stage we had the band Coasts performing songs such as Modern Love and new hits from their upcoming Debut album also known as ‘coasts’ a new number 1 in the mix called Tonight, this Bristol band got the audience jumping around, whilst pulling people in from all around the Isle of Wight festival to enjoy this fresh new sound created by this 5 piece band from the UK.  They where followed up with The ViewLightening Seeds and the one and only Ash.  

Ash who performed songs such as Burn baby burn and Shining Light, bringing their music to their fans, the audience were bursting at the seems, the 'BIG TOP' stage was packed and people were gathering to watch this captivating performance, Although I only got to witness the first 15 minutes of this i can tell you these guys where rocking this crowd, and keeping the standard of the Isle of Wight festival which was created over the past two days going. 

Even though there was rumours of Fleetwood Mac possibly cancelling the show due to illness and two previous cancellations on their current tour which they have already done 90 shows since last year, they turned up and Gave a performance of a lifetime, Fleetwood Mac Arrived with such grace and presence. The field was full, the Fans where waiting and the night was about to begin, the act that everyone was waiting to see was here, over 50,000 fans filled the Isle of Wight creating an nostalgic atmosphere with the sun setting in the background, creating a perfect evening for an outdoor gig. 

They had previously been warmed up by the ever popular Paolo Nutini, His soulful, gruff voice wowed the audience with such power and grace, he topped this of with his dynamic stage presence it created the perfect show to watch and to get the crowed moving to songs such as Better Man, Jenny don’t be hasty and a beautiful rendition of New Shoes. A stunning performance by an amazing Artist, Thumbs up! 

Fleetwood Mac opened the show with the song The Chains creating the atmosphere for the evening, and not disappointing with their renditions of classics such as, Go your own way, Rhiannon, Gypsy and who can forget Landslide which Stevie Nicks dedicated to her friend and fellow Artist David Grohl, Who has recently broken his leg whilst touring. This  song was written and performed originally in 1974, 41 years prior to Isle of Wight 2015, this did not disappoint but left the audience in ore.  They provided a spectacular end to an amazing weekend with the song ‘Don’t Stop’. Whilst performing, Fireworks where provided the perfect end with the perfect song, the crowd danced, they sang and they didn’t want the night to end wanting more from the legendary Fleetwood Mac who had performed for an outstanding 2 hours, getting better and better with each song, and their individual solos showing us what the music industry is all about.

Once Fleetwood Mac had ended, people departed the ‘Electric Stage’ and went on to other events within the Isle of Wight Festival, In the ‘BIG TOP’ stage The Charlatans where closing down the last gig to be performed on the ‘BiG TOP’ for the Isle of Wight 2015, the fans filled the tent and crowded around the edges to see these guys perform, people still buzzing and enjoying their last night at the Isle of Wight Festival, taking in the music, the atmosphere and their fellow music lovers around them. Joining in with the music and capturing these moments through images and tweets via social medias such as Twitter and Facebook. Truly showing what the Festival season is about, Music, Artists, Fans getting together under one Social weekend to celebrate 45 Years of music inspired by those who performed at the Isle of wight 2015 and those who helped to create the Isle of Wight Festival since 1968. 

Artists known as: Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Supertramp, Leonard Cohen, Joan Baez, Chicago, Procol Harum, The Rolling Stones, The Who, David Bowie, Muse, Foo Fighters, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Pearl Jam, Kasabian, Amy Winehouse, Kings of Leon, Jay-Z, The Strokes, Coldplay, The Sex Pistols, The Police, Blondie etc. 

Thank you guys for a wonderful weekend and an oustanding festival…till next year. 

Top Artists to see at this years Isle of Wight Festival 2015

Okay, so it's officially that time of year again the Isle of wight festival 2015 begins. Hope you've got your camping gear and your dancing shoes on to rock out with some of the top artists from around the globe. I can say I am officially exited and looking forward to all the acts this year. If you're starting early and camping on Thursday I recommend you go and check out the one and only Billy Idol, he will be getting you ready and in the mood for what is to come, over this epic weekend. He will be followed up by UB40'S Ali Campbell, Astro and Micky Virtue, so get dancing and ready to party. 

From the 12-14th June 2015 there are going to be some great performerances coming your way, here are my top 10 to look out for at the Isle of Wight Festival this year. 

1. Fleetwood Mac Bringing you Classics such as Dreams, Go your own way, Songbird and Don't stop, performing with Christine McVie after taking 16 years out, but now back to perform on their current tour, check them out on the "Electric Church" stage on Sunday 

2. Blur Bringing their indie-pop music and the original four line up performing classic that rocked the 90's such as Park life, Boys and Girls and Song 2 and songs from their current number 1 album The Magic Whip, performing on the "Electric Church" stage on Saturday

3. Pharrell Williams Who last performed at the Isle of Wight in 2008 performing with his band N.E.R.D, but now soloing with many hits under his belt such as Happy, Get Lucky and GIRL, performing on the "Electric Church" stage on Saturday 

4. Paolo Nutini This Scottish smooth artist will performing songs such as New Shoes, Jenny don't be hasty and Better Man, bringing his soulful rendition and vocals to the "Electric Church" stage on Sunday

5. James Bay This is guy is one to look out for, this guys has been going from strength to strength, bringing his unique and soulful voice and capturing his fans with his individuality, See him performing on the "Electric Church" stage on Saturday.

6. Counting Crows Who last performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2003, are back bringing their Californian vibe, These guys will be performing on the 'Electric Church' stage on Friday 

7. Jessie Ware This London sensation, will be bringing her electronic soulful sound to the stage gracing you with songs such as Champaign Kisses, Say you love me and Wildest Moments, she will be performing on the "Electric Stage" on Saturday

8. Prodigy Will be opening the festival bringing their electronic, industrial rave music to you via the "Electronic Church" stage Friday get ready to rave like it's the 1990s 

9. Ash Bringing their alternative rock to the stage with songs such as Shining light, Girls from mars and A life less ordinary you can check these guys out on the "Big Top" stage on Sunday 

10. James Bringing classics such as don't sit down, she's a star and sometimes, bringing the 90's to the stage taking you back to those dancing days he will be performing on the "Electric Church" stage on Saturday

So guys can't wait to see you all there, not long now. Isle of Wight Festival 2015, enjoy and bring your dancing shoes and check out the Isle of Wight lineup and see who will be on your list to see.