It’s comforting to know that in the middle of a global recession and on the weekend of the hotly anticipated World Cup kick off, Britons can joyously fill fields of not one, but three national festivals in the same weekend; Rockness, Download, and of course the Isle of Wight Festival. The latter being the one with the more broad appeal with newest darling to the festival circuit, Jay-Z, headlining on the Friday, The Strokes on the Saturday and relative Werther’s original of the bunch, Paul McCartney on the Sunday.
World Cup fever was in effect as the sheer number of flags, bad face paint and way too much tight lycra for a Saturday afternoon showed, however this didn’t take away from the shenanigans- revellers revelled in the large screened football match by the big top, and lush weather, drunk camaraderie, and summer soundtrack did the rest.
With festival newcomers to the scene Jay-Z providing much of the draw for punters this weekend, it was a pleasant surprise to be welcomed into Saturday with an enthusiastic crowd hungry for a mixed line up.
Paloma Faith was getting a little emotional as she played her first main stage slot of the summer while former Clash Magazine cover stars, Vampire Weekend, were welcomed back into the UK in good old English style. However, the super stars of the Saturday were Biffy Clyro, with their thirst inducing performance drawing the biggest and most passionate of the afternoon crowds.
With The Strokes and Blondie taking us through to evening and close of the second night, Blondie‘s set was predictably old skool, and somewhat tempered in comparison to the fiery musical The Strokes of the returning New Yorkers. You couldn’t help think that Pink would have been better suited to Saturday’s penultimate spot, with McCartney and Blondie metaphorically tango-ing together on a chilled out Sunday instead of the other way round.
However all in all, a successful festival, made even better by the sun, sea and soccer.
Words by Eleanor Conway
Watch Clash TV’s report from the Isle of Wight Festival, including interviews with Detroit Social Club, Paloma Faith and Orbital, HERE.
It’s the Isle of Wight Festival 2010, and there was nothing more refreshing after my short trip across the Solent and setting up camp than popping down to the festivals campsite very own local bar ‘Carling Local’ for what has to be said was a very smooth perfectly poured pint of Carling. Indeed it was the first time you can get a pint of ice cold draught Carling in the campsite. Isn’t progress great?
Situated where else but in the heart of the campsite the Carling Local bar was the perfect meeting point before, during and after the festival antics. Carling Local by day was somewhere you could sit and have a quiet drink whilst playing table foosball in the sun or exchange your warm cans of beer for some cold cans of Carling on your walk into the festival, but by night the atmosphere changed into a thriving mini club with a fantastic vibe.
The music was well balanced from cheesy pop right through to electronic dance, which complemented the venue’s already proven popularity. The resident DJs had the attention of a very warm, welcoming crowd throughout the weekend, looking down from what can only be said to have the appearance of playing out of your bedroom window to a crowd of merry but happy festival goers, keeping everyone including myself dancing to the very early hours chanting for one more song at the end of each night. Even passers by who couldn’t get in were chanting and dancing outside, the atmosphere was electric!
Carling Local was such a fantastic place to end each day. Being able to dance your heart out before heading the short journey through the campsite back to your tent. Only to find yourself drawn back the following night to do it all again.
Find out more at www.carling.com
Words by Mike Smith
