Thursday 28 June 2018

Isle Of Wight Festival 2018 - Part One - I Carried A Satellite


Thursday 21st June 2018

So you may not know this but three years ago I had heart surgery. A surprise to some I'm sure 'cos I never talk about it. Much. Well, apart from constantly. Hey, why have major surgery if you can't milk it for everything you can? I digress. I did say back then as long as I reach fifty and see Bang Bang Romeo play a main stage at a major festival that'll do me. Well two months ago my fiftieth birthday happened and by then it was common knowledge that BBR were opening up the Isle Of Wight main stage for the fiftieth anniversary of the festival. The problem was I was struggling to get there. By the time I could afford the coach all the spaces had gone. Cars of mates were full too.

I had a few offers but the logistics behind them were mind-bending, plus none include a lift home on the Monday. Now the island is lovely, there is an excellent monkey sanctuary and the UK's oldest working phone box (the staggering thing there is the working bit) but I simply couldn't afford to live there. (Their rates are based on your height. Allegedly). Getting a lift home was imperative. Four days before the festival I wasn't going, then my girlfriend, Beckie, text me saying if I can get there I can get back on the Monday for twenty-odd quid with National Express, Southampton to Doncaster. Never even occurred to me to check them. On further investigation Donny to Southampton return and getting on the ferry as a foot passenger was the way to go. I was going, all booked and paid for. The band then messaged to say they'd have space for me on the way back. Still, I had my return ticket booked if there were any disasters.

So it was that 10am Thursday morning I boarded the coach for London Victoria. First thing that struck me was how comfy the coaches are now, with plug sockets and WiFi, then it occurred to me that the last time I travelled with National Express the guy who came up with WiFi probably hadn't even been born yet. All this comfort has replaced the jolly hostess selling crisps and tea for a sky-high fee though. I'd brought a book (the latest Lee Child 'Reacher'), hadn't brought my glasses. Useless. Anyway, some four hours later we hit London. I love London but the two times I've tried living there I've never quite got to grips with the place. I don't mind though, it means I can still stare with slack-jawed wonder at the sights. That Shard's big innit? Cracking view of Wembley before we were winding our way down on



,went past the mecca that is Lords Cricket Ground, wheeled round Number 1, London (Duke Of Wellington's modest abode), past some big gates with electric fencing that it took me a while to realise were The Queen's back entrance before pulling in to Victoria. Had an hour wait before heading off to Southampton. Nothing to report on that journey, by far the dullest part of the whole weekend (although Blossoms ran it close), though I did see Twickenham which completed the triumvirate of English sporting HQs, (well it excited me, OK?).  I had two hours from the coach arriving till my ferry but thanks to my ridiculously long legs and the genius that thought of putting wheels on holdalls I managed to hotfoot it in time for an earlier ferry. Cue obligatory leaving Southampton photo:


and for a change here's an entering Cowes photo:


I'm not gonna lie to you, I was very tempted to download a very different James Herriot inspired photo then but let's keep it classy. The plan was to let BBR tour manager, the omnipresent Sam Craggs, know when I was landing and he'd pick me up in the East Cowes Waitrose car park. Anyone who's been to the festival will know how useful that car park is for just waiting around. Sam said he may be some time and advised me to go shopping for sunscreen as it was brutal on site. I went shopping for beer. Whether I forgot or my subconscious was giving it the whole 'Hey, I'm too fucking cool to where sunscreen, man' I have no idea but I know within 24 hours I had several cans of 80 degree undrinkable lager and seriously burned skin. I'm an idiot.

The band had had a bit of a mare earlier sorting out their wristbands. I won't go into detail but it involved an 8 mile trek, sniffer dogs, a pack of Durex and Stars giving up on quitting smoking. To save time Rich had signed for my wristband so I was straight into guest camping. (For future reference Richard Gartland - drummer, shall be know as Rich and Richard Cook - guitar and keys will be known as Cooky). The band and some of the entourage had a 12 seater tipi somewhere else on site (I'm not sure seater is the right word there) and I was in guest camping with last years cohorts TV's Chris Walker and his magnificent other half, Sharron as well as new additions Chris' son Gabe and Sharron's son Lewis. Along with Alanah, Abbie, Amy, Brooky, Cooky, Roxy, Jo and Max we had our own little conclave going on. Our roles were designated - Chris was chef (well he has been on Masterchef) and we'd watch. It all worked out nicely. My tent was up, thanks to Sam and Cooky who seemed to do all the work while I pointed at tent pegs, and I was ready to go.

As always the main stage area wasn't open on the Friday but there was still plenty going on. Different this year was the fact that the festival was a sell out with numbers between 60,000 and 90,000 being banded around. Also everyone seemed to have turned up on the Thursday for a change. The place was rammed. This would become an issue over the weekend. The Wombats were on at the Big Top but there was no chance of getting close, which was OK 'cos my plan had always been Avalanche Party at the This Feeling stage. This Feeling once again had a line up of the best and brightest upcoming guitar bands and none shine greater than Avalanche Party.

Avalanche Party


They are ferocious and with Jordan Bell have one of the most intense, and sometimes genuinely frightening, frontmen you will ever witness. He's the perfect guy to front this feral-punk five piece. I've been to Castleton. It's a beautiful, tranquil gem of a place. It's not the kind of place you'd imagine would spawn the juggernaut that is Avalanche Party. Although it is home of the Devil's Arse, so, ya know. There is a reason that people leave Avalanche Party gigs touting them as the best live band they've seen though. They are simply a 'must see' band.

It had been a long-ass day and Avalanche Party had drained every bit of energy I had left, plus it was a big day tomorrow. BBR were all in bed ridiculously early, they know the score. I headed back to my tent to barely sleep. I do it every year, set my tent up, say I love camping I should do it more often, struggle to get any worthwhile sleep and wake up with not one part of my body willing to participate in any kind of moving. I love the idea of camping would probably be a more accurate statement. Plus this year the nights were bitterly cold. Wore a lot more clothes in my sleeping bag than I did wandering around the festival.

Friday 22nd June 2018

I awoke to this though:


and discovered we were camped next to Starsailor's James Walsh, one of the nicest and certainly most talented men in music. A reviving coffee courtesy of Chris and an even more reviving shower and I was starting to liven up. Went for a walk with Brooky to see if we could find the band. If anyone has Talk Talk on the Isle Of Wight I don't know how they ever cope. My signal was, let's say inconsistent all weekend. I finally got hold of Sam to find out we were waiting at completely the wrong tipi site but we couldn't work out who was closest to the main stage and which way we should walk. Turned round and there was the band carrying stage outfits and heading through the dust bowl, so that worked out nicely.  It's at this point that I always feel the need to justify my being here. Three years on the trot now BBR have got me guest list for the IOW festival and I simply cannot express my gratitude enough. It is why from this moment till the start of the gig I am forever saying 'What do you need me to do Sam?' I grabbed the merch box and we headed down to artist liaison at the back of The Big Top. From there the band, gear, girlfriends and this hanger-on were loaded into buggies and taken down to the artist village at the back of the main stage. We unloaded all the gear before loading the band again as they had an interview with ITN to do for that night's News At Ten.


This buggy literally took them ten yards to where the interview was happening. Whilst all this was happening Sam was doing this:


It has to be said that Sam Craggs makes the BBR machine work. He knows who and what needs to be where, and when. He is organised and where others may stress in what are very intense situations he is always calm and a genuine delight to be with. Whilst setting up he had stage and sound engineers bombarding him with questions and never once flapped. He was always informative and courteous whilst still grafting away. I love him dearly and know that Bang Bang Romeo are eternally grateful for the constant, selfless work that he puts in both on and off stage.

We'd had word from the band's manager, Guy, to get the gear down to the main stage so Sam and I loaded another buggy and headed down. Again I did my 'can lift heavy things bit' (including moving one of the satellite stage props onto the stage). I'm not gonna lie, it felt good to be helping the band set up but also the chance to say I'd stood on the IOW Main Stage was too good to miss.








I was chatting with Guy during the soundcheck and he said as long as the crowd fill the space between the stage and the first barrier he'd be happy. He really needn't have worried but more of that in the Part Two.






All set up and I was dispatched to round up various members of the entourage with their passes and bring them all backstage. That's more my limit to be honest. My duties successfully carried out we got fed. This was just getting better all the time.


And with that the band headed to the dressing room and I went to find my spot front of stage and see if my mate Mark had got in. He'd been ringing to say the queues were a nightmare but there was little we could do to help, plus I had my arms full of a satellite. He was there though. Ready for the main event.

To be continued....

2 comments:

  1. Great to re visit through your words such an astonishing weekend and of course sunburn ...lol

    ReplyDelete
  2. A great read Simon....... Write on man.....al get me Afghan coat...

    ReplyDelete