As the Isle of Wight festival 2018 celebrated its 50^th anniversary, the sun shone as golden as the glittery glad rags parading around the festival field…and we got our cameras out:

Isle of Wight festival 2018: Friday

Grooving on the main stage Nile Rodgers and Chic performed a flawless performance that fired out hit and hit and got the fans on their feet. While the Big Top tent saw Bedford boy Tom Grennan cause a storm on stage and solidifying his status as one of the hottest sounds of 2018.

Friday night came to a close with Kasabian performing a by the book performance that saw the band belt out tune after tune suited for the main stage, Chase and Status caused chaos as fans piled into the Big Top tent desperate to dance into the early hours of the night.

Saturday

The sun continued to shine though out Saturday as areas such as the Old Mout Cider Kiwi Camp kept things cool with their delicious array of ciders and light entertainment like Disco Yoga and Rockaoke.

Brit award winner James Bay was back trading in his trademark hat for slick back hair and riffs galore as he jammed on stage to his follow up album Electric Light. While man of the hour Liam Gallagher pulled in a sizeable crowd and belted out Oasis classics such as Rock n Roll Star and Supersonic that proved to be still some of greatest songs ever written, the downside being a shared stage and not having the time to truly shine.

Sunday

Sunday saw Sheryl Crow keep things light and breezy while Cuban-born Camila Cabello gave a scorching performance that added a little heat to the already blistering day – although it was arguably a little tepid compared to that of the England team. Spirits were raised as high as the English flags waving through the sky when the England vs Panama result began to ripple through the raucous crowds, convincing everyone present that football was truly coming home.

It was a welcome return for Sam Duckworth – aka Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly – to the stage as he was supported by a full band that helped transform previous electro-experimental efforts into a vibrant array of melodic splendour. The full ensemble breathed new life into his debut album The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager, sounding as fresh as it did back in 2006.

Norwegian pop sensation Sigrid unfortunately felt the strain of technical difficulties eating into her allotted time by an extra half hour, but was welcomed by an sympathetic crowd filling out the Big Top tent before rushing off to see headline act The Killers take to the main stage.

The Las Vegas band pulled no punches as their perfect blend of indie rock and bruised Americana with a Springsteen-esque twang attracted multiple generations to the main stage. Spectators witnessed a dazzling performance accompanied by festival fireworks soaring almost as high as the bands brilliant finale Mr Brightside, proving that Isle of Wight is one of the biggest and brightest festivals around.

 

Keep tabs on tickets for next year’s Isle of Wight Festival here: www.isleofwightfestival.com

 

Words and photos by Jack Lloyd