Last night’s press launch of the Isle of Wight Festival exhibition “Experience 25” at London’s O2 was an electrifying celebration of the festival’s storied past, its evolution over the decades, and enduring legacy. Visitors were treated to an extensive archive of rare images and captivating footage showcasing some of the industry’s most legendary acts, including the likes of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, and Joni Mitchell.
Attending the festivities were John Giddings, the visionary promoter who spearheaded the festival’s revival in 2002 after a hiatus, and Ray Foulk, the original creator of the events circa 1968 – 70.
The Isle of Wight Festival has long been steeped in an aura of myth and legend, with countless tales passed down over the decades that have only served to further solidify its iconic status; from The Who writing Teenage Wasteland about the state of the festival site post-gig, to David Bowie arriving for his 2004 headline set by ferry alongside the general public.
In his speech, Giddings shared some of his most memorable festival moments, recounting how, “In 07 I came up with the idea of putting Amy Winehouse onstage with The Rolling Stones. I thought the hardest bit would be to get Mick Jagger to let Amy up there. So I went to him and he jumped at the opportunity… but then I went to Amy who said she could never do it; she was too nervous! It took me about half an hour to persuade her to do it but when you see the result of it… it was amazing“.
British band The Kooks were also in attendance yesterday. During the festival, their frontman Luke Pritchard shared a personal story about his family’s history with the event: “My Mum’s side of the family are farmers from the Isle of Wight. They were at the festival in 1969 when there was a shortage of food on-site. The family story is that my uncle went back to the farm with some friends and collected a load of sweetcorn to bring back and sell to the artists. He was selling food to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell“.
The pinnacle of the evening’s proceedings was the announcement of the winner of the Isle of Wight Festival’s “Most Magical Moment” contest, as voted by attendees. The contest invited participants to vote for their favourite moment from the festival’s illustrious roster of performances. The top prize went to David Bowie’s final performance in the UK, with the top five most-voted moments as follows:
5) Andrea Corr and Gary Kemp performing “Starman” in tribute to Bowie, with thousands of fans wearing masks bearing his likeness (2016)
4) The Rolling Stones playing their first UK festival since 1976, joined on stage by Amy Winehouse for an iconic rendition of “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” (2007)
3) Jimi Hendrix’s last ever UK performance (1970)
2) Fleetwood Mac’s first full-band show since the late ’90s (2015)
1) David Bowie’s last ever UK performance (2004)
Experience 25 will run at the O2’s Innovation Centre (next door to the Las Iguanas restaurant) from 19th September – 13th November.The exhibition incorporates the three Isle of Wight Festivals that were organised by Ray Foulk and his brothers – the 1970 one being ‘The Last Great Event’ at which everyone played, including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Who and Joni Mitchell and over half a million people came to see them!
In addition to this is the new Isle of Wight Festival exhibition from 2002 onwards – the hugely successful international Festival, which was restarted by John Giddings, and now sees 60,000 music fans arrive on the Isle of Wight every year to see artists such as Green Day, The Pet Shop Boys and The Prodigy (this year); Robbie Williams, Blondie and Pulp (2023); Fleetwood Mac (2016); The Red Hot Chili Peppers (2014); Bruce Springsteen (2012); Dave Grohl (2011); Paul McCartney, Pink and Jay Z (2010), The Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse (2007) and David Bowie and The Who (2004).
Featured image: Jimi Hendrix 1970 by Peter Bull, Amy Winehouse by Simon Wells, Mick Jagger by Debs Allan.
