Sky presents Isle of Wight Festival came to a spectacular close on Saturday, with an exceptional set from British rock royalty, The Cure. Headlining the Main Stage on the final day of the festival, the GRAMMY and BRIT Award winning group wowed the crowd with live renditions of tracks from throughout their formidable six decade career, including ‘Close To Me’, ‘Lullaby’, and ‘Friday I’m In Love’.
The Grammy-winning 2024 album Songs Of A Lost World was represented by huge performances of ‘Alone’ and ‘Endsong’.
The band performed with a sunflower on the drum kit, gifted by Isle of Wight charity Mountbatten. The 1983 song ‘The Lovecats’ was performed in the presence of singer Luvcat, who performed earlier in the Big Top and took her name from the song.
Indie stalwarts The Kooks took to the stage, performing hits including ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’, ‘Shine On’ and ‘Naive’. On stage, Luke Pritchard said: “There’s something special about this island. It’s the fourth time we’ve played here and that’s because of you guys. I never get bored about playing here.”
Earlier in the day, rising star Fugo Kid, winner of this year’s Wight Noize competition, got things under way with an energetic set blending hip-hop and jazz sounds, while festival founder John Giddings welcomed folk-inspired troubadour Suzanne Vega to the stage, calling her “one of the best singer-songstresses of all time”. Local legends Level 42 performed at the festival for the very first time, as did ‘90s hitmaker David Gray.
The River Stage was headlined by The Molotovs, returning to the festival after a year in which they hit number 3 in the charts with debut album Wasted On Youth and a barnstorming performance on the Jonathan Ross Show. Issey Cartlidge said: “This festival stands out as something really special, with an incredible history from Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Bob Dylan, David Bowie to, well, The Cure. Robert Smith is one of the greats and to be headlining a stage on the same day as him is an honour.”
For viral sensation Luvcat, taking to the Big Top stage was a dream come true. Reminiscing to a packed audience, she told the crowd: “This is the first festival I ever camped at when I was a teenager, and I dreamed of being back here one day. I finally made it!” Among the other performers on the day were Shed Seven, Rose Gray, David Gray, The Twilight Sad, Level 42, Suzanne Vega and The Twilight Sad.
A host of star-studded names took to the stage throughout the 28th edition of the festival. Scottish superstar Lewis Capaldi headlined on Friday night, while Calvin Harris closed out Saturday evening in spectacular fashion. They were joined across the weekend by global stars including Wet Leg, Teddy Swims, Tom Grennan, The Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, Two Door Cinema Club, Rita Ora and many more.
