Bestival

Last year's 24 hour mud field

This year the site is getting a make-over and a thorough spring clean with some of the familiar furniture being moved about, creating a beautifully brand new layout.

Line-up news

Spread over 14 stages, this year's Bestival is once again a long weekend of musical treats for all tastes from ska to foot shuffling retro pop, madcap funk and the all essential party music.

Rob da Bank reckons it's the best line-up yet: "All my favourite live acts and DJs in a field.  It's gonna be out of this world – out of space in fact!"

Lily Allen

"I've booked 100% of the talent for Bestival so it's hard to pick favourites becuase I love them all.  But if I had to mention one it would be Kraftwerk, as I have been working on them for five years.  It could also be the last time they play in the UK - they're not here very often and they are not as young as they used to be!"

Groundbreaking electronic pioneers Kraftwerk will be headlining the Saturday night; headlining the Friday night will be the original Wild Bunch, Massive Attack. 

Kraftwerk

The headliners for the festival's grand finale on Sunday have been announced as Elbow.  With their own special blend of spine tingling atmospheric rock; mixing melancholy and melodrama it's sure to be a sing-along showstopper.

Fellow Manchester band Doves have also been added to the bill.

Lily Allen is heading back to the festival for a special guest set on the Saturday.  Lily last appeared at Bestival in 2006; as well as putting in a belting performance, she embraced the whole fancy dress theme, turning out in a pink wig and bunny outfit. This year she'll also judge the outer space fancy dress competition.

Dropping in from Brooklyn New York, Space-rockers MGMT will be bringing the electric feel of their gargantuan synth whooshes and psychedelic revelations to Robin Hill in one of only two festival appearances this summer.

Who knows what will land from outer space....

Fellow Americans Fleet Foxes, this time hailing from the musical hot bed of Seattle, are also set to add their Baroque harmonic pop jams to proceedings in what is their only confirmed UK festival date of 2009 so far. 

Keeping on the transatlantic cousins theme, sublime song and dance man and BRIT Award nominated Seasick Steve will be rocking the three-string trance wonder.

Local talent

Bestival has always supported local acts but Rob da Bank says this year is definitely the biggest yet for Isle of Wight talent:

"Everywhere you look there will be an island band - there's Island Day on Saturday on the Gazebo; the winner of the band competition will open the main stage; Platform One Music College in Newport are involved; and Hidden Disco on Friday night is all IOW Djs."

Rob says: "The Isle of Wight is so important to us - not just the talent, but the volunteers, those who work for us, the location - we're all very interdependent.

When asked if the founder gets to enjoy any of the acts himself, Rob says: "Every year I see more and more bands.  The first two years I didn't see any because I was constantly solving problems and running around.  Now we're more into our stride - but I still only catch snippets.  It's not like I can laze around watching wholes sets!"

Fancy dress

Outer Space is this year’s fancy dress theme, so Besti-goers can go into interstellar overdrive getting together some very cosmic costumes.

Rob da Bank says: "We always think of a theme that has plenty of connotations - so this year's space idea could be interpreted as Star Wars, Dr Who, personal space, space ship, alien, astronaut - it gives people the biggest chance to do something imaginative."

Other mad-cap treats over the weekend include Blastival. A fiery spectacle unfolding over the three nights, the show blends astounding pyrotechnical pleasures with stunning street theatre.

In its first major festival appearance, the performance will tell the tale of our hero Michael Santos, his magnificent machine Maximus and his dream to reach the stars.

There will also be the After Burner, a brand new 360-degree multi-stage arena that will come alive after dark and late into the night.

Centred around a 10-metre tower built from jet engine components producing various effects with fire, smoke and water, the heart of the tower is a DJ booth producing the beat for the effects to synchronize to the mayhem!

On top of all that there're still the usual fun with the inflatable church where you can get married, the crazy sports day, fancy dress parade, and shops on renewable energy.

But if it all gets too much you can visit the knitting tent or pop into see the Isle of Wight W.I. for a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

Even organiser Rob da Bank finds it tricky to sum up the event with all this going on: "It's a crazy mish-mash of amazing music and colourful, vibrant people and art.  People dress up and let themselves go, which turns it into an escapist and eccentric festival.  It's traditionally English with a cutting edge!"

Bestival, 11-13th September 2009, Robin Hill Country Park, Isle of Wight.