Music, Style & Culture

4 Bands To See At Isle of Wight ‘10

Here are our top four must-sees. Ignore at your peril!

With June barely upon us it’s time to don our patterned wellies, pack rucksacks full of disposable clothing, tinned food and cautionary rain macs, and head southwards for the Isle of Wight festival. One of the first large-scale festivals of the year, Isle of Wight features some of the hottest acts around, with an exciting variety of genres and generations gracing two stages over three days.

If you’re bopping on down for the weekend but haven’t organised your essential band viewing schedule, then here are our top four must-sees. Ignore at your peril!

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Doves

Did Doves ‘do an Elbow’ last year and become one of the most important bands in the UK? Depends on who you ask, really, but what can’t be argued with is their ability to produce a heartfelt, meaningful song that turns your legs to jelly within the first three bars. Part Radiohead, part musical visionaries, these guys are a top priority at this year’s festival.

Listen to Doves on Spotify

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Calvin Harris

Back for a second year in a row, this Scottish electro wizard seems to have grown attached to the Isle. Despite being partly to blame for last summer’s holey-stripy-non-UVA-protected sunglasses craze, Calvin has unleashed numerous pop/dance/80’s throwback tunes on our ears, which we are grateful for. As a result, the sunglasses have been partially pardoned.

Listen to Calvin Harris on Spotify

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Friendly Fires

Being championed by the NME is usually akin to the musical kiss of death, with sackloads of bands having been thrown to the scrapheap mere months afterwards (The Others or The Ting Tings anyone?). However, this bunch of excitable Bolearian poppers were certainly not a mistake to back. Their upbeat indie-disco belters and jerky salsa-esque dancing is sure to bring a smile to the most dour festival-goer.

Listen to Friendly Fires on Spotify

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I Blame Coco

The antithesis of what we would expect from a child born to rock royalty, Coco Sumner has used 2010 to blow away shedloads of preconceptions and place herself as the champion of hobo chic and funky indie-pop. Effortlessly cool, this grunge-pixie singer is like Brody Dalle and Alison Mosshart’s lovechild, with perhaps Karen O as an influential godmother. If such a thing were possible.

Listen to I Blame Coco on Spotify