INTERVIEW
- life
Coldplay 2006
History rolls on for
the IW Festival
By Brian Hinton
1968 - 1970
Rock Festivals are rather like an out of body
experience – they involve camping out under
the night sky, inventing another self for the
weekend, getting gently wrecked, and watching
one’s favourite musicians, putting on a show.
Once part of the hippy fringe, they are now big
business, carefully organised and patrolled, with
state of the art sound, giant video screens and
a bustling festival village. Food and drink can
range from the basic to high cuisine. But it wasn’t
always that way. The Island has gained a world
wide reputation in this field (no pun intended),
but back in 1968, the road manager of the Move
described the first ever ‘Great South Coast
Bankholiday Pop Festivity’ as a “great louse up”!
It was certainly ramshackle, but magical all the
Island Life - www.isleofwight.net
same, in a now unimaginable world lacking ipods,
stars from the burgeoning London underground
downloads and mobile phones. A whole day and
scene, including The Crazy World of Arthur
night of live music was virtually unprecedented .
Brown – with blazing helmet – a young Marc
It was in response to the legendary events at
Bolan, and Fairport Convention. It put the
Monterey in 1967, that Totland based engineer
Island on the map as a rock festival venue
Ron Smith set up the first IOW Pop Festival in
– with the ferry crossing part of the magic..
Hell Field, near Niton, on August Bank Holiday,
And the event made money for the Indoor
1968. With two flat back trucks forming the
Smimming Pool Association of Freshwater,
stage, bands huddling together in one tent for
under whose auspices it had been organised.
warmth ‘backstage’, and a shivering crowd
Ron now formed Fiery Creations, with local
wrapping themselves in rubbish sacks, it was a
brothers Ron and Ray Foulk and compere Rikki
rough and ready affair. Even so, the 6,000 strong
Farr, and sent Ray off to Woodstock to track
crowd.who filled a stubble field in the middle of
down the reclusive Bob Dylan. It was a promise
nowhere, were entranced by a stunning line up
to show him Tennyson’s home Farringford
headlined by Jefferson Airplane, who brought
which persuaded him to sign up. The 1969
over their psychedelic light show. It was their
Festival moved to Woodside Bay, and had been
first ever appearance in Europe, backed up by
expanded to three days of live sounds, ranging
29