Isle of Wight Festival 2022 - 5 Things We Are Looking Forward To

So here we are again, with the Isle of Wight Festival about to begin and the sun shining. I predict a lot of people will get sunburnt on Thursday, Friday and Saturday before a bit of light rain cools them off on Sunday.

I am not one of those people who takes this moment for granted. 

As I keep saying, there have been so many festivals which have come and gone since the Isle of Wight Festival revival in 2002 - not least several which were on the Island (Bestival, Fairweather Festival, VDub etc).

The Isle of Wight Festival has survived headliners cancelling (Morrissey, most notably), the torrential rain of 2012, the Covid cancellation of 2020 and the Covid delays of 2021 (see our festival history guide). And over the last 20 years we've watched David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Sir Paul McCartney, REM, Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, The Strokes, Neil Young, Duran Duran, The Police, Muse, Amy Winehouse and The Who. And as previously discussed, the ticket price remains very similar to what it was 10 years ago.

2022 should be another excellent year. I am a little less obsessed about line-ups than I was a few years ago. I no longer have a list of stages with circles round the artists that I want to see ("come on guys, we've only got four minutes to get to the Big Top!"). With children in tow, I am now happy to wander the site, catch a few acts, ride the big wheel, try on a funny hat in the Kids Zone, sit down in the sunshine and so on.

Here are five things that the Guru Family are looking forward to at Isle of Wight Festival 2022:

1. A Celebration of Wet Leg's Remarkable Year

Let me be honest. There are very few bands which I like which have come from the Isle of Wight.

Seeing Wet Leg shoot to the top of the album chart has been a real treat. 

I managed to miss them last year, when they were much less well known. 

In 2022, they are due at the Big Top on Sunday at 4.25pm. I'm expecting a large crowd and a singalong for Wet Dream and Chaise Longue.

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2. The Return of Muse

Muse have played the Isle of Wight Festival before. Back in 2007, they headlined Saturday night on the day before that the Rolling Stones and Amy Winehouse played together. That was some year.

However, 15 years is a pretty long gap between performances so it feels like a big deal. Sunday night is traditionally a bit less wild than Saturday night at the Isle of Wight Festival with an earlier finishing time to make Monday morning a little easier. I have a feeling it will be a little more raucous this year.

Set lists on Muse's current tour have included some real some bangers such as Supermassive Black Hole, Plug In Baby, Uprising and Time Is Running Out.

Muse are playing at 9.20pm on the main stage.

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3. The Red Arrows

Friday night is an eclectic mix of main stage excellence at the Isle of Wight Festival with Lewis Capaldi, Madness, Niles Rodgers and Chic, Sigrid and The Vaccines.

But how do you go about replacing Lionel Richie, who was forced to pull out of the festival a few months ago?

The answer - of course - is a formation team of nine stunt pilots drawing hearts in the sky. 

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4. A ride on the ferris wheel

I've not been down to Seaclose Park yet, so I can't say for sure if the big wheel is there again.

If it is, I'll be joining the queue. Some of our finest festival moments have been watching a main stage act from a great height. Early evening is the ideal team to climb onboard in my opinion, as long as the sun is shining.

Legend has it that Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers decided to form Wet Leg whilst at the summit of the wheel. I shall look out for the capsule with the blue plaque.

Image courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival

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5. Mark Owen

Mrs Guru and I don't quite share the same taste in music. She's a big fan of musicals and 90s/00s pop so in previous years has taken great enjoyment from watching Will Young, Mel C and The Corrs at the Isle of Wight Festival.

This year, I can confidently predict that Mark Owen and Craig David will be top of her watch-list. 

Craig David's set doesn't start until 11.45pm on Friday night, so my hunch is that the winner will be Mark Owen at 3.40pm on Saturday in the Big Top. 

If I get a chance, I must ask him about the Take That video which was filmed on Sandown beach in the 1990s.

I think you'll agree, it hasn't dated one bit...