Photo: WENN
Bestival 2013 kicked off to a very wet start with performances from Fatboy Slim, Flaming Lips, Jessie Ware and many more.
It seemed as if the rain was going to relent during the opening day of the Isle of Wight event, but then heavy showers began in the early morning and again during Flaming Lips' main stage set.
Fatboy Slim headlined the Friday night with his 'Bestival Birthday Bash' - delivering a hit-laden visual spectacular complete with fireworks that got the masses raving through the rain and into the night. Prior to him in the main arena were Flaming Lips, who played a fairly esoteric set that leant heavily on newer material, but still managed to stun with an impressive, if a little NFSW, light show. Both acts took the time to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Bestival to mark the event's 10th anniversary.
Playing late in the evening, London Grammar pulled a sizeable crowd into the Replay tent where they delivered an enchanting set of cuts from their debut album, If You Wait - released on Monday. The hotly-tipped trio also dropped their cover of 'Wicked Game' by Chris Isaak, before ending with singles 'Strong' and 'Metal & Dust' - leaving the stage to rapturous applause. The band were clearly humbled by the response, but they'd better get used to it as the year ahead for them looks set to be huge.
The day kicked off with the launch of the new HMS Bestival 'The Port' stage - a boat which has been built near the Bollywood tent which played host to DJs, pole-dangers, fire-eaters and much, much more. Also adopting the festival's nautical theme were Jagwar Ma - who took to the Replay stage decked out in Team Zissou attire from the Life Aquatic. Also joining in was Jessie Ware, who wore a full naval captain's outfit for her briefly sun-drenched main stage set. Ware was in high spirits as not only was her performance her last UK festival date of the summer, but she said that Bestival was her favourite festival after coming as a punter for many years.
Jessie Ware getting into the spirit of things at Bestival 2013
Also enjoying the sunshine on the main stage were Wu-Tang Clan - who sadly failed to meet the near-ecstatic anticipation reserved for them due to sound issues Caravan Palace however, rose to the occasion by sending the whole field into a wild skank with their retro-tinged jazz funk. Meanwhile, The 1975 celebrated currently being the UK no.1 album with an explosive performance of flawless indie-pop.
Bestival continues today with Snoop Dogg headlining, alongside performances from Franz Ferdinand, Rudimental, The Roots, Bastille, Johnny Marr, Swim Deep, Ghostpoet and many more. Check back at Gigwise for the latest news, reviews and photos
Below - Photos: Fatboy Slim, The Flaming Lips, The 1975 more live at Bestival 2013, day one
