Tag Archives: Isle of Wight Festival

Sep 18 2010

My third time in the Isle of Wight in 2010

As I mentioned yesterday I am on the Isle of Wight with my colleagues and a number of clients at the Little Britain Sailing Regatta. Day two yesterday was challenging! The wind was gusty and quite variable.

In the morning, I think we made sure everyone in front of us was ok (gentlemanly conduct it is called in some quarters, being last in others?). By the afternoon we were in the groove and clawed our way into 15th place (out of 17). So, overall we are mid fleet (ignoring the staggered starts).

The teams ability to change sails and generally throw the boat around the water have improved vastly over three races. But I think we might need to improve some more yet! We still need help with some of the, frankly, silly nautical terms. Right, left, blunt end, sharp end and up down are very useful instructions.

This is my third time on the Island this year – I had my usual trip to the brillaint festival in June and I then had a day here when on holiday in Lymington. It’s a great place – there is something about boats and water? I wish we lived nearer the water – Nottingham is just about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK.

I also couldn’t help but notice that there are a number of cranes in Cowes – developers are building. Admittedly they have some great positions overlooking the Solent and Medina River. But development is going on nonetheless. There are a couple of apartments for sale seeking offers of around £500,000 …

Some of the property is ‘stuff of dreams’, pretty much like the chance of a podium finish for us in the race! Who knows our last day of racing tomorrow might have a miraculous end!

Jul 28 2010

Isle of Wight – trip 2

For the second time in 2010 I have found myself ‘abroad’ on the Isle of Wight. But this time I wasn’t at the festival, but a day tripper – via the ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth.

The crossing is shorter than my usual Southampton to East Cowes trip – and the ferries are nicer too – partly as they are newer (built 2007). AT £42 this is one of the most expensive crossings (mile for mile) in the world! (p.s. I am not a ferry anorak!)

It was a whistle-stop tour of the Island – taking in Newport (and lunch at the excellent Quay Arts), coffee in West Cowes, the chain ferry across the Medina and then to the south of the Island to Freshwater Bay. The latter is a peaceful place where I remember last swimming in the sea; to have a wash from one of my early festival trips! Sadly Dimbola Lodge was closed as I would have liked to have visited the Julia Margaret Cameron house and exhibition.

But for the second day we had The Needles in view and for the lat hour of our day headed off to Alum Bay – expecting to be able to get close to these Mariners nightmare rocks.

We found Alum bay; it was awful. I was back in ‘world class attractions’ mode. It must be somewhere near the bottom. It is commercialism at it worst. A funfair of sorts – but one stuck in time. It was like something from a1950′s horror movie. It reminded me of a rather nasty version of Coney Island in New York. All it needed was the two-headed woman freak show.

But we then thought about heading up the path to The Needles – now owned by The National Trust. It closed at 4.30pm – the time they stopped charging you £4.65 to get in. when I say ‘get in’ I mean walk along the coastal path…

Again, as I blogged about yesterday - we seem to miss opportunities. Commercial tat on the one hand and expensive rip-off on the other… I think I will go back to Coney Island – they do commercialism so much better!

Jul 17 2010

Squeeze an ipad!

One of my favourite live bands of all time have embraced the ipad technology! I saw them at the Isle of Wight and am seeing them back in Nottingham later in the year.

Squeeze - at the Isle of Wight 2010

They are embracing the technology on the one hand (are they the first to play live with an ipad?) – but are still belting out this great song after all those years. Would I be sounding old by suggesting they don’t write stuff like this anymore? Or ‘up the junction”, or ‘cool for cats’… I could go on!

I first saw Squeeze in 1979 – and have seen them numerous times since. In my opinion Glen Tillbrook and Chris Difford deserve to be up with Lennon & McCartney in terms of song-writing. I can listen to them any time – and do. I think they are probably the most played in my car, by some stretch!

Thanks to my colleague, Simon Dare, who sent me this link. Play it loud!

Jun 19 2010

England in the world cup final?

I don’t know a lot about football. I missed last weeks match against the USA as I was at the Isle of Wight Festival. Last night I made the effort to watch the National team.

yes Fabio, one would do for starters...

I think sometimes the press like to put people on a pedestal and then take pot shots against them. But the performance last night was just rubbish against Algeria (ranked 31st). I feel qualified to say this!

Apparently it’s something to do with the ball. It seems to be the wrong sort of round. And we haven’t been practising with it. Because someone put it in a cupboard at the FA.

I have some ideas…

Firstly, I would be prepared to manage England for half of Capello’s salary (he reputedly earns £6m per year). I would not even ask for a company car. I think I am quite well qualified. I speak English fairly well. I can do grumpy old man. I like good Italian clothes. I wear glasses when I don’t have my contact lenses in and I have a coaching certificate for “England Squash” – which is only one word away from “England Football”.

I am even prepared to fly out next week – as I think we might be coming back (via Charles de Gaulle airport) on Thursday?

These players are earning more in a year than most people earn in a lifetime. The reason I have lost interest in football is the money – there is too much in my view. The players may have talent individually, but don’t seem to work as a team? There doesn’t seem to be much passion for playing for their Country.

I am often asked for coaching tips in squash – particularly during matches. Sometimes the best advice is that you need to get 9 points before your opponent. In England’s case we seem to have forgotten that you need to score more goals than your opponent team?

The alternative? Get Psycho off the bench and on the pitch!

UPDATE 27 June 2010

Dire.

Jun 14 2010

Slumming it on the Isle of Wight …

Well I am back home after a long weekend – on the Isle of Wight and close to nature! In my tent! After a very smooth cruise-liner type crossing courtesy of Red Funnel and a short drive to the mother of all car parks!

Pink flies at the Isle of Wight 2010

As I blogged about last week, I went to my seventh Isle of Wight Music Festival. This is the highlight of the musical calendar! I go with my old mate Jeremy – and we do this properly!

In the preceding six years we had minutes of rain – but the record was bound to be broken. It rained when we arrived and on the last night – leaving Glastonbury type mud in the ‘high traffic’ areas.

The portable luxury hotel (mine has two rooms) is home for four days. Showers are sponsored by Evian. The toilets at the festival site are not exactly ‘Fairtrade‘. They are quite basic – actually just below basic. Think hole in the ground – but worse. So the top gear top tip is to walk into Newport and get a healthy breakfast at Quay Arts – and use their fine facilities!

As for the music – the brilliant included The Members, Squeeze, Suzi Quatro (utterly brilliant!), Spandau Ballet (no really!), Florence & The Machine (barking mad), Bombay Bicycle Club, Biiffy Clyro, Vampire Weekend, Blondie and James.

Blondie struts her stuff

The average included Crowded House (who despite having one, lost the crowd) and The Editors (who were a bit too sure of themselves). The very average, for me, was Jay-Z. I did listen for 10 minutes and that is my ration for a lifetime!

There has always been a surprise at the show – and the surprise was Pink. It’s not my kind of music, but I have to admit that the ‘show’ she puts on is amazing. It is pure theatre – and she clearly has some issues with getting a ‘rush’. The show starts when she drops out of a box suspended above the stage, she comes out into the crown in a giant hamster wheel and then at the end of the show ‘flies out into the crowd! Great fun – I have no idea what the music was like though.

The headline was Sir Paul McCartney. After a slow start he seemed to hit the spot with some Beatles numbers and the show then got going. The high point was ‘Live & Let Die‘ which was fantastic. I promised myself not to come away singing ‘Hey Jude’…

The whole line-up was an eclectic mix, but overall one of the best.

Oren, Ginger and Jez at the Isle of Wight

The great news is that although we are a little bit older than the average person there – we met a great couple who were over from Mexico. They were staying on the Island with friends – and had pushed their way to the front before Spandau Ballet. It was Oren’s 80th birthday – and his stainless steel knee and ‘pinned and screwed’ spine didn’t stop him and his wife, Ginger, dancing around.

Fantastic – and there is hope for me (and Jez) yet!

2010 – the year of the ageing rockers – and their fans?

May 29 2010

Roll on Summer…

Great news this week as my tickets have arrived for my seventh Isle of Wight Festival!

Slumming it at the Isle of Wight!

My mate Jez and I have made this an annual ritual to the Island which in some ways is stuck in a different time.

But for one weekend in June each year thousands flock to see famous and not-so-famous groups ply their trade. We reckon to see around 35-40 bands which have famously included: Bowie, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Police and REM.

There have also been some suprises – Newton Faulkner doing an acoustic of Bohemian Rhapsody – accompanied by 60,000 people in his choir. And Snow Patrol playing their biggest ever set – when they were virtual unknowns. The Magic Numbers were also brilliant – they too were pretty much unknown.

But this year will be a bit of a trip down memory lane – with Spandau Ballet, Suzi Quattro, Shakespeare Sister, The Alarm, Blondie, Suzanne Vega, The Members and Squeeze all playing!

Jay-z, The Strokes and Paul McCartney are headline acts. But I am looking forward to seeing Bombay Bicycle Club, Vampire Weekend, Biffy Clyro and The Editors most.

We do this trip properly – tents and disposable bbq’s (not very green I know). We tend to take beer but not too much food. There’s plenty of burger vans – for a healthy diet.

The toilets are legendary. To be avoided if at all possible! But as Festival First members we do get a shower block – although it’s not 5*.

We have vowed that if it ever ‘Glastonbury‘ rains we will call it a day, but we have only had around 10 minutes of rain in all seven years! Will this year be the year…

Mar 26 2010

Cool for cats…

I think it’s fair to say that music plays quite a big part in my life and has done so for a long time!

From the days when I listened to Radio City in Liverpool when I should have been revising for my ‘O’ levels (I blame them for the subsequent results!) to the live bands I have subsequently seen. The CD collection takes up one wall of our dining room! The itunes collection totals around 13,500 tracks – and that is after I thinned it out. I also have a pile of LP’s in the garage!

There are some people / bands who I would travel (almost) anywhere to see. Bowie is one – but not sure he will tour again? I went to New York to see The Killers at MSG in January 2009. But one band who I have seen countless times appeared on the TV this week – honoured by the PRS with a Heritage award. Squeeze I can listen to anytime – lyrically they are just brilliant! Their music reminds me of a great era in music (think Ian Dury, Boomtown Rats, Blondie et al)

A special plaque will be erected in South East London where the original group Chris Difford, Glenn Tilbrook, Jools Holland, Harry Kakoulli and Paul Gunn first performed, at the Greenwich Dance Hall in 1975. I think I first saw them in 1979.

I have even seen Glenn Tilbrook play on the Nottingham Tram – brilliant! The group have played on the beach at Cannes a few times at MIPIM.

I am looking forward to seeing them at the Isle of Wight festival in June – but also in November in Nottingham – when they tour.

Some bands just stand the test of time. Like the Stranglers I saw last month (blog here) Squeeze are still as good today as they were 30 years ago.

As the saying goes – “form is temporary – talent is permanent”

And instead of ‘O’ level boring subjects I learned all the words from Squeeze – “The Indians sent signals from the rocks above the pass, the cowboys take their position in the bushes and the grass…” I still know them today!

UPDATE

Unbelievably The Members are to play at the Isle of Wight this year; announced today. Now I do remember seeing them at the Sandpiper Music Machine in the The Lace Market Nottingham in 1980 (?). Roll on the Sound of the Suburbs and Offshore Banking Business!