IoW FESTIVAL
THE STORY FESTIVAL
David Bowie ’ s last live performance in the UK in 2004 , when he closed the festival
visit to the Isle of Wight Festival , meeting friends from St Albans on a beach at midnight and watching them hide their dope in ketchup bottles to avoid the attention of sniffer dogs .
Says Giddings , “ The bus only took us halfway across the island so we had to walk for hours to get there but I remember coming over the hill and seeing the site , it was like going to battle , coming over the hill and seeing all those people . They all shared the same vision and love of music , it was amazing .
“ I walked down to the front and was about 10 yards away from Jimi Hendrix when he played , which was extraordinary — everyone was transfixed by him . The Who were amazing , then there was Leonard Cohen , Jethro Tull : it was endless , it went on and on and on .”
By the time Giddings had learned the ropes as a social secretary at Exeter
University and began working in the music industry , hippies were out of fashion and punk was rocking the foundations of the business . In the mid 1970s he began working with some of the most influential punk artists of the era including The Ramones , Iggy Pop and The Stranglers but it wasn ’ t until decades later that he found himself crossing The Solent again with thoughts of a festival on his mind . accessaa . co . uk 31