Sunday 12/06/11 Isle Of Wight Festival, Day Three @ Seaclose Park, Isle Of Wight

Apparently in the decade since the festival restarted it has rarely seriously rained. Today, the weather makes up for it in buckets. A good friend informed me that the rain is likely part of a 400 mile warm front moving in from the Atlantic. It certainly feels like it and makes the Sunday like the hangover from hell. Islanders will bail out by mid day and they're followed by others as soon as they're able.

To this degree Two Door Cinema Club are up against it on the main stage. Dressed like a posh holiday in Florida, they look at cross purposes with the weather but carry on regardless and to their credit. They've been gigging now for their tunes to get established and they're certainly catchy such as the infectious 'Something good can work' There's even time to hint at new material which is great, even if the rain makes it hard to get excited about.

Plan B's beatbox warm up draws instant attention before the man is even on. Displaying the right festival attitude in engaging with the crowd, B's soul vibe goes down well with hits from album 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks' including the smash hit 'She said'. On top of his own well formed recent material there's also time to ouch base with his dub step roots, with a capello covers of 'My Girl' 'Stand by me' and 'Kissed by a rose' dub step. Its an irony that he ends 'Always stay too long', though by this point he more slides off stage than walks.

Beady Eye are truly up against it by the time of their second on slot. A Gallagher or not, the rain is now sideways  and its hard for even Liam's bright union flag coat (and obligatory towel) to raise a smile. With the crowd surrounding me, it seems there's some confusion over who this band is, to the extent that  the former Oasis man's appearance draws some noises of surprise. Clearly a PR company somewhere needs a dressing down. Regardless there's a great chemistry to Beady Eye and their natural understatement makes a change from the usual bravado  associated with Gallaghers (though one moment with a crowd member looked a little hairy). The  material carries off well even if the wind ruins the sound; there's more than a hint of the familiar on tracks like 'The Roller' while songs elsewhere could well be an early version of 'Back in the USSR'.

Kasabian may be suitably huge right now but tonight's gig sees the band clearly humbled. Singer Tom Meighan is keen to pack out the rock and roll swagger with endless thanks for those who have stuck it out at the festival,which by now resembles a freshly ploughed field. Kasabian do their best to sort that with a fiercely good selection of songs. Opening with a storming rendition of 'Club Foot' they mix and match their three albums to date, piling into 'Where has the love gone', 'Underdog' and 'Shoot the runner'. There's even space to show off  new material, notably the boppy 'Velociraptor', though this could well take a few listens to get into.

Yet this headline show was about giving the crowd what they wanted rather than promoting new material. As such old favourites such as 'Cutt Off' and 'Take Aim' - this time sung by Sergio Pizzorno – fly out. Empire sound phenomenal live while during 'Vlad the Impaler' the band manage to drag the star of the song's video, a poncho-clad Noel Fielding, out on stage for a bit of a manic dance.

In the end the show Kasabian puts on makes weathering the rain feel rather worthwhile. With Kasabian album number four due shortly, my personal fear was that all the band's creativity and innovation might have burned out on the astonishing West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum and the fame gone to their head. If anything, this headline slot (one of only a few gigs they're doing this summer) proves they are just as fresh and hungry to make music as ever, and I for one can't wait. A defining act for the weekend and the perfect note to end the festival on.