With just a few days before this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, we’ve posed a few questions to the Festival organiser John Giddings. Although a busy time for John he has found time to answer some.
Q: Having built up the IW Festival as a ‘must see’ event, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
Regenerating the musical spirit of an Island that was the Woodstock of Europe.
Putting the Isle of Wight back on the map musically.
12 years on and we are still alive and kicking!
Q: Whose performance at Seaclose has given you the most pleasure?
Foo Fighters – 11 out of 10.
Q: Which acts, yet to appear on the IW, are on your ‘wish list’?
Blur, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fleetwood Mac, Arctic Monkeys.
Q: Who would you happily re-book and why?
Coldplay, they were brilliant, their performance will be remembered in the Festival’s history.
Q: As Solo is a supporter of Island Innovation what has Solo provided for any of the colleges?
We have had a long-standing relationship between the Festival and Medina College.
A few years ago, I funded a brand new music-recording studio at the college, where the focus on expanding student learning goes far beyond the classroom and last year upgraded the Mac Suite.
We also work with them on a number of initiatives at the Festival, which gives students the opportunity to use what they have learnt in real life. It’s an exceptional college with exceptional students and a wonderful head, Nathan Thomas.
Yes John, thanks for this but please do not forget the two other colleges under the Island Innovation banner- Carisbrooke College and 6th Form College there are some talented students there as well.
Suzanne and Alan Whitewood
