And so another Isle of Wight Festival comes to an end. This, the thirteenth festival since being revived in 2002, saw (we’re told by organisers) 55,000 people on site at Seaclose Park in Newport over the long weekend.
Traffic problems a distant memory
The traffic chaos caused by problems getting onto site after months of heavy rain in 2012 were a distant memory, as traffic flowed onto the site smoothly over the first two days of the festival last week.
We popped in and out of the Festival between Friday and Sunday and found getting to and from Newport by car (and travelling to Ryde at one point) a fairly painless experience.
Keeping it local
We don’t have much interest in the large main stage acts, preferring instead the smaller stages that feature local and other unsigned acts.
Click on the images to see larger versions
Our two sanctuaries from the hustle and bustle of the masses were the Kashmir Cafe tent – with the stage and bar being run by Quay Arts – and the Bohemian Woods – which had the stage being run by Stu and Dave from the Island’s Skinny Mammoth recording studios.
Both stages delivered an eclectic lineup over the three days, introducing us to new bands and allowing us to support Island bands playing to a larger than usual audience.
Our highlights
Highlights of the Festival for us included a stupendous set by Plastic Mermaids on Friday evening, complete with choir and string accompaniment, including a cellist from the Isle of Wight Symphony Orchestra. Despite a few technical issues with the sound, the band put their whole into the performance and pulled off yet another excellent show.
We managed to catch another local, Paul Armfield, several times in his various guises; with The Paul Armfield Band, Bobby I Can Fly and Gramophone Party. A great musician and songwriter, Paul is always a joy to watch perform.
As long-time CHAMPS‘ fans, of course, we couldn’t miss their set at the BA Stage on Sunday afternoon. Despite sore throats from watching the World Cup the night before, Niton brothers Mike and Dave Champion, performed from their debut album, Down Like Gold, with apparent ease.
The Red Arrows popped by
Festival-goers and residents around the Newport area were treated to an unexpected show in the skies on Sunday afternoon, when the Red Arrows made an appearance with a fantastic air show, despite the heavy cloud cover.
Thanks to Jake Elsley for these shots taken from his houseboat on the River Medina.
Click on the images to see larger versions
Delicious morsels
Keeping it local on the food front, the brilliant Tansy’s Pantry (a converted Routemaster-style bus with top deck restaurant) was well positioned this year (next to the Kashmir Cafe tent), serving up freshly produced vegetarian food and thankfully for Jamie and Oli, attracting a larger foot-fall than last year when they were tucked away in a corner some distance from the main arena.
Tansy’s Pantry was not only a great place to eat, but also to sit and people-watch as festival-goers passed by.
Positive vibe
Although how far we ventured into the Festival site was limited, we saw no sign of any trouble or aggro (despite England losing their first World Cup match on Saturday night – see the Vine of the reaction to the England goal below).
Smiley, happy people
Our lasting impression from the Festival each night as we ventured home was one of happy faces and tens of thousands of people having a fantastic time.
That sentiment was echoed today (Monday) on Twitter, with hundreds tweeting their praise for the Festival.
If you want to catch some of the performances from the main stage, the Festival team have added video footage to YouTube
Our favourite is Ghost Town by The Specials
