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Isle of Wight Festival 1970

The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and often acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, with a larger attendance than Woodstock.[1][2] Although estimates vary, Guinness World Records estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people attended.[3] It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ron and Ray Foulk through their company Fiery Creations Ltd and their brother Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.

The preceding Isle of Wight Festivals, also promoted by the Foulks, had already gained a good reputation in 1968 and 1969 by featuring acts such as Jefferson Airplane, Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Move, the Pretty Things, Joe Cocker, the Moody Blues (performed at the 1969 festival), the Who, and Bob Dylan in his second performance since his 1966 motorcycle accident -the first one was just three songs with The Band at a Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert.


Many excerpts from this festival have appeared on record and video.

Artists lineup[edit]

The 1970 version, following Woodstock in the previous year, set out to move one step forward and enlisted Jimi Hendrix. With Hendrix confirmed, artists such as Rory Gallagher, Cactus, Chicago, the Doors, Lighthouse, the Moody Blues, the Who, Miles Davis, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Jethro Tull, Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years After, Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Free also took part. The event had a magnificent but impractical site, since the prevailing wind blew the sound sideways across the venue, and the sound system had to be augmented by the Who's own PA. Organizers also faced the logistical problems involved in transporting some 600,000 people onto an island with a population of fewer than 100,000. The Island's transport services were already stretched by the annual influx of summer holiday-makers at the same time. French anarchists armed with knives were already causing trouble on the ferry crossing.


Political and logistical difficulties resulted in the organisers eventually realising that the festival would not make a profit and declaring it to be "a free festival", although the majority of the audience had paid for tickets in advance, and the event was filmed contemporaneously. The commercial failings of the festival ensured it was the last event of its kind on the Isle of Wight for thirty-two years.

Planning difficulties[edit]

The opposition to the proposed 1970 festival from the residents of the Isle of Wight was much better coordinated than it had been in previous years. The Isle of Wight was a favoured retirement destination of the British well-heeled, and a haven of the yachting set, and many of the traditional residents deplored the huge influx of "hippies" and "freaks". This led to the introduction of sections to the "Isle of Wight County Council Act 1971" designed to control any further large overnight gatherings.[4] Renting a few acres of suitable farmland to hold a music festival had in earlier years been a simple commercial matter between the promoters and one of the local farmers, but by 1970 this had become subject to approval decisions from several local council committees who were heavily lobbied by residents' associations opposing the festival. As a result of this public scrutiny, the preferred ideal location for the third Festival was blocked, and the promoters in the end had no choice but to accept the only venue on offer by the authorities: East Afton Farm, Afton Down. One unintended result of this choice of location was that, since it was overlooked by a large hill, a significant number of people were able to watch the proceedings for free.

: A heavy progressive rock band featuring Andy Bown and Henry Spinetti of the Herd and Allan Jones of Amen Corner.[5]

Judas Jump

Kathy Smith: A Californian singer-songwriter, signed to ' label, "Stormy Forest", was well received.[6]

Richie Havens

: Another folk musician, accompanied by David Bromberg on guitar.

Rosalie Sorrels

: Bromberg was not on the bill, but he performed a set. "Mr. Bojangles" was included on the album The First Great Rock Festivals of the Seventies.

David Bromberg

: Performed a controversial set. Due to poor sound, the audience was unable to hear his set, and it appeared that they were jeering him. He was eventually booed off the stage because the audience could not properly hear his song "Blame It on the Stones" and ignorant members of the audience assumed he was criticising the Rolling Stones and the whole youth movement. "It was a total disaster," Kristofferson recalled. "They just hated us. They hated everything. They booed us, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Sly Stone; they threw shit at Jimi Hendrix. At the end of the night, they were tearing down the outer walls, setting fire to the concessions, burning their tents, shouting obscenities. Peace and love it was not."[7]

Kris Kristofferson

: psychedelic rock band.

Mighty Baby

Films and albums[edit]

The First Great Rock Festivals of the Seventies (1971)[edit]

This three-LP set on CBS Records devoted the first disk to Second Annual Atlanta International Pop Festival, and two disks to the later Isle of Wight. Teo Macero is credited as the producer for the Isle of Wight disks. It featured in order billed: Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years After, Miles Davis, Kris Kristofferson, Procol Harum, Cactus, Leonard Cohen and David Bromberg.

Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival[edit]

All the performances at the festival were professionally filmed by award-winning film director Murray Lerner.[13] with a view to releasing a documentary film but due to financial difficulties, nothing was released until 27 years after the event. Finally, Lerner distilled material from the festival into the film Message to Love: The Isle of Wight Festival which was premiered at a San Jose film festival in 1995 and released in 1997. A CD of the soundtrack was also issued by Castle Communications/Sony Legacy in 1997. The film puts a negative slant on the 1970 event by splicing in footage of violent incidents preceding the festival itself. Chief Constable, Hampshire Constabulary, Sir Douglas Osmond emphasised the peaceful nature of the event in his evidence given to the Stevenson Report, 1971 (submitted to parliament as evidence in favour of future Isle of Wight Festivals). By the end of the festival, the press representatives became almost desperate for material and they seemed a little disappointed that the patrons had been so well behaved.

Influence[edit]

The founders/main instigators of the Glastonbury (1971), Windsor (1972–74) and Stonehenge (1974) Free Festivals were all at IOW 1970, respectively Andrew Kerr, Ubi Dwyer and Wally Hope, inspired by the anarchistic nature of the breakdown of control by the original organisation and the subsequent freedom of the last days of the event.


For the 50th anniversary of the event, a re-enactment was scheduled in the same location, with John Lodge, Ten Years After, Pentangle, The Pretty Things and Nik Turner all confirmed. However, this was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.[14]

The Last Great Event: with Jimi Hendrix & Jim Morrison, by (Organiser) & Caroline Foulk, 364 pages, Medina Publishing 2016, Hardback ISBN 978-1-909339-58-3 & Paperback ISBN 978-1-909339-57-6

Ray Foulk

Nights in Wight Satin: "An illustrated history of the Isle of Wight festivals" (1968,1969 & 1970) by Brian Hinton, 72 pages, 1990 –  0-906328-46-2

ISBN

Message To Love: "The Isle of Wight Festivals 1968 – 1969 – 1970", by Brian Hinton, 191 pages, 1995 –  1-86074-147-9

ISBN

The Last Great Event: "The 1970 Isle of Wight Festival" by Chris Weston, 152 pages, Ltd edition of 950 copies, Privately Published 2009  0-9545233-3-4

ISBN

Six Days That Rocked The World: "Isle of Wight Festival 1970" by Bob Aylott, (40th anniversary 1970 – 2010), 144 pages, Ltd edition of 1000 copies, 2009 The Press Photographers Galery –

My Best Seller Isle of Wight Festival 1970

"The Isle of Wight Festival 1970", "The Band – The Theme Song – The Broken Dream" by Peter Daltrey, 119 pages, 2012 Chelsea Records Book Division

I Luv Wight:

Isle of Wight 1970: "The Last Great Festival" A picture record by Rod Allen,published September 1970 by Clipper Press, London.

Festival de Wight: "" by Bernard Rouan (photographer) Hardback photo book (400 copies) – 80 b/w full page photos, 96 pages, 2016 Édition des Galeries & Musées ISBN 979-10-93881-04-1

Un Festival de Légende

Rocking the Isle of Wight: "How Three Totland Brothers Invented The British Rock Festival" By Alan Stroud and Tom Stroud. limited edition softback, 272 pages including 32 pages of unpublished colour photographs. 2020 Now and Then Books  978-1-8381740-0-2

ISBN

The Cameron Life Festival Experience: "1970 IoW Music Festival 40th Anniversary Exhibition Catalogue" A personal photographic account of the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. Limited edition 1000 copies, 18 pages, 59 colour photographs by Charles Everest. Copyright © 2010 Cameronlife

Link:

Isle of Wight 1970: "The View From The Crowd" By Alan Stroud and Tom Stroud. Limited edition softback, 136 pages photo album containing over 120 large format colour photos. 2021 Now and Then Books  978-1-8381740-1-9

ISBN

Isle of Wight Festival 1969 - 1970: 36 pages, 29 b/w photographs by David Hurn. © 2022 David Hurn & Café Royal Books - ISSN 2752-5619

Café Royal Books

UK rock festivals (Isle of Wight 1970)

Cameronlife photo library

Memorabilia from the Original Isle of Wight Festivals 1968-69-70