Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2012 | Page 146

ENTERTAINMENT

'I just want everyone to have a good
time, so bring your wellies, your flip
flops, your bikinis and your raincoats –
come prepared for all eventualities'
talents were soon recognised by the
BBC, and he was asked to cover John
Peel’s radio slot when the popular
presenter died suddenly in 2004.
Rob admits: “It was a weird time for
me because that was never really the
plan. I was probably just in the right
place at the right time, but it was a
turning point in my career because I
was thrown into this other world so to
speak.”
He has always been a fan of festivals,
recalling the first time he went to
Glastonbury and thinking it was the
best thing ever – three days in a field
with no rules; just fun and music.
He said: “I was18 then, and although
Glastonbury is still my favourite
festival, it didn’t really inspire me to
put on my own festival.
“However, it was where my wife Josie
and I met when we were at college,
and she now pretty much runs the
Bestival. We are a husband and wife
team with three kids and a couple of
other business partners. Looking back
I never set out to do any of the things
that I have done, but it has all just
fallen into place, almost by accident.
“Perhaps I thought that one day I
would end up writing books, but I
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just went off on a different tangent.
One day I might go off on another
tangent and do something else totally
different. I am not good at sitting still
for too long, and there are so many
challenges out there.”
One of the challenges Rob and Josie
relish, apart from trying to help the
youth of the Island, is to make the
Bestival that little bit different each
year - and different to any other
music festival. He smiled: “When I
first decided to put on the Bestival, I
wasn’t even aware the IW Festival was
already here. Then one day this guy
called John Giddings, who I had never
heard of, rang me and told me in no
uncertain terms he was already doing
one!
“It was never our intention to get on
anyone else’s turf; we just wanted to
do our own thing. I think it has now
been proven there is not a level of
competition between the Festival and
the Bestival, and there is no problem
at all between John and myself. We
talk regularly and it is all very friendly.
The good thing is that there are two
world class festivals on the Isle of
Wight, and they attract very different
audiences.”

Rob opted to hold the Bestival on the
Island simply because he had looked
at alternative venues along the south
coast and decided this was the best of
all. And when it comes to organising
the annual event Rob and his team
are perfectionists, ploughing the vast
majority of profits back into it. He
said: “I believe that is the only way
to do it. The shows that have come
a cropper are the ones where corners
have been cut and there has been
scrimping and saving.