Saturday 1 May 2010

Countdown to IOW Festival ... Highlights from 2009

Very excited about Isle of Wight festival. 40 Days and counting.
It's got me thinking about what I want to see/hear/do/experience this time round, and some of my highlights from 2009:

1. Lots of sunshine!
And sunburn. I will go factor-15 prepared this time.


2. The Big Top.

I was dead against the introduction of a second stage - I hate having to pick a band, and the idea that I could be missing something amazing on the other stage. By the end I was sold though. I had seen Prodigy before and they bored me slightly after the 20th round of tourette's so I went to see Ladyhawke instead. She was not a natural performer - hiding behind her mic, her hair, her status-quo-denim, - but the music was really good. Calvin Harris was also great as were Australian Pink Floyd.

3. Impromptu acoustic sessions on Guitar Hero stage.
This was slightly surreal. I would walk by protecting my ears from the god-awful racket some deluded member of the public was making - only to chance upon a real musician. I saw James Walsh from Starsailor, and Midge Ure (Ultravox) playing a few hits. They were brilliant.

4. The Big Wheel.

Being a bit sad again. Well, it did have amazing views up at the top.



5. The Red Arrows.
Yes, I know it's a bit sad to be impressed by this. But I don't care. There was an announcement that the Red Arrows would be appearing in a few seconds, and seconds later they flashed over our heads. They proceeded to show off at high speeds at high altitude.


6. Hogroast.
Ummmmm delicious. Really, compared to the standard festival stall fare it was excellent.