Festival joy, sunshine wins & lucky railcard timing
Week commencing Monday, 16 June 2025
Isle of Wight Festival 2025
Quantified Self
This week: Stand 5/7; Exercise 4/7 and Move 5/7. (67%). Morning walks: 0/4 (days in the office don’t count). Office days 1/4. Total steps: 58,922
Life
Monday, a heatwave was predicted. Turned out to be a good sign for the week, and it explains the survey I got asking about how I cope in hot weather. I’m fine. The weather stayed hot.
Related: I actually got a mobile signal on the train to Waterloo on Thursday, and it allowed me to buy a railcard when I discovered mine had expired minutes before I needed it.
Great description of AI from Little, Yellow, Different: “It’s like having a writing partner who’s read every book ever written but occasionally thinks your grocery list needs footnotes and a bibliography.”
Random wish of the week: I wish Apple Podcasts showed when I’d listened to a podcast.
Isle of Wight Festival. Highlights: Lottery Winners, Paul Heaton, Björn Again, Midge Ure, and the bit of Texas that I managed to hear from the back. Lots of other good stuff, though.
Related: we didn’t stay for the headliners on any day. PY was more disappointed that Sky Arts wasn’t showing Justin Timberlake than I was.
Murderbot: I mentioned before that my childhood television upbringing has made me particularly fond of computers with human-like qualities. I think that’s what appeals about this show to me.
The Race Across The World reunion made me wish that there was a lot more of the series. I also really wish they’d do a behind-the-scenes show because it must be fascinating to be part of the camera crew embedded with the contestants.
A lively festival day featuring Björn Again, Ella Eyre’s surprise exit, Midge Ure’s powerful set, and more memorable performances.
Bjorn AgainTexas
Didn’t sleep well. The flat downstairs had music going in the early hours. Still, we were up reasonably early and on the bus back to the festival, where we managed to get our hands on a bacon roll and a coffee before things got going. The queue was moving, but the bacon wasn’t cooking quickly enough for demand. It’s my view that there are remarkably few bacon roll vendors for a festival.
First up on the Main Stage was Björn Again, doing a 40-minute ABBA tribute set: a total crowd-pleaser – big energy, lots of singalongs, and the kind of opening that sets the tone nicely for a Sunday. Then came Ella Eyre. I didn’t know her music beforehand, but the set was packed with great pop tunes. She kept saying the crowd would need to help her out, which, at first, I thought was just the usual festival banter – but part-way through, she ran off stage, leaving 15 minutes of her slot unplayed. She later posted an emotional apology on social media. I thought her vocals sounded great while she was on, so it came as a bit of a surprise to hear that her voice had gone.
Alison Moyet followed, opening with Nobody’s Diary – written when she was still a teenager with Yazoo. The rest of the set was a mix of lesser-known tracks, at least to me, but her voice was powerful throughout. Sadly, I think she lost the crowd a little bit with the less well-known tunes.
Like lots of people, we rushed across to The Big Top for Midge Ure. Scheduling him so close to Alison Moyet – but on a different stage – didn’t make a lot of sense. By the time we arrived, it was full, so we stood outside and watched the screen. Worth it, though. A brilliant set. Vienna was in there, obviously, but also Fade to Grey (which he co-wrote for Visage), which was a real highlight.
When we made it back to the Main Stage, Olly Murs was already well into his set, dedicating Dear Darlin’ to Caroline Flack. From our position at the back, the screens were essentially dots, but the energy still carried.
We stayed in the same spot for Texas, but the wind had picked up and the sound wasn’t really carrying. We were in a patch of crowd mostly made up of large seated groups, treating it more like a garden party with background music. That, and the wind, meant we couldn’t hear much of Sharleen Spiteri’s chat between songs – a shame, as I usually enjoy on-stage banter from the artists.
We looked at the rest of the line-up and decided nothing else was enough to keep us from the return trip, so we hopped on the bus back, picked up fish and chips, and watched Jess Glynne’s set on the telly. Much better sound, full picture, and no one setting up a picnic in front of us. Just a shame Sky Arts aren’t showing Justin Timberlake’s headline set – but still, can’t really complain.
We were back at Seaclose Park at noon. Despite my already tired feet, I was glad of the night in a real bed and ready for, more or less, twelve hours of standing. The first call of the day was at a coffee wagon to get a drink and the fortification of a pastry. Then, walk towards the main stage. As the crowds were still not out and, I suspect, many of the on-site campers were recovering, we took the opportunity to explore some areas of the site that had gone unvisited yesterday.
The Platform One Stage, which a music college runs, showcases student talent. According to the schedule, we watched Stereo Screams, but there seem to be more people in the band (based on their Instagram) than we saw. Whoever they were, they were good.
We walked the long snake-fenced-off queue line for a beer and fruit cider. Nobody else was buying, and the staff watched, amused, as we walked up and down the lines. It’s hard not to feel stupid doing that, but I wouldn’t vault any fences to save a few seconds. We carried our drinks to the Main Stage area, where we could secure a space near the front and watch Apollo Junction. It’s another new band to me and another fantastic way to start the day. Over several years, they had progressed from one of the small stages to opening the big one. Added to my playlist.
Yesterday, I mentioned the challenges of shifting between the Main Stage and other areas. Today, there were several acts in a row that we wanted to see on the biggest stage, so we settled in for about four and a half hours, standing three or four rows from the barrier.
Natalie Imbruglia was first up. Of course, everybody wanted to sing along to Torn, which came towards the end of the set, but there were plenty of other solid songs. It was a great set that pulled people towards the stage.
The act PY wanted to see most today was Jake Shears, who was up just before 3pm. Arriving on stage wearing a glittering red and silver tracksuit, he opened with “Too Much Music”. Pretty much straight afterwards, the tracksuit was removed to reveal a glittering silver-and-red vest-shorts combo. While most of the acts on the main stage stuck to the accepted dress code of ‘something black’, Jake Shears was the opposite.
Apollo Junction’s Jamie Williamson got down from the stage to sing to the front row, and Jake Shears repeated the move during “Do The Television”. This is great for those of us up close but not so wonderful for those further back with a view of the stage who lose sight of the artists. I am not complaining. Jake’s set was another fantastic one. I hope he’s back in a future year with a longer show as his solo collection of hits is growing, and he still needs to fit in the crowd-pleasing Scissor Sisters tunes.
Half an hour later, possibly the 90s pop highlight took to the stage. Unlike everybody else we’ve seen so far at the festival, S Club did not pretend to be singing to a live band. There were no instruments on stage, and it was a pop-perfect 45 minutes: opening, of course, with “S Club Party” and closing with the crowd’s favourite, “Reach”. If the Isle of Wight festival has a reputation for being a rock fest, then perhaps S Club will convince people that there’s something for everyone.
After reaching for the stars, we decided it was time to eat. We found a pizza and sat on the grass near the Big Top, watching several people wearing Pet Shop Boys-inspired red-and-white pointy hats. The crowd had fewer ‘costumes’ than I remember from last year.
While we were sitting on the grass, the Big Top crowd was growing larger and larger to the sound of Irish music. Intrigued, we wandered in and caught the last, thoroughly enjoyable half-hour of The Mary Wallopers before making our way to The River Stage.
I am trying to remember who had just finished on The River Stage when we arrived, but most people who’d seen the previous act were hanging about. I nipped to the bar tent, and when I turned around again to return to PY with a couple of drinks, I needed to push through quite a mass of people. In another 80s flashback, Johnny Hates Jazz took to the stage with a collection of hits. I am not sure some of the crowd knew what was coming, as, after the first couple of songs, there was a changeover with a bit of an exodus making way for more people who’d been trying to get into the area.
By the time we’d heard “Turn Back The Clock”, “I Don’t Want To Be A Hero”, and “Shattered Dreams” from the River Stage, the mass audiences had arrived in front of the Main Stage for not-quite-headliners, Keane. I am not familiar with Keane, so I was content to stand back and see most of the set on the video screen. I was surprised I knew as many of their songs as I did.
Generally, I am not a fan of going to concerts where you can’t see the act on the stage and watch the show on a video screen. However, at a festival like this, you must accept that it’s the only way to see some acts without camping out in front of a single stage all day.
After Keane, as it got darker, the air got colder. We both added layers, and I decided that something warm would help. It’s incredible how a portion of super-unhealthy but equally delicious loaded fries could revive us both. On a side note, the site’s food selection was pretty impressive. PY went to look for a stall still selling coffee. That’s how rock-n-roll our evening was.
One of the peculiarities of festivals is that there are often no intros to the bands. After many people move equipment, and somebody inevitably hits the drum for a soundcheck, the band starts. And so it was with the Pet Shop Boys. PY returned, coffee-less, once he realised the Pet Shop Boys had started (the coffee queue was moving slowly due to high demand for the waffles also available).
By this time, we were standing even further back than we’d been for Keane, and this is the point in my notes where I should inject something about the people who manage the stage-side video screens.
It’s ubiquitous for bands to have impressive video projection shows at the back of the stage. You can tell how much money artists are being paid by what they do with those screens. Earlier in the day, it’s usually just the band’s name or logo. As the day progresses, video is increasingly used. It looks nice when you can see the band on stage.
However, when you have 50,000 people back in a field with a partial obstruction of the mid-field sound/video/lighting gear, you only get part of the experience and rely on the side-stage video screen to see what’s happening. Several bands, including PSB, often showed the video effects on these screens instead of the live view, and there was no sight of the band on stage. IMHO, I am there to see a band. Generally, I want to be able to see the performers on stage (even microscopic versions of them), but, as with PSB, when that’s impossible, I implore the art directors of these things to keep the band on screen. If I want video effects, I’ll watch Vevo.
OK, back to the show (well, almost). The Isle of Wight is very family-friendly as a festival. There are lots of kids of all ages. I imagine many little kids are exhausted by 10:20pm (the headline start time). A mass of people stay to see the first couple of songs by the final act, then start heading homeward (or at least campsite-wards). As a pleasing result, within the first twenty minutes, we’d moved from being a long way back, with the screen as the primary view, to a view of the stage where I could see Neil & Chris (and appreciate the aforementioned video effects).
It’s a stunning show. And every song is known. It’s amazing how extensive and familiar PSB’s back catalogue is. When a band can put songs as big as “Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money)” and “Rent” in the early part of the set and still have hits left for later, you’re reminded of how prolific the band has been since their mid-80s arrival on planet pop*.
We took a gamble that “It’s A Sin” was the closing song of the main set and made our way backwards as it was playing. And we were right. Thus, we started the power walk back to the bus stop to beat the crowds for the shuttle to Ryde. “West End Girls” (an encore song) played in our ears.
The bus was significantly busier than yesterday, and my legs were much creakier than last night. But it’s nice to get to the flat for tea and more Sky Arts festival catch-up.
*I put that phrase in as it sounded like a homage to Smash Hits magazine.
A picture triggered a rather clear flashback to 1994 and one of the first times my name ever appeared on the internet.
I’m on a short work-related visit to New York. It’s hot here. But, for once, not as hot as London.
You know what they say about mad dogs and Englishmen? Well, today, sometime just after my lunch, I went up to the roof of our office building, which has a fancy new terrace. It was lovely. And very hot. I didn’t stay there long. You can’t, however, stand atop a New York roof and not take a picture. So I did.
Reviewing these pictures a moment ago, I noticed one that triggered a rather clear flashback to 1994 and to one of the first times my name ever appeared on the internet. I don’t recall who wrote it; it’s gone forever from the internet archive, but it was a sarcastic comment about my online collection of pictures of satellite dishes at British radio stations. There was a reason they existed. I worked for the company that owned the dishes at radio stations, and we had a collection of photographs so that you could describe to an engineer where the dish was if they needed to point it back at the satellite after a pigeon had flown into it (which actually happened). One night shift, I decided to share the pictures with the world on the corporate website.
At some point, it was deemed inappropriate to house the pictures on the website of the company that owned the dishes. So I bequeathed them all to James Cridland’s MediaUK directory where, for a few years, the image was linked to the radio station’s entry. I found the Red Rose picture on the Internet Archive. For this one, you really didn’t need a picture to describe to an engineer where the dish was. Although James credited me for the pictures, I actually took none of them. They were all taken while I was locked in the control centre overnight (which – and it amuses me daily – was located about 15 paces from the front door of the London office building I work in today).
Just to show that some of the biggest names on the web have poor customer service.
Over the past two weeks, I have had cause to contact two online companies that happily take my credit card details for services (and I happily pay them as I want to use the paid-for features). You may recall I’ve mentioned contacting Yahoo. I also have had cause to contact Sonic Selector. So far, both companies are rating 0/10 for their customer service when it comes to billing enquiries. At this moment, it is at the point I would cancel both of the services and find alternative providers – especially as I just got an invite for a Gmail account! Such a shame that companies behave like this. Just a reminder that sometimes a real-world store you can walk into is better.
UPDATE: Interestingly – and totally unknown to me until I posed this – the ‘On This Day‘ link is also about poor customer service.
So, you would rather give me my money back than work with me to arrange delivery. Isn’t that rather short-sighted. Why would I ever shop with you again?
So, I try to buy a new power supply from a computer supplier (let’s say they are called Tell Computers).
Buy online and pay by credit card. They will only ship to the credit card billing address. No problem, I say, somebody will be there to pick it up and sign for it. Takes so long to arrive that nobody is there anymore. So, I think I’ll have the courier redeliver to work. They can’t change the delivery address without Tell’s permission. OK, I say, “Somebody will be in on Thursday; please deliver it then.” They try to deliver on Friday.
No problem, thinks I. I will have them deliver one evening. “We don’t do evening deliveries,” they say. So I say, “I’m in Saturday”. We don’t work weekends”. Huum.
“What about if I collect from your depot?”
“It is a delivery centre with no collection point. Try calling Tell to have the address changed.”
“Hello, Tell. Here’s my problem”
“Sorry, I’m in billing. Here’s customer service.”
“Hello, Customer Service. Here’s my problem.”
“We can change the address. Oh, you bought online. You’ll need to speak to our Internet team”.
“Hello Internet Team. I have a problem, and I’ve spoken to many people. I am assured you can help me.”
“No. We can’t change the address because you paid by credit card.”
“But here’s the problem. I am not at home during the day anymore. You don’t deliver evenings and weekends, and you don’t have a collection point.”
“Can’t help you. Sorry.”
So I say, “I will have to send it back and have a refund”.
“Certainly, Sir, no problem.”
“So, you would rather give me my money back than work with me to arrange delivery. Isn’t that rather short-sighted? Why would I ever shop with you again?”
“Sorry, that’s our policy. Somebody will call within the hour to confirm the refund”.
