We were rested, just about, by the time we were on board the open-top shuttle bus that whisked us to Seaclose Park for day two. The breeze was quite extreme, but I quite liked it. PY less so. My festival hat was tied under my chin to make sure I arrived at the field with it still in my possession. We were much earlier today, and the bus was not even half full. Our original intention had been to see a Frank Sinatra tribute. We ended up stopping off at The Last Chance Saloon, where there were picnic tables in the morning sun, with Andrew Jones performing a mix of his own music and country classics. When coupled with the excellent coffee we found and the hash browns with maple syrup and bacon bits for breakfast, it was the perfect way to start the day: relaxed, comfortable, and with a great soundtrack. I almost didn’t want the walk to the main stage.
But to the main stage we did go, and I am very glad we did. When there was a quick snippet of Wellerman, I immediately knew who we were watching: Nathan Evans and the Saint PHNX Band. The mix of traditional Scottish folk music and modern rock and pop was a fantastic way to start the day, with the crowd jumping along. It seems important that the early main-stage acts start to pull people forward, and this performance did so. And it wouldn’t be the only time throughout the day that No Scotland No Party was sung out by a Scottish performer to a small but loud group of Scots.
In fact, next up was KT Tunstall, who did her own shout with No Scotland No Party just before she introduced a surprise guest, Jack Savoretti, with whom she performed Tempting Fate. I think the crowd was surprised and excited to see a guest. It says a lot about modern news that, within a few minutes of them finishing the song, there was already a headline: “Surprise as special guest joins KT Tunstall on stage at Isle of Wight Festival.” I really enjoyed Look at Me Now, which she wrote, but it didn’t make the cut for The Devil Wears Prada 2. It was a rock-inspired act to keep the crowd bouncing.
Next, an artist who achieved multi-platinum international superstardom in the 2000s and is one of only a few performers who can go by a single name, and everybody knows who they are: Anastacia. On the way to the hits I remember (I was holding out for Left Outside Alone, and I was not disappointed), we got a cover of Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child o’ Mine, which was definitely a crowd-pleaser. If I’d heard it before, I’d forgotten 2001’s Paid My Dues, but I just added it to my playlist. It seems an appropriate song for a performer who has survived the music industry for as long as Anastacia has.
We stayed with the main stage, although PY ran off to find me a beer between sets, for boy band Five, or should I write 5ive? Formed in the late 90s, they were down to four in 2001 when Sean left. When he came back after The Big Reunion TV show, J didn’t. In 2014, Abz left, leaving three of them for about ten years. But another TV show, Boybands Forever (reminder to self: watch this), reunited them, and they’re now on a world tour. What’s best about this history is that by now they have worked out that a setlist full of hits works, and it was a highly choreographed fifty minutes of nostalgic 90s pop hits: Slam Dunk (Da Funk), If Ya Gettin’ Down, Keep On Movin’, We Will Rock You, Let’s Dance. It might not be cool, but it was unexpectedly polished, and sometimes pop bangers are what you need.
The nostalgia fest continued when Rick Astley arrived on the main stage. Although he opened with one of his own 80s pop hits, “Together Forever,” he played a less pop-hit-heavy set, which really showed that he has a great voice. He told a story before performing a cover of Roy Orbison’s Oh, Pretty Woman, in which he claims he was asked to sing for the movie Pretty Woman, but he turned it down, thinking nobody would go and see it. Obviously, a lot of us were waiting for Never Gonna Give You Up, which came at the end of the set, but I don’t think anybody was expecting the cover of RAYE’s Where Is My Husband!, which came early on and was superb. I like it when it’s full of surprises. The set was very varied, full of good songs and a smattering of Rick’s personality.
We started walking back to look for some food. But after Rick, the changeover showed the worst of the Isle of Wight Festival, as getting away from the main stage is a crush of crowds shuffling for twenty minutes. By the time we reached the food stalls, the queues were enormous. We had the option to watch Rita Ora from the back of the field or get food. We took the first option for the opening few numbers, but quite quickly headed to a quieter area for a Greek gyro, a sit-down and some decisions to make about what would be next. From the back, Rita, not sure she can go by one name alone, sounded slick and polished.
Calvin Harris was the day’s headliner, but although I imagine it would be a crowd-pleasing set of huge hits, it would predominantly be a DJ set, and I am lacking the stamina to be in a dance music mosh pit. So we decided to head in the opposite direction and returned to The Last Chance Saloon, via Berlingo Flick’s folk set in The Intoxicated Tearooms. In the country venue, Chasing Twisters were performing a set of country hits, which was a perfect way to end the day, although I wasn’t tempted to join the line-dancing rows in front of the stage.
A little earlier than last night, back in Ryde, we allowed ourselves to stop off for a sandwich and catch some of Calvin Harris’ set on the television. All amazing hits and an impressive light show before an enormous crowd. Maybe we were the only ones who headed out. But he was just pressing ‘play’, wasn’t he?
