Entertainment - The Wight stuff: UK island to host 4 music events Entertainment

The Wight stuff: UK island to host 4 music events

By Lars Brandle, Reuters
Sun May 11, 4:39 PM EDT

LONDON — In 1970, it was described as "a psychedelic concentration camp." But this summer, the United Kingdom's Isle of Wight Festival tops a series of events that will turn the 150-square-mile island into the sold-out epicenter of the UK festival scene.

Rock fans with long memories remember the Isle of Wight's run of festivals in 1968-70, although the chaotic 1970 event headlined by Jimi Hendrix and the Doors has long carried negative associations. The "concentration camp" reference comes from one of 500,000-plus attendees captured in the concert film of that year's festival, "Message to Love."

But fast-forward into the 21st century, and one 1970 veteran has emerged as a key player behind the reinvention of the island as a "must-go" music destination, which in summer 2008 is hosting four major outdoor events.

London-based Solo Promoters managing director John Giddings revived the Isle of Wight festival in 2002, selling out 10,000 tickets for a bill including the Charlatans and Robert Plant.

Charlatans vocalist Tim Burgess recalls the IOW as "a really fun place to play -- like something out of an Enid Blyton novel." He adds, "There's a sense of adventure, like you are leaving behind society and inventing your own little world."

Since 2002, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, R.E.M. and Coldplay have all graced the IOW festival stage.

The south coast holiday island also hosts the 30,000-capacity dance/alternative festival Bestival, an offshoot of the Sunday Best label/club events firm headed by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob Da Bank. The lineup for this year's sold-out dates (September 5-7) at Robin Hill Country Park includes My Bloody Valentine, Amy Winehouse and Underworld.

For fans, Rob Da Bank says, "as soon as you get on the ferry, you let your hair down and leave a bit of yourself on the mainland. The pace of life is slower down there, and that's a good thing."

Giddings also has organized two new 10,000-capacity IOW events July 26-27 at stately home Osborne House, one headlined by Paul Weller and the other by Girls Aloud.

This year's main event (June 13-15) rapidly sold out its 50,000 tickets -- no mean feat at a time when the usually pre-eminent Glastonbury Festival failed to do so.

The original IOW festival's explosive growth ultimately proved its undoing. The 1970 event remains the biggest festival in U.K. history, but, Giddings recalls, "it was completely, utterly uncivilized." The rock festival, he says, "was a new thing in modern culture; no one knew quite how to handle it."

The current festival is a vastly different beast, with enough broad appeal to attract telecommunications giant BT as headline sponsor. And whereas many islanders greeted the original events with horror, IOW council leader David Pugh says the estimated 130,000 residents now largely appreciate the big concerts, claiming the IOW festival alone generates at least 10 million pounds ($19 million) annually for the island.

"We see our role as facilitating and encouraging these events," he says. "It's about striking a balance. The majority of islanders recognize this as good for the economy -- and for the profile of the island."

Reuters/Billboard

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