Festival season well and truly kicked off at the weekend as some of music’s biggest names, including The Who and Queen convened on the Isle Of Wight to wow punters. The four-day festival saw over 60,000 fans descend on the island and experience relatively dry weathers. Fans were also invited to remember to the late David Bowie, with an organised tribute where fans donned David Bowie masks and sung along to some of his most beloved hits. See pictures of the mask-clad crowd and the many acts who performed over the weekend below.
Isle Of Wight Festival
The Isle Of Wight Festival took place in Newport over the weekend with 60,000 revellers descending on the island for the legendary music event.
Busted
Busted performed their first festival set of the summer following their reunion tour earlier this year. With all three members present, the band played a huge main stage set on Friday afternoon which included new track ‘Coming Home’ as well as previous material from their original run.
Stereophonics
Stereophonics were the first headliner on Friday and their set drew heavily from their 2015 album ‘Keep The Village Alive’. The band closed out their show with ‘Dakota’ accompanied by a majestic firework finale.
Faithless
Faithless followed with a set to close out Friday’s festivities. The British dance veterans reunited last year to celebrate their 20th anniversary, and played hits including ‘Insomnia’ and ‘God Is A DJ’. They also paid tribute to late boxer Muhammad Ali with their song ‘Muhammad Ali’.
David Bowie
Crowds also gathered at the main stage to pay tribute to David Bowie, who died earlier this year. Fans donned Aladdin Sane masks and sang along to a selection of his finest music moments, including ‘Heroes’, ‘Rebel, Rebel’ and ‘All The Young Dudes’ in remembrance.
Festival boss John Giddings also remembered Bowie and called him a “true friend to the festival”. In 2004, Bowie performed his final UK show at the festival. He retired from touring later that year.
The Corrs
Following the organised tribute, Andrea Corr of The Corrs performed a cover of ‘Starman’, with help from Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp.
Iggy Pop
Iggy Pop also performed on the main stage on the weekend opening with ‘The Passenger’ and ‘Lust For Life’ for the energetic crowd. He then performed ‘American Valhalla’ and ‘Gardenia’ from his latest album ‘Post Pop Depression’, which was produced by Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme.
Richard Ashcroft
Before The Who played their headline slot, Richard Ashcroft performed a 45-minute set to a swelling crowd. The former Verve man treated punters to new tracks from his latest solo album ‘These People’ as well as hits from his former band’s heyday, including ‘Lucky Man’ and set closer ‘Bittersweet Symphony’.
The Who
The Who headlined the Newport festival on Saturday night, 46 years after they first performed at the festival in 1970. The band have been celebrating their 50th anniversary celebrations over the previous year, and their headline set included several of their greatest hits like ‘Baba O’Reilly’ and ‘My Generation’.
Queen + Adam Lambert
Queen + Adam Lambert closed the festival on Sunday night with a 25-song set, including ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are The Champions’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
Lambert dedicated the song ‘Who Wants To Live Forever’ to “anyone who has been a victim of senseless violence or hatred”, in the wake of the tragic killing of 50 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida on Saturday night.
