Isle Of Wight Festival 2014

My Isle of Wight Festival...
or Diary of a young festival goer

Finally it’s that time of year. Obviously it’s not Xmas time, indeed it’s way better than that ( come on, there are other things to look forward to during the year).
I’m talking about that time when big rucksacks filled with stylish-indie clothes, mirrored sunglasses, hats, raincoats and of course the coloured wellies still muddy from last year are assembled. If you have experienced any of this you will certainly know what I’m talking about.
My festival season kicks off at the Isle of Wight (IOW)festival. As in previous years, the festival takes place on the second weekend of June which happily seems to be a pretty good weekend , weather wise.

After having taken 4 different types of transport to get there (train-ferry-bus...feet) and setting up a tent which turned out to be smaller than what I was expecting( next year I’m so getting the pop up one) there I am once again facing the magical main stage with a fresh cold cider in one hand a note pad in the other, all ears, awaiting the new acts of the day.

The first band to warm up the main stage is Lawson, who have evidently stepped up in the world as they were playing the Big Top tent last year; they deliver a short but sweet set that livens up the proceedings.
Up next is Starsailor; it’s been a long time since i last played them on my iPod yet it’s great to get to see them live ,a perfect start to the weekend thanks to a few good hits of theirs like ‘Poor Misguided Fool’, ‘Alcoholic’ and the bitter-sweet ‘Good Souls’, all executed impeccably.

I’ve been waiting to see the next artist for such a long time. I’m both excited but also apprehensive, as it’s never a good feeling to be disappointed. Luckily this doesn’t happen ,as the young talented Tom Odell definitely proves that he is worth the main stage. He doesn’t need to over dress, he doesn’t need to overdo it; all the young, blonde and charming Odell needs is a mike and a piano.
With a short but intense set he manages to get the whole crowd behind him, transmitting all his evident passion for music; and he couldn’t have picked a better playlist: ‘ I know’, Grow Old With Me’, ‘Can’t Pretend’, ‘See if i Care’ and ‘Another Love’ are all performed admirably.

My energy batteries are fully charged and just as well as Rudimental’s performance consumes a lot of them . They definitely know how to entertain a crowd. A Perfect festival act.
The sun is still holding out and so are we. It’s time for the main headliners to show us what they’ve got. The last thing i want is a bad ending to a perfect day 1.
Somehow I don’t think that is going to happen as they introduce themselves; BIFFY F*****G CLYRO! After that the crowed is putty in their hands. Playing with naked torsos on display , Biffy gave a classy performance .Shazaming each song that i didn’t know ,I inevitably become a fan, looking forward to checking them out with a good set of speakers as soon as I get home.
I now understand why they weren’t wearing a shirt or a t shirt as even I wanted to take mine off (i didn’t just so you know) the intensity being so sustained. Memorable tracks were? Living is a Problem’, ‘Because everything Dies’, ‘Biblical’, ‘God and Satan’, ‘Machines’ and the popular ‘Black Chandelier’.
I still manage to keep some energy for the final act which the promoters of IOW Festival wisely placed after the main headliners Biffy, thus closing day 1.
A new entry for the IOW festival especially for this kind of music yet Calvin Harris will fit in anywhere no matter where or who you are or what you like to listen to.
So there I am jumping like a maniac as you do, especially when Calvin says so.

After barely forty winks, it’s day 2 already .I poke my head outside the miniscule tent i’m sharing with my sister and behold, it’s a bright and hot sunny day.
After a quick trip into town for a good ol’ full English, I lie down and soak up every single ray of sunshine ( I end up getting too much as my medium protection cream wasn’t quite enough! Ouch! )

It’s a rocker of an afternoon, with performances by Rival sons, a very nervous Nina Nesbitt , The Pretty Reckless and the (timeless) Waterboys but now it’s time to get up and get ready to dance.
I saw this guy a few years before in London on a cold November night playing with Rudimental and even though he only performed two songs with them, I went home still thinking about the intensity and power of his voice. I then got to see him last year at the Cafe de Paris , by then much grown in stature as an artist with ever increasing fame. He wasn’t that guy that sang a few songs with Rudimental anymore , he is John Newman and he has bigger plans than most.

I definitely needed him today, the sun now almost unbearable, ( I said almost, I don’t want to complain about something we don’t get to enjoy too often) and I was getting rather uncomfortable in my deck chair, so along with many others. I danced.

The playlist was pretty much the same as the last time I saw him, but I still enjoyed the set very much. He is so full of energy, getting the crowd to jump and jive, amazing them with his Michael Jackson/ Elvis Presley style moves.
I now have that “I want to dance all night” feeling but here come the 1975 and I’m suddenly back in my deck chair.
Acting as if they were the next big thing, the singer, Matthew Healy flaunting a bottle of red wine on stage, The 1975 did not impress me; in fact I now dislike them even more than ever, especially after the singer decides to smoke cigarettes whilst singing ,acting half drunk making it seem all so scripted. The whole performance was quite bland and the sound a monotonous drone.
Still large sections of the crowd seem to like them(including my sister) so there must be some reason why they are so popular , though I am having trouble finding one.

Luckily The Specials arrive soon after to save the day and I was back on my 2 feet dancing away.
They would have been the perfect ending to day 2 for me but I guess I have to stay for the second headliner of the weekend. Everyone is anxiously waiting for them and suddenly the festival site is crammed full.
During the afternoon someone asked me “ What song do you think they will open the act with? “ I replied with “ Can’t Stop”. And for once I was right. By the way the band I’m talking about is Red Hot Chili Peppers( just in case you didn’t know, though it you would be pretty weird if that was the case)
Unlike many of the people around me, I wasn’t there for the Peppers but i was really curious to see them. I couldn’t wait to see what the big fuss was all about. After their performance I still am.
Though they played some of their brilliant hits and got the whole crowed singing, I felt cheated.
Years of hearing songs here and there, from either various radio stations , tv and dear friends who are big fans and all I see is a band playing as individuals, a load of solos, a singer who every 3 songs goes off stage for a break and who never relates to the crowd. I look around and I notice I’m not the only one feeling this way.Indeed,I really admire the fans that still follow them in spite of these flaws.
Overall a good day 2 , in spite of a few poor performances i went to bed smiling, still thinking about the sun and Italy beating England !!

As Sunday wasn’t as hot and sunny, I decided to chill and check out the rest of the festival site, which basically involves trying the other bars.
The first part of the day involves performances by new upcoming artists such as Ella Eyre and Passenger. So there I am just grooving and enjoying the good Sunday vibe, when suddenly 5 planes come flying right towards me(so it seemed) and hurl themselves into the middle of sky with trails of red white and blue smoke behind them.
I looked around and everyone had a massive smile on their face, in spite of the result from the last night’s match, I think a lot of people are proud to be British again.
What a show they give us. It was so good I decided to enjoy it with my own two eyes instead of behind a camera( in this day and age we seem to forget about them).
The timing is perfect, it gave the crowed something to look forward to again.
After the red arrows break, next up on the main stage is Fall Out Boy.
A band I remember listening to as teenager but who I gave up on rather (too) quickly. Still their performance was really good, they were enjoying themselves , they played with passion and love for their music, which is something i will always look for in a band , even if I’m not a fan. When you give to a crowd,(especially a Brit one) they will give back too. It was a lovely scene to be part of.

Suede then arrive on stage. I’ve been waiting to see them for a long time.
Still going strong since the 90’s, lead singer Brett Anderson looked cooler than ever with a tightly fitted black suit and a white shirt. In spite of the sharp look he could not stop himself from hurtling up, down and across the stage and playing about with the cameras.
Another timeless band , another sweet memory of my childhood, another great performance.
The festival is almost coming towards an end but melancholy is not yet my partner.
Arriving on stage is another major band.
Straight from Franklin, Tennessee, Kings Of Leon seem pretty happy to be with us Though there’s less people than what there are for the Peppers the crowd is still in a great mood, giving all they have, for this, the last night of the festival weekend.
The band give a neat performance, playing good quality American rock.

I was impressed, wasn’t shazaming like Friday for BC, but they enter my good books, unlike the Peppers.
The playlist varies with new and old hits and i particularly find the first part of the set interesting.
The middle part is less energised and less captivating but builds up towards the grand finale, that can only be the massive hit, the one that even if you’re not a Leon’s fan you’ll probably know. Indeed as predicted ‘Sex on Fire’ ends their set and closed the festival on the main stage.
Everything switches off and you think that’s it, this is the end.
Luckily the big top tent will always offer up a sweet ‘digestif’.
This band that closes the IOW festival has been part of me since i was very little; It’s Scotland’ s finest, Travis.
And what an ending! Definitely one of the highlights of the weekend. What a voice, what a band, what a crowd.
All you wanted to do was “SING!SING!SING!” and hug the person that you had right next to you.
These are the sort of images i like to see; these are the moments in music i like to live. When a load of strangers come together under one roof(or tent), sharing emotions, everyone absorbed with their own special memories but living the moment. Travis make that happen. Wonderful tunes for fans and music lovers alike.

It’s the end of this year’s IOW festival ( and of this review too).
I hope your festival season has started as well as mine has and may you all have a great summer, to be shared in the fields of love, digging good music.