As the final two days of the Isle of Wight Festival draw to a close and people start to make their way home, I spent some time reflecting on what has been a hectic few days.
One of the biggest factors that sets the tone for any UK festival is the weather and the Isle of Wight was lucky enough to be blessed with gorgeous sunshine for the last couple of days. It just makes everything so much easier when you are warm and dry!
People made the most of this on Saturday and Sunday, spending time at the outdoor areas such as the revamped River Stage where I caught Australian sisters Germain delivering their set of joyous pop songs.
The crowds at the Main stage were pretty impressive as were the bands that I managed to catch, Natalie Imbruglia, Jessie J and Keane all put on stunning sets before Saturday headliners the Pet Shop Boys closed the main arena with a hit-heavy set that started with Suburbia and included favourites Opportunities, Left To My Own Devices, Domino Dancing and the classic West End Girls.
Away from the main stage, I made a point of taking in a set from local dance music heroes Collective States who wowed a large crowd at the Steelers Wheel stage, which perfectly complimented the set from Eurovision winner Loreen in the Big Top that I briefly dipped into.
An early-ish start on the Sunday was well worth the effort as it meant catching Beverly Knight who has what was probably the voice of the festival and is well deserving of a later slot if she comes back next year.
McFly put on an energetic set that proved they can rock with the best of them, Zara Larson drew a large crowd as did Caity Baser, a Southampton artist who has taken the pop world by storm and yet again delivered an energetic fun-filled set in the Big Top.
Simple Minds as the penultimate band on the main stage were no strangers to stadium shows and had the crowd mesmerised as Jim Kerr, Charlie Burchill and band delivered a set of ten songs, with each one being a worldwide hit.
Kerr is such a fascinating frontman who still has that ability to captivate an audience and make them feel like one of the band, joining in on classic tunes such as Promised You A Miracle and Alive and Kicking.
The weekend seemed to pass in a flash and all too soon Sunday headliners Green Day were belting out their own brand of punk rock with Basket Case, When I Come Around, American Idiot and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) all putting in an appearance.
As always the weekend passed far too quickly and I had broken my annual promise to spend much more time away from the main stage and just sit and watch the acts at Cirque de la Quirk, The Intoxicated Tea Rooms and especially the Hipshaker tent.
I am writing this on the ferry and having had the best weekend, along with tens of thousands of other music fans, I will now make that same promise again as I look forward to the Isle of Wight Festival 2025.
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