Isle of Wight: where summers are made
John Giddings on headliners, heritage and why the Isle still feels unlike any other UK festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is more than a weekend of live music. It’s an experience, an institution, and for many, a yearly pilgrimage. It’s the feeling of standing shoulder to shoulder with friends, family and those who won’t be strangers for long as the southern sun sets behind the main stage, shouting the words to songs that have soundtracked your life.
As the only major UK festival that begins with a boat journey, the Isle feels like an adventure from start to finish. From ferry crossings to campsite mornings, it carries a sense of occasion that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. For me, it brings memories of summer sunshine, friends on shoulders, and waking up to the smell of campsite coffee whilst sharing the gossip from last night’s antics.
The Isle is the kind of place you come back from full of stories, whether it’s catching the best live set of the weekend, unexpectedly running into a fitter version of your ex, getting up to all kinds of mischief only fellow festival-goers would understand, or simply trying to explain the 4-day hangover when you’re back at work. There’s something about those hazy summer days on the island that stays with you and keeps drawing you back year after year.
A line-up thriving on contrast
The Isle of Wight Festival returns this year with a headline trio that perfectly reflects its broad musical identity: Lewis Capaldi, Calvin Harris and The Cure.
Capaldi is back on stage as a fully fledged headliner armed with self-deprecating humour, genuine humility and some of the biggest singalong songs of the summer. Calvin Harris brings a very different energy, delivering a hit-packed, dance-led, laser-heavy spectacle designed to close Saturday night in style.
Then there’s The Cure, who will play their only show in England this summer right on the island. For festival director and long-time promoter John Giddings, it’s a booking long time in the making.
“I’ve been trying to book them for years,” he says. “The secret was pushing hard again and again.”
He credits the festival’s heritage for helping sealing the deal, along with a long-standing personal connection that included crossing paths with the band at a David Bowie show in New York.
Away from the headliners, the festival continues its tradition of spotting artists on the rise. One of the most exciting names on the bill is Wet Leg, fresh off the success of their hard-hitting new album Moisturizer. They already feel like future headliners in waiting. There’s something special about catching an artist at this stage – much like witnessing Sam Fender’s unforgettable sunset slot here in 2021, before his stadium status became inevitable.
Left to right: John Giddings, Luke Pritchard (The Kooks), LUVCAT
Photo by: Alan West
John Giddings on legacy, risk and the future
John Giddings has been at the helm of the Isle of Wight Festival since its revival in 2002, often referring to it as “the Woodstock of Europe”, a nod to its legendary past, which includes performances from Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Who and David Bowie.
He’s candid about the early risks, joking that he was “the only one stupid enough” to take the festival on, losing £500,000 in the first year and hundreds of thousands more in the second, before turning things around with Bowie’s landmark headline set in 2004.
Throughout the years, Giddings has shown a sharp instinct for what works. Looking ahead, he continues to focus on emerging talent highlighting LUVCAT, whom he describes as “a new Lady Gaga”, while also tipping The Last Dinner Party as future headline material.
The festival also deserves credit for being one of the first major UK events to return after COVID showing that the Isle is as much about heritage as it is about keeping its unique spirit alive. Giddings recalls the challenge bluntly:
“Everyone had forgotten what to do, and everything was double the price after COVID and Brexit.”
He points to rising production costs and increased demands from major artists as ongoing challenges in the post-pandemic festival landscape, which makes the Isle’s continued success all the more impressive.
Giddings highlights the unique role festivals play in music today. While stadium shows are becoming increasingly theatrical and complicated, festivals offer something different: the chance for artists to connect with an audience that isn’t solely there for them, but for the event itself. Exposure has always been a festival’s main draw for both audiences and performers, and a place like the Isle of Wight remains a special stage to discover your next favourite artist.
As he sums up his career with the festival, Giddings returns to a simple truth:
“There is nothing better in life than watching 50,000 people enjoy something you thought up.”
Whether you’re there for the stories, the bands, the pop throwbacks or the sunshine, the Isle is always worth returning to. Tickets are still available for the June 18-21st weekend and lookout for the next line-up announcement on Monday at 8am.