Dimbola Museum and Galleries staged another hugely successful celebration of the Isle of Wight’s musical heritage with ‘Jimi and Friends (Part Two)’, drawing an enthusiastic audience for an evening of live music inspired by the spirit of the legendary 1969 and 1970 Isle of Wight Festivals.
A stellar lineup
Headlining the evening were Big Red and The Cava Boys – James Thorpe – lead guitar, Patrick Gooden – bass and vocals, Big Red/Shaun Barker – drums, Neil McCarthy – keyboards and David Fisher – percussion, and the band were joined by special guest DickTaylor, founding member of The Pretty Things and former bassist with The Rolling Stones.
Also appearing were Angelina Grimshaw and Jo Larcombe, helping deliver a two-part seated performance in the museum’s tearoom.
Following on from the success of the first ‘Jimi and Friends’ night last November, the gig proved to be another popular addition to Dimbola’s growing programme of music-led heritage events. The first half focused on songs by The Pretty Things from 1963 to 1969, while the second half turned to music associated with the 1969 and 1970 Isle of Wight Festivals.
A setlist spanning the festival era
Songs covered included ‘Midnight to Six’, ‘Baron Saturday’ and ‘She Says Good Morning’ from the Pretty Things with amazing guitar work from Dick Taylor, who also sang on several numbers.
Later came Jimi Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child’ and ‘Hey Joe’; a beautiful solo by Jo Larcombe of Joan Baez’s ‘There But For Fortune’; Patrick Gooden’s brilliant rendition of ‘Tangled Up In Blue’ by Bob Dylan, and a rousing encore of ‘Like A Rolling Stone’ from everyone in the band and most of the audience!
Period fashion and festival atmosphere
With everyone wearing period-inspired fashion, the evening captured the atmosphere of the festival era, while also raising funds towards Dimbola’s forthcoming “Jimi Hendrix at Afton, 1970” exhibition, due to open on 27th May 2026, whose main sponsor is John Giddings and Solo Music Agency.
The event also acted as a pre-launch celebration for the new exhibition and underlined Dimbola’s continuing role in preserving and promoting the Island’s unique place in music history.
Visit the Dimbola website for more details.
News shared by Jo on behalf of Dimbola Museum and Galleries. Ed
