The Isle of Wight Festival is a three-day event that attracts just under 75,000 people. Since 2002 it has been held at Seaclose Park in Newport, the capital of the Island. Newport is easy to get to from any of the ferries and has regular bus links to the entire Island. Newport is also one of the few places that can cope with an extra 75,000 people – over half the population of the Isle of Wight – suddenly turning up on its doorstep. It has a reasonable selection of shops, supermarkets and pubs etc and the festival site is within a very short walk from the town centre.

All the World's a Stage

The Isle of Wight Festival this year had three stages: the Main Stage, which was in the main Seaclose Park field; the Big Top, which was a stage inside a large, blue marquee; and the Acoustic Stage, which was located in the Medina Arboretum. The Big Top, being in an all but enclosed space, was by far the loudest, but also had a great atmosphere. The sound quality varied greatly in the field around the main stage depending on where you stood. As well as the stages, there were also giant view screens showing the performances dotted around the site, as well as next to the stages, although not for the Acoustic Stage.

As well as the three official stages there were also smaller stages inside the larger beer tents, where live entertainment performed. There was also the 'Field Of Dreams', which consisted of a giant television screen which showed the football World Cup.

Sadly whenever there is more than one stage at a festival and you cannot possibly see everyone, there are going to be occasions when people you wish to see clash, or in hindsight you wish you had gone to a different stage to see a different act who later become famous when who you did see wasn't as good as you hoped they would be. C'est la vie – it is all part of the festival experience. This becomes even more of an issue when you go to festivals with friends with different tastes in music than you – do you see the act you wish to, or stay with your friends and be sociable?

Line Up

This is the line up for the largest two stages for the 2010 Isle of Wight Festival – the Main Stage and Big Top.

An advantage of music festivals such as the Isle of Wight Festival is that, unlike a concert where you see only one act, you get to see a wide variety of performers who perform different genres of music, including ones you would not normally see.

Established acts, who have extensive experience in performing in front of audiences rather than becoming famous through making music videos do often make a better show than more recent acts who are more familiar with performing for cameras rather than audiences, and who have the luxury of being able to do take after take at will in order to get each song perfect. On the other hand, acts for whom this is their first opportunity to perform to a large audience can perform with unmatched enthusiasm and energy.

Main Stage

Big Top

Friday

The first act on the Main Stage on Friday were Waterburner, winners of Absolute Radio's One Last Dream competition. They were followed by Hockey. After Hockey was Mr Hudson, who won the Q Award for Best Breakthrough Act in 2009 and has supported many famous and influential acts including Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Mika and Groove Armada¹.

Following Mr Hudson was Doves; Jez Williams, Jimi Goodwin and Andy Williams. Having made their debut in 2000, Doves disappeared in 2005 before resurfacing with a new album in 2009. Then Calvin Harris came on, and since his first album in 2007 has had hits such as 'All the Girls' and including the incredible No 1 hit 'Ready For the Weekend'. He had a very enthusiastic backing group, the brunette singer in particular seemed overjoyed to be playing at such a large event.

Calvin Harris was followed by Florence and the Machine, who were discovered in 2009 and immediately considered a hot new act. The lead singer, Florence Welch, delights in living up to her eccentric reputation and won a BRIT award for Best British Album at the 2010 BRIT Awards. She began her set with the words:

I just have one request. Do you want to dance with me? Do we understand each other?

She then performed an energetic set, jumping off speakers and singing hits such as 'You've Got The Love'.

Big Top

Friday's Big Top line-up had a decidedly female feel to it. The first act on the Big Top on Friday were I Blame Coco. The lead singer, Eliot 'Coco' Sumner, is the daughter of musician and Dune actor Sting, and is following in her father's footsteps. Quite literally, as Sting and The Police headlined the Isle of Wight Festival in 2008.

I Blame Coco was followed by Daisy Dares You, singer Daisy Coburn. The following act was Woman, an all-female rock group starring Mazz and Gina Murray, AJ Casey and Emma Kershaw. The following act, 'Wonderland', was again an all-female girl band, featuring former Hollyoaks actress Jodie Albert, as well as Corrina Duran, Kasey Smith, Leigh Learmont and Sharon Condon. They are managed by Louis Walsh and Kian Egan, a member of Westlife.

The next act was Shakespears Sister, or at least one half of the classic 80s and 90s double act responsible for hits such as 'Stay', 'I Don't Care', 'You're History' and 'Hello (Turn Your Radio On)'. Sadly Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit split in 1993, and Siobhan Fahey, formerly in Bananarama, is touring and perforing solo but keeping the name Shakespears Sister.

Marina and the Diamonds

Marina and the Diamonds, shortly after releasing their first album, appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival. Lead singer Marina Diamandis continued to wow crowds with her unique approach to performance, singing whilst wearing extreme costumes or holding a cloth burger. Marina and the Diamonds' debut album was released earlier in 2010, a top 5 hit, and were recently runner up in the BBC Sound of 2010 poll. Despite having performed at 28 festivals in 2009, the Isle of Wight Festival was her largest gig so far.

Juliette Lewis

The penultimate act in the Big Top was Juliette Lewis. She had started her career as a successful actress, starring in festive favourite National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and thrillers Natural Born Killers and From Dusk Till Dawn as well as the 1991 remake of Cape Fear for which she was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Juliette Lewis has since developed a successful career as a musician, and is now beginning to go solo. When interviewed, she confessed that one of her musical influences was Jimi Hendrix, who had performed at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970. She described her experience with the words:

It means a lot [to be playing the Isle of Wight Festival] because it's legendary and the line up is mind blowing! I always felt I had to make it to the Isle of Wight.

Sadly, despite always wanting to go to the Isle of Wight, her knowledge about the Island, and indeed islands in general, appeared quite limited when she subsequently asked:

So what do you do on the Isle of Wight when you're not having amazing concerts? Is there a beach here?

Suzi Quatro ended Friday's session in the Big Top.

Jay-Z

The major headline act for the Friday was, without doubt, Jay-Z. Jay-Z is an artist who has sold over 40 million albums, won 10 Grammy awards, the 2010 Best International Male Solo Artist BRIT Award and been a successful artist and businessman since his debut album in 1996. He has also had a major role in promoting new acts.

Jay-Z knew how to enthral the audience, encouraging them to bounce and dance to his hits. Jay-Z was also prepared to share the stage with his friends. '99 Problems' was sung with supporting rapper Memphis Bleek, and 'Forever Young' with Mr Hudson. Announcing that it had been Kanye West's birthday, he asked the audience to wish him a happy birthday, before Kanye joined Jay-Z on stage to sing 'Run This Town'. Bridget Kelly also came on stage and sang 'Millennium State Of Mind' with Jay-Z. Other hits sung included 'Hard Knock Life' and 'Encore'. When midnight², the advertised end time for the festival, approached, Jay-Z refused to leave the stage, saying:

I know we're pushed for time but I'm not ready to go. If you want to party we'll carry on. I've had the best time tonight!

In the end Jay-Z performed for almost an hour and a half, far longer than the hour that had been expected.

His enthusiasm was infectious, with the crowd saluting Jay-Z with his diamond sign, holding thumbs and first fingers together, entirely appropriate for a festival held on the diamond-shaped Isle of Wight.

Saturday

The Main Stage was opened on Saturday by The Bluebyrds, a local Isle of Wight band who had won a Battle of the Bands competition at the Medina Theatre, which is located next to the Isle of Wight Festival site. The four lads, Devon Badman, Keir Hicks, Max Harrison and Chris Williams, performed five songs, but managed to impress none-the-less, and reportedly were even asked for their autographs by Blondie's band manager. They were followed by Detroit Social Club, a band formed in 2007 and whose debut album, 'Notes From the Underground', was released the week of their Isle of Wight Festival performance.

Melanie

The third act on was Melanie, full name Melanie Anna Safka-Schekeryk, who had performed 40 years ago at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. She is a popular folk singer, but not a household name in the UK. Her most famous song, 'Brand New Key', had its tune stolen and the lyrics parodied by The Wurzels in 1976. The resulting Wurzels song 'Combine Harvester'³ became a No 1 hit and was far more successful than Melanie's song which had inspired it.

Consequently, when Melanie sang 'Brand New Key' at the Isle of Wight Festival, she introduced it with the words, 'For a long time I didn't like this song' and the audience inadvertently added insult to injury by singing along to the Wurzels' lyrics and not her own. Melanie seemed to take this good heartedly, even singing 'Combine Harvester' briefly for a bit.

Melanie was, however, ably backed for her hit 'Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)' by local singers, the Medina Community Choir.

Melanie was followed by The Hold Steady, a group from Brooklyn who have released five albums and have a small but growing following in the UK.

Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith, an actress who starred in St Trinian's and Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is a relatively new act who has had tremendous success since the release of her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful in September 2009. Her follow up hit 'New York' is a favourite on BBC Radio 2. She wowed the crowd not only with her vocal ability but also her stunning outfit. Wearing a leopard print top, and rather more on her head than on her legs, Paloma commented:

This is my leopard lady outfit. It's a bit film noir... [The Isle of Wight Festival is] one of the few festivals where I've been able to wear my heels without sinking. I would be scared of the mud situation at Glastonbury.

Crowded House

Following Paloma Faith was Crowded House, who performed to a crowded field. The classic group, together since 1985 apart from a break-up between 1996 and 2007, have had hits with songs including 'Don't Dream It's Over' and 'Fall At Your Feet'. Their song 'Weather With You' was performed with the sun shining through a break in the clouds just as they sang the words: 'Julius Cæsar and the Roman Empire couldn't conquer the blue sky.'

Vampire Weekend

New York group Vampire Weekend performed next – Ezra Koenig, Rostam Batmaglij, Chris Tomson and Chris Baio. Their debut album, Vampire Weekend, was considered one of the best of 2008 by both Rolling Stone and Time, and their second album, released in January 2010 has proved very successful, getting to the top 3 of the album chart.

Biffy Clyro

Scottish band Biffy Clyro have performed since 1995, released their first album in 2002 and in 2007 their album 'Puzzle' reached No 2 of the album chart. They are an experienced act beginning to get hard-earned recognition.

Blondie

Next on the main stage was Blondie. Blondie, a group who have sold 40 million records and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and whose album Parallel Lines is considered a classic. Debbie Harry performed almost all of their greatest hits, 'Heart of Glass', 'Sunday Girl', 'Atomic'⁴, 'Call Me', 'Maria', 'One Way or Another', but curiously not 'Denis'.

Blondie's performance was one which the audience found very exciting. Blondie was one of the acts which most engaged the audience, the majority of whom knew most of their songs and were happy to dance and sing along.

The Strokes

Saturday's Headline Act was The Strokes. The Strokes are a band made up of Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi Albert Hammond Jr, Nikolai Fraiture And Fabrizio Moretti. Their debut album was No 2 in the album chart in the UK in 2001 and voted 'Album Of The Year' by Billboard, Time, NME and Entertainment Weekly. Their second album also reached No 2 and their third album, First Impressions, became their first UK No 1 in 2006, the year they were awarded 'Best International Band' at the NME Awards. They then split up, and the Isle of Wight Festival is their first gig together since they split up. This showed, as they seemed hesitant and unsure whether to address the crowd or not, but despite the lack of crowd interaction, their performances of their greatest hits was unaffected.

Saturday in the Big Top

The Brilliant Things opened the Big Top on Saturday, followed by South African singer-songwriter Arno Carstens, who had also at the 2007 Isle of Wight Festival. Next on was Bombay Bicycle Club, soon after winning the 'Best New Band' award at the NME Awards. They were followed by New York's Semi Precious Weapons, after whom Devendra Banhart took the stage, before handing it over to Noah and the Whale.

The Saturdays

During England's World Cup match The Saturdays performed in the Big Top. Composed of Frankie Sandford, Mollie King, Una Healy, Rochelle Wiseman and Vanessa White, this good-looking girl group really shot to fame after their Red Nose Day Charity single 'Just Can't Get Enough', and are famous as much for their highly polished dance routines as their appearance and singing voices. They didn't seem to be perturbed by the distraction that the World Cup match presented, even singing 'Vindaloo' when England scored against America. When asked about her feelings about playing the Isle of Wight Festival, Frankie Sandford stated: 'We're pure pop so there are certain festivals that we just won't play. Isle of Wight is really diverse, though, and has loads of different styles of music on the bill. I think we'll fit in just fine and I can't wait.'

N-Dubz

The Saturdays were followed by hip young bank, N-Dubz. Sadly they have received more attention for poor lapses in judgement than their music. In January 2010, for instance, it was reported by the BBC News that N-Dubz singer 'Dappy' apologised for sending death threats to someone who disliked their music by offering to send them free concert tickets.

La Roux

The penultimate act on Saturday in the Big Top was La Roux, singer Eleanor Jackson and backstage boy Ben Langmead. They became famous in 2009 for their No 2 song 'In For the Kill' and their massive No 1 hit 'Bulletproof', iTunes UK Music Awards' Single of the Year.

Orbital

Orbital, brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll, have been performing together since 1989, when they appeared on Top Of The Pops with their song 'Chime'. In 1993 their second album, Orbital 2, helped them be awarded Best Dance Act at the NME Awards. In 1994 they headlined the Glastonbury Festival, but split in 2004. They claim that their performance together at the Isle of Wight Festival is not a come back, but may well be one of their last performances.

Sunday

On the Sunday the schedule was changed from the advertised listing, with acts on the main stage appearing on stage over an hour earlier than published. While the main stage was running about an hour early, events at the Big Top were running about 45 minutes late.

The first act on were newcomers Paper Romance, a local Isle of Wight group who had only formed three months before, but who had won the Wight Noize contest for the right to appear. Consisting of Tom Babington, Ben Cadman, Chris Hendy and Lotie Field, they opened with a short set. They also appeared on the Acoustic Stage, one of 25 local acts to appear on the Festival's third stage.

Paper Romance were followed by The Coronas and then Suzanne Vega, an Isle of Wight Festival favourite who also graced the Acoustic Stage later on Sunday, performed on the main stage an hour earlier than advertised. She had appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival before, in 2004 and also ?. Having released her first album in 1985, Suzanne has enjoyed mellow hits including 'Tom's Diner' and 'Luka'.

Suzanne Vega was followed by Friendly Fires, a new band nominated in 2009 for the Mercury Music Prize.

The Courteeners

Following Friendly Fires was Manchester band The Courteeners. When interviewed about why he wished to perform for the Isle of Wight Festival, singer Liam Fray said,

I like the fact that Dylan apparently chose to play [at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival] as opposed to Woodstock – which was in his own back yard.

Biting the Ballet

Spandau Ballet were another audience favourite, and were a good act to see live. This was their first festival appearance, and they seemed delighted to be there and were enjoying the experience. The audience really sang along with their songs, especially 'True' and 'Gold'.

When interviewed, guitarist and Gary Kemp stated:

[The Isle of Wight Festival] was England's answer to Woodstock after all.... I've never actually played [a festival] before! They never had the same force when we were playing in the 80s.

His brother, EastEnders actor Martin Kemp, added,

I've had the best year and the most fun I've ever had... I've been [to the Isle of Wight] quite a few times and I think it's a very beautiful place. Very slow and easy.

Editors

After Spandau Ballet were Editors, a British band whose second and third albums were No 1 hits in the album chart. The Editors had also played at the 2006 Isle of Wight Festival.

Pink

It is a testament to the success of the Isle of Wight Festival that an act such as Pink would appear, and not be the day's headline act. Pink, full name Alecia Moore, is one of the decade's most successful female artists, having won stacks of awards including BRITS and Grammy Awards. Her hits include a version of 'Lady Marmalade' for the film Moulin Rouge along with Christina Aguilera, hit singles such as 'Get The Party Started', 'So What?', 'Please Don't Leave Me' and the No 1 song 'Just Like A Pill'. Her second album Missundaztood was the second best selling album in 2002 in the UK.

For Pink's appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival, although the audience would have been content with her turning up, singing songs for an hour and then saying goodbye, like most other acts, Pink was determined to do more than that. She provided not only songs, but a show. She descended from a box lifted high above the field in a giant crane at great speed to begin her show, rode on the audience in a giant inflatable ball halfway through, and ended by soaring above the crowd and doing acrobatics whilst still singing. At quieter moments, she also performed songs including 'My Generation', in tribute to The Who who headlined the Isle of Wight Festival in 1969, 1970 and 2004, as well as 'Roxanne' by The Police, who played at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2008.

The Big Top

Sunday's Big Top line up began with Saint Jude, followed by The Alarm and O.A.R. (Of A Revolution). After them, The Big Pink followed, a band who formed in 2008 but won 2009 NME's Best New Act Award.

They were followed by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. Steve Harley attended the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival in the audience, and first performed at the festival in 2004. His most famous song, '(Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile', was an international hit. Steve Harley was succeeded in the Big Top by Reef, a 1990s band who split in 2003 but reformed in 2009. They were followed by foreign band Local Natives and Ocean Colour Scene, with band James having the unenviable task of clashing with Paul McCartney.

Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney headlined the last day of the festival. His band consisted of Paul 'Wix' Wickens⁵ on keyboards, Brian Ray and Rusty Anderson on guitars and Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums. Rusty first played with Paul McCartney at the Concert for New York in October 2001⁶ and Brian Ray and Abe Laboriel Jr have performed with Paul since his 2002-3 World Tour.

The attendance of the 2010 Isle of Wight Festival was approximately 75,000. The largest crowd that the Beatles ever played to was 56,000 people in Shea Stadium in New York in 1965 and the largest that Wings ever played to was 67,000 at the Seattle Kingdome in 1976. Although smaller than Paul McCartney's largest recorded crowd, in Rome in 2003, the Isle of Wight Festival is still among the largest crowds he has appeared in front of. It is also only his second UK festival, after performing at Glastonbury in 2004.

Song List

• 'Venus and Mars'
• 'Rock Show'
• 'Jet'
• 'All My Loving'
• 'Letting Go'
• 'Let Me Roll It'/'Purple Haze'
• 'The Long and Winding Road'
• 'Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five'
• 'I'm Looking Through You'
• 'Blackbird'
• 'Here Today'
• 'Dance Tonight'
• 'Mrs Vandebilt'
• 'Eleanor Rigby'
• 'Something'
• 'Sing the Changes'
• 'Band on the Run'
• 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da'
• 'Back in the USSR'
• 'Paperback Writer'
• 'Let It Be'
• 'Live and Let Die'
• 'Hey Jude'
• 'Day Tripper'
• 'Get Back'
• 'Yesterday'
• 'Helter Skelter'
• 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' (reprise)
• 'The End'

Paul McCartney opened with the medley 'Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet' with barely a chance to catch his breath, just as in his 1976 Wings world tour⁷. This was followed by him pausing only long enough to tell the crowd, 'Good evening Isle Of Wight, we're going to have fun tonight!' before launching into the Beatles classic 'All My Loving', then followed by more Wings' hits 'Letting Go' and 'Let Me Roll It'. 'Let Me Roll It' ended with the guitar riff from Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' in memorial of Jimi Hendrix, who died shortly after performing at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival⁸. Paul told the crowd: 'I was really lucky to know Jimi and hang out with him a little bit in the '60s, he was a great guy. The biggest tribute we had from him was we released 'Sgt Pepper' on a Friday and then I went to see him on the Sunday and he learnt it, how cool was that for me? Very cool!'

Paul sang three songs - 'Blackbird', the John Lennon memorial song 'Here Today' and 'Yesterday' - on his own, unaccompanied by his band, the only musician to perform solo on the main stage of the entire festival.

He continued with many of his greatest hits, such as 'Let It Be'⁹, 'Live and Let Die', the song from the James Bond film and performed with spectacular fireworks, 'Hey Jude', which he performed on the 'magic piano' – Paul's multicoloured upright piano that he has taken on tour with him for over 20 years, and 'Something' in tribute to George Harrison, poignantly fading from his quiet, personal ukulele version to a more rock one halfway through. During 'Sing the Changes' for a couple of minutes it rained very heavily – the only time during the entire weekend.

Paul McCartney and his band left for two encores, ending with the appropriate medley 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/The End' as they have since the 2002-3 world tour.

Paul McCartney's performance was audible for miles outside the festival area, even as far away as Ryde, the town on the Island's north east coast.

Sing the Changes

How does Paul McCartney decide which songs to include in his performances? In an interview he explained:

I imagined myself sitting in the audience and thought, 'Okay, what would I like to hear him play?' So I'd want to hear some Beatles... and something rocky... Then I'd want to hear some Wings stuff... and then some of the stuff from the solo period... and I'd want to hear some songs from the new album...

In one way I wanted to give the audience what I thought they'd like, because I like that when I go to a show. I do like to hear what I consider to be the best songs of the people I'm coming to see... But at the same time it's kind of interesting not to always do the obvious. You see my problem – and it's a great problem to have – I'm basically doing my songs spanning my whole career. And I'm lucky to have a lot of songs to chose from. A lot of people love the Beatles. And then a whole new generation loves Wings... I've heard a lot of people, particularly people in their 30s say, 'I like Wings better than the Beatles' which, you know, is kind of surprising... So what I did is that I just really looked at a list of what I'd written with the Beatles... and then I looked at a list of what I'd written with Wings and since then, and just thought, 'Out of all those, if I was going to this guy's concert, what would I really want to hear? What couldn't he leave out for me?'

Room For a Knight

The reviews for Sir Paul McCartney's performance at the Isle of Wight Festival were positive. Strangely, the media appeared obsessed with the fact that Sir Paul McCartney stayed at the Premier Travel Inn in Newport, the hotel closest to the Festival site, rather than a posher or more exclusive venue. They also took great interest in reporting how Sir Paul tried to brighten the place up a bit by bringing his own candles, a few incense sticks, his own drapes and a Buddha mascot. This is despite the fact that in his book Paul McCartney – On Stage, Off Stage and Backstage he states that that is something that he always does. Paul McCartney, when interviewed about this practice, stated:

I think it's like organic, you know? Ten years ago I had to have a dressing room of some sort and I think candles started it and then somebody brought in a little Buddha, so then we suddenly got this.

Isle of Wight Festival Live – The Television Coverage

Like most large festivals, highlights of the 2010 Isle of Wight Festival was broadcast on television on the weekend of the event. This was broadcast on ITV2. Over 12 hours was broadcast, but as this was shown on a commercial station, there was on average a five-minute advert break after every 10 minutes' of programme.

After being at a festival, seeing the television broadcast is very disappointing. Although you do get to see the artists up close without anyone's heads in the way, the television cameras don't capture the atmosphere, the thrill of being there. And they also fail to capture the noise – a song that everyone was singing along to loudly in a deafening manner is shown at a reasonable volume on the television, with the 75,000 audience singing along reduced to a background noise. Similarly, the loud, booming fireworks that exploded during Paul McCartney's song 'Live And Let Die', on the televised show, merely made pathetic 'pfft' noises.

Fearne Cotton, Dave Berry and Rufus Hound hosted the television coverage. Fearne Cotton did a professional job, conducting interviews and encouraging the artists to perform exclusive, acoustic versions of their hits for ITV2.

This is a list of the songs that ITV2 showed over the weekend, in broadcast order. Some songs were shown more than once and are only listed at time of their original broadcast.