Long hot evenings, bright, clear skies and sounds of people singing and dancing, nothing signals the start of summer quite like it. And what really marks the beginning of the summer time is the festival season.
What better way to kick-start the party then, than with one of Britain’s most iconic and beloved festivals, The Isle of Wight, back in its usual June spot after being moved the previous year due to the pandemic.
The beautiful, culture-rich island, just a short trip off the coast of southern England, is home to some of the UK’s most glorious views, stunning beaches and one of Britain’s biggest annual parties.
The festivities near the town of Newport have been fun for all the family for years, with a huge variety of acts taking to multiple stages across acres of fields for four days of music filled fun.
Despite a few setbacks this year, most notably before the party had even got underway with the loss of one of the main headliners – Lionel Richie pulling out after he announced he was not taking party in any live shows over the summer – the festival still did a superb job of launching the summer with a bang.
With the glorious sunshine and red-hot temperatures providing a beautiful if not slightly warm backdrop on the Friday the party kicked-off in style.
It was the daunting task of London five-piece the Vaccines to launch the festivities on the main stage, and they did not disappoint.
The indie rock band, known for hits such as ‘If you wanna’ and ‘All my friends are falling in love’, put on a fantastic opening show for all the crowds gathered, playing those classics along with many more and even mixing in a few new tracks from their latest album.
Norwegian singing sensation Sigrid was up next and had no trouble keeping the party rocking.
She delighted the thousands jumping and dancing with a high energy performance, getting the crowd bouncing to hits such as ‘Strangers’ and showcasing her immense talent.
The Red Arrows then allowed everyone to take a few moments rest in the sweltering heat.
The infamous aerobatic performers treated crowds to a dazzling flyover, filling the skies with colour in the summer sunshine.
The music then returned, with Nile Rodgers & Chic sending the waves of people gathered boogying through the ages, playing a catalogue of classics which Nile himself had worked on for multiple musical stars throughout his glistening career.
Fans were treated to performances of hits including Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin’, Duran Duran’s ‘Notorious’ and David Bowie’s ‘Let’s Dance’ as well as a special rendition of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ which sent the crowd wild.
As the cooler evening approached it was time for a little ska music and who better to provide it than iconic British band Madness.
Playing a mixture of hits, Suggs and Co never failed to get the crowd dancing, even as they left some of the band’s classic such as ‘Baggy Trousers’ and ‘It Must be Love’ to the end of their set.
As the day rounded off there was time for one last big performance on the main stage from singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi.
The hugely talented Scot, whose career has ballooned since the release of his debut album in 2019, had one of the biggest audiences of the night.
Crowds of people packed into the main field to hear him belt out hits such as ‘Grace’ and ‘Someone You Loved’ in a brilliant show.
He also sang a little bit of Lionel Richie in tribute to the icon, who was meant to be headlining as well that night, and kept the thousands gathered entertained between songs with his chats.
But, as always, if you didn’t get enough entertainment from the main stage there were plenty of other incredible performances from bands and artists across the ten other stages including Sea Girls, Mimi Webb and The Snuts to name a few.
Craig David was on hand to cap off a solid end to the start of day one, keeping the Big Top tent bouncing until the early hours of the morning.
Despite the weather trying it’s hardest to spoil the party on Saturday, the tens of thousands gathered refused to let it dampen their spirits.
Four-piece indie rock band Greek Tragedies kicked off the action on the main stage before a very excited CHINCHILLA took to the floor.
Scottish rockers The Fratellis were up next, keeping the energy going as they played a catalogue of hits which included the iconic ‘Chelsea Dagger’.
Before you could even catch your breath after hours of top performances, fellow Scots, The Proclaimers took to the stage.
The duo drew in huge crowds, delighting the thousands gathered with a mixture of classics including ‘Letters from America’ and the cult hit ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ as well as sprinkling in a few new hits from their latest record.
As the weather started to turn and after spending most of the weekend so far at the main stage it was time to check out a few other areas of the festival.
Over in the Big Top, crowds spilled outside the giant tent, which was packed full of giddy fans waiting to watch Take That’s Mark Owen.
Wearing a wonderfully bold orange suit, the boyband star and solo artist delighted the masses, performing a mixture of his songs and Take That classics including ‘Shine’ and ‘Rule the World’ which had everyone on their feet.
He was followed by a Berkshire rockers The Amazons who too put on a brilliant show.
The band played hits including ‘Black Magic’ and ‘Stay With Me’ and had the tent bouncing throughout their set.
Unfortunately a return to the main stage saw one of the only low points of the weekend.
The weather finally got the better of the party, cutting short the much-anticipated performance from Stockport band Blossoms.
Hampered by tech issues before they had even begun, fans were treated to an excellent 20 minute-or-so show before being starved of hits such as ‘Charlemagne’ as the strong winds vigorously shook the stage, forcing the band off due to health and safety concerns.
Despite panic that the two remaining headliners, Kasabian and Pete Tong, would also have their performances axed, all fears were alleviated as the unmistakable tones of the former’s huge hit ‘Club Foot’ echoed around the fields.
Even with a slight technical hitch at the start of their set, Kasabian, now fronted by leading man Sergio Pizzorno, perfectly helped to restore the party atmosphere.
The Leicester rock-piece got everyone bouncing again as they performed a mix of classics including ‘Underdog’ and ‘You’re in Love with a Psycho’ whilst also throwing in a few new hits brewing on their latest record The Alchemist’s Euphoria.
As if that wasn’t enough there was also a surprise appearance from English football star Peter Crouch who delighted fans by jumping about on stage while the band closed out their set with smash hit ‘Fire’.
The night was capped off by DJ Pete Tong and The Heritage Orchestra who got the crowds dancing to some Ibiza classics with a classical twist.
As part of the stellar Saturday night headline performance there were also a few special guests who joined the DJ and the Orchestra on stage.
Jessie Ware returned after earlier headlining the main stage in her own brilliant set, and there was also a surprise appearance from singer-songwriter John Newman, much to the delight of the thousands watching on.
Again, away from the main stage there was plenty more to keep everyone entertained including a top performance from Shaggy who got everyone dancing in a packed Big Top.
Sunday saw the return of the good weather and no let-up in the party atmosphere.
There were big performances on the main stage from Beth Brookfield, Morgan Wade and Del Amitri.
Mavis Staples and Laura Mvula kept the crowd rocking before UB40 featuring Ali Campbell took to the stage.
Despite being in a boot after busting his foot in football tournament Soccer Aid the week before, Tom Grennan still managed to bring his normal high energy to his main stage show.
The singer-songwriter tried his best to dance about while belting out hits such as ‘Found what I’ve been looking for’ and ‘Sober’, never failing to keep the crowd bouncing.
Rudimental continued with the same energy, keeping the party atmosphere rocking as the thousands gathered jumped and danced to hit after hit including ‘Feel the Love’ and ‘These Days’.
The weekend was closed off in style by yet another blockbuster performance from English rock sensation Muse.
Never shy in making an entrance the Teignmouth trio came out to a backdrop of flames as they played new hit Will of the People, off the latest album of the same name, in front of a huge sign lit up in, you guessed it, more flames.
The performance continued in this grandiose fashion with the revealing of a giant moving head and upper body of a person wearing a shimmering facemask as the group got to the end of another new song ‘Won’t Stand Down’.
The giant head and body remained on stage throughout the show as the band delighted fans new and old with classics ranging from ‘Time is Running Out’ to ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ whilst also adding a few surprises from their new album.
Frontman Matt Bellamy also had another surprise in store as he popped on a special glove and proceeded to play a little melody entitled ‘Behold the Glove’ before using the device to perform his part of the song ‘Uprising’.
The stellar set was finished off with more flames as the band closed out with the iconic ‘Knights of Cydonia’, rounding off a terrific weekend of music.
Again, away from the main stage there were also some fantastic performances from Wet Leg, The Charlatans and The Kooks to name a few.
All in all, despite the weather and a few technical glitches at times, nothing could stop the party at the Isle of Wight.
The variety of acts and mix of genres along with the beautiful island setting and friendly atmosphere continues to make the festival a stand out and fun for all ages.
The Isle of Wight as always is the perfect way to kick-start the summer and 2022 was no exception. Bring on 2023!