REVIEW: Isle of Wight Festival [Festival Fever]

REVIEW: Isle of Wight Festival

Posted on June 15, 2008 10:32 AM
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A Festival For The Ages (And All Ages)
13-15 June, 2008

Review by Tim Kernutt

At the recent Isle of Wight Festival, Tim Kernutt heard so many people speaking positively about the weekend that he lost count, a far-cry from the usual outpourings of criticism following festivals in this country. So what ingredients did the Isle of Wight Festival have that others didn't?

Festivals always sound great in theory. A selection of great bands and DJs at the one event, a crowd with shared passions, hedonism celebrated through partying with your friends or partner, a "mini-break" with a purpose and invariably fresh country air. Yet, despite this, festival-attendees have become infamous for becoming a little demanding, whingeing and railing at everything from the predictably unpredictable English weather, the crowd size (too big or too small), overpriced alcohol, Doctronian rules, or the fact that there are so many people complaining at the festival (including themselves) that the music is being drowned out. The organisers of Gatecrasher Summer Sounds Festival recently had to withstand a barrage of complaints, most of it due to the cancellation of a couple of star acts. Ironically, little regard was given to the fact that the festival line-up featured almost too many great dance-acts and DJ's to be able to list on one page, even if the Chemical Brothers did fail to show.

The fact is that the United Kingdom , without a doubt, has by far the biggest variety and arguably the best festivals on the whole planet. Just ask any foreigner! The reason for this is that more time appears to be spent on organising and managing festivals here than the tube (some would argue that this wouldn't be hard!).

The summer festival juggernaut continued at the recent Isle of Wight Festival, featuring a stellar setting as well as being as well-planned as an Indian wedding. Was it frivolous fun? Definitely. Did it go off flawlessly? Without a doubt. The variety of music and the talent at the festival was undeniable, from the old-school raunchiness of Iggy and the Stooges and the punk-attitude of Johnny Rotten and his Sex Pistols, to the fun of the Kaiser Chiefs, the indie-cool of the Wombats, the youth of the Kooks and myriad other great acts.

It was Iggy and the Stooges that provoked the biggest reaction from the crowd, some shocked at his behaviour and others willing him on. As Iggy combined prancing around topless on stage with hugging the front row audience in between gyrating indecently on top of the piano to spitting at video cameras, this was a performance that conservatives would be sure to find offensive. But Iggy is more endearing and likeable than offensive, and his band's music as catchy as chicken jerky, even if he does sing such lyrics as, "My idea of fun, is killing everyone". On seeing Iggy purposely topple over a massive speaker, the woman to this reviewer's right exclaimed, "Iggy is soooo hot right now". Which was mildly concerning considering he was old enough to be her grandfather. Iggy, at 61 years of age, is not getting any younger and indeed John from Edinburgh said that he, "wishes he had a grandfather like Iggy". If Iggy was your grandfather, you would be concerned for your welfare, although your Christmas Day celebrations would be the envy of all of all your friends.

Later on in the night on the main stage, the Sex Pistols - as iconic a band as you can get - played to an audience with high expectations. Unfortunately, Johnny Rotten was embarrassing, and has an attitude on life which perhaps shouldn't be overly-analysed. Railing against anything and everything, including "poncey homo bands", Johnny appears to be an unhappy rock-star. And the crowd's reaction was mixed at best, with Sarah from Birmingham - at the festival with her family - opinioning that the "Sex Pistols were terrible... Johnny Rotten should only open his mouth when he is singing". However earlier on the same night, the Sugababes surprised everyone with a loveable performance, even if you usually find all-female, sugar-sweet pop bands hard-to-take. And at the same time that the Sex Pistols were being anti-social, the Australian Pink Floyd Band was replicating one of the all time great psychedelic rock-bands almost perfectly, so much so that this reviewer could have sworn that he saw Dave Gilmour strolling around on-stage.

On the last day, the Police ended the festival on the highest of high notes, closing their set off with "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take". The crowd was awe-inspired by this great band, and not just for its songs. One fan was overheard telling her friend that, "Apparently Sting can orgasm for three hours straight". It's good to see that Sting has more talent than just his music. The renditions of "Message in A Bottle" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger" were a perfect example of crowd sing-alongs, and catered for the diverse crowd which was of mixed ages. Funnily enough, earlier in the night the Kooks had been greeted with almost as much excitement and nostalgia as the Police. It was as if the Kooks were the old school favourite, and not merely new talent. They did not fail to impress, especially considering that the lead singer Luke Pritchard almost looks like Jim Morrison of the Doors with his mop of hair.

It was not just the music on offer that made this festival killer bee. There was a vast array of packed fun-filled bars, rides, and festival stalls scattered throughout the venue, ensuring that fans could have fun even if their favourite bands weren't playing at the time. And the fan base of this festival is somewhat mixed, ranging from seasoned campaigners, cross-dressers, very young kids, and apparently first-timers (one poor soul was overheard asking her friend why she couldn't find the flush to the portable-loos).

As the sun set over the Ferris Wheel near the main stage as Sting, assisted by his band and the crowd, blasted out "Every Breath You Take", there was a glimmer of nostalgia in everyone's eyes for the weekend that had passed.