Saturday At The Cinch Isle of Wight Festival 2022

The Kidzone at the Isle of Wight Festival (these aren't my kids, I was too busy playing Lego to take photos). Credit for all photos: Isle of Wight Festival 2022

Our Isle of Wight Festival on Saturday was something of a split-shift, with a few hours with the children in the afternoon and then a return in the evening. 

The afternoon session was the second festival for the younger child, but the first she remembered. The Kids' Zone was about right for her and we spent a happy hour playing with Lego whilst someone enthusiastic larked around on the kids' stage.

The main frustration was the search for a mermaid amongst the available Lego, which seemed to be absolutely essential for my five year old's building project. Eventually she settled on a witches hat instead of long, flowing hair. I saved the day by suggesting that we removed the legs altogether and gave the illusion that the lower half of the mermaid was underwater. I felt very pleased with myself.

I'm not sure if I could get away with wearing a suit like Mark Owen's

We caught a few minutes of The Fratellis and The Proclaimers before further pottering around the site. Needless to say, we took several photos in front of the giant Isle of Wight Festival sign, as it traditional.

There are plenty of parents who do a full day at the Isle of Wight Festival with children but we prefer to pace them to avoid the risk of tantrums in front of thousands of people. And the kids might lose it too - arf arf!

Kasabian returned for their fourth Isle of Wight Festival appearance (2007, 2011, 2018 and 2022).

The evening session had a somewhat different feel to it, with the children at home (not alone, I should point out) and the evening drawing in.

After Friday's heat, it was strong wings which provided the main challenge on Saturday night. Blossoms had to cut their set short because of a public safety issue, which threw the schedule out.

Kasabian were next up and drew a big crowd including Peter Crouch who joyfully danced on stage during the finale. 

With the rain coming and going, we only caught part of their set and spent a good deal of time in the Platform One tent for a bit of shelter and local music. We watched The Optimists, which make an excellent racket. I'm afraid I have never worked for the NME so I can't tell you of which two bands they are the illegitimate love child. However, they are on Spotify which might give you a better idea.

Joel Corry? He's the British David Guetta!

After some gin in a paper coffee cup we watch Joel Corry at the Big Top. This was one of those festival moments where you feel like you are well out of touch, with thousands of people going wild for an act you've never heard of. The Big Top was overflowing, everyone was jumping.

My friend's friend seemed stunned that I wasn't aware of his work. 

"What? You've not heard of Joel Corry? He's the British David Guetta! He's the resident DJ at Ibiza Rocks!"

Two minutes later a stranger tapped me on the shoulder and asked politely if I knew who was on the stage. 

"It's Joel Corry!" I shouted back. "He's the British David Guetta! He's the resident DJ at Ibiza Rocks!" I felt very pleased with myself for the second time in a day, which hasn't happened for a while.

Finally - for us - it was time for the act with the longest name of the weekend: Pete Tong: The Heritage Orchestra Ibiza Classics with Jules Buckley. 

The lasers lit up the sky, the rain stopped and I enjoyed the sounds of Ibiza whilst dipping my churros into chocolate.

Pete Tong!

Pete Tong: The Heritage Orchestra Ibiza Classics with Jules Buckley