The Isle of Wight Festival makes its triumphant return for 2020 with a huge line-up of music icons marking the first major festival of the summer over 11th - 14th June.
The UK’s oldest festival - first held in 1968 - celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic 1970 festival next year, which secured its place in pop culture history thanks to performances from Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Joni Mitchell and more. Hendrix’s legendary headline performance was his last in the UK and the 1970 festival was the last on the island until it was resurrected in 2002.
Friday’s headliners both make their Isle of Wight Festival debut in 2020; international superstar Lionel Richie will co-headline the Main Stage alongside GRAMMY and BRIT Award-nominated man of the moment Lewis Capaldi. Special guest Pete Tong will bring the spirit of Ibiza to Seaclose Park, as he closes the Main Stage on Friday night with his Ibiza Classics.
Since debuting 20 years ago, Saturday co-headliners Snow Patrol have amassed over 17 million global album sales, 1 billion global track streams and countless award wins. They’re joined in headlining duties by The Chemical Brothers, a duo who redefined the concept of live electronic music, bagged six UK Number 1 albums, four GRAMMY wins and a reputation for a transcendent live experience.
Duran Duran, in a UK festival exclusive, will close the Main Stage on Sunday night. The British music icons and purveyors of triumphant pop music will see out the 2020 event in style.
Acts also announced today are (in alphabetical order): Becky Hill, Dido, Example, Happy Mondays, James Arthur, JC Stewart, Kaiser Chiefs, Maisie Peters, Primal Scream, Sam Fender, Shed Seven, Sigma (DJ set), Supergrass and The Manor
Tickets for The Isle of Wight Festival 2020 event are on sale Friday 6th December at 9am.
With more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, an Oscar, a Golden Globe, four GRAMMYs, the distinction of MusicCares Person of the Year in 2016 and Kennedy Center Honoree in 2017, Lionel Richie is a true music icon. The Alabama native is one of only two songwriters in history to have charted Number 1 records for nine consecutive years. In March 2018, Richie put his handprints in cement at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX in Hollywood, one of the industry’s oldest honors. He makes his Isle of Wight Festival debut on Friday 12th June.
On playing, Lionel said: I'm excited to be playing at The Isle of Wight Festival next summer. It's the first time I've performed at the festival and I can't think of a better way to start the summer! It's a festival steeped in music history - Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones have all headlined and I'm honoured to be joining the esteemed list! See you all there.
2019 has propelled Lewis Capaldi to superstar status. With his debut album spending six weeks in total at Number 1, it was certified platinum in just 10 weeks. Becoming the biggest streamed week one debut of all time, the album also spawned the country’s biggest smash hit single of the year, Someone You Loved, which spent seven weeks at the summit of the UK’s Official Singles Chart and hit Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Lewis pairs sad songs with incredible wit and a rampant social media following, earning him fans in Niall Horan, Alicia Keys, Calvin Harris and more.
Lewis said: Buzzing to be playing The Isle of Wight Festival next year!! Going to try and keep the other day clear so I can get a few scoops in after I play! See ya next year yaaaaaaas
There are few individuals in the world of dance music who can claim the kind of influence Pete Tong has had over the last 20 years. As the voice of Radio 1’s prestigious dance programming, Pete has held a commanding presence over the industry for more than two decades. Celebrating the legacy of dance music with Ibiza Classics, the show reimagines some of the most iconic records from the past two decades, fusing together visual effects and music technology into phenomenal vibrant orchestral interpretations.
Snow Patrol emerged as heartsore musical prophets in the shadow of grunge and shallow pop over 20 years ago, striking a chord in the minds, memories and hearts of listeners over six groundbreaking, confessional albums, including Eyes Open, the biggest-selling UK album of 2006. Since then, they’ve racked up five UK platinum albums, an Ivor Novello Award plus GRAMMY and Mercury Music Prize nominations. They headline the Main Stage on Saturday 13th June.
The Chemical Brothers have sold more than 12 million albums and six million singles worldwide. Over the course of their 20+ year career, the legendary duo - comprising Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons - have collaborated with the likes of St. Vincent, Beck, Noel Gallagher and Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie. They make their Isle of Wight Festival debut in a headline slot on the Main Stage.
Over their 40 year career, Duran Duran have fused pop music, art, technology, and fashion, building a reputation through iconic music videos for tracks Rio, Girls on Film, Hungry Like the Wolf and more, accentuating their confidence and style. The band’s last album, Paper Gods, was their highest-charting release in 22 years and was hailed by critics and fans alike as their best body of work in two decades. Produced by GRAMMY Award-winners Mark Ronson and Nile Rodgers, alongside Mr Hudson and Josh Blair, Paper Gods featured collaborations with Janelle Monáe, John Frusciante and more.
Also playing are (in alphabetical order):
Hailed as “UK pop’s greatest weapon” by Popjustice, Becky Hill is a multi-platinum artist who has collaborated with Little Simz, Oliver Heldens, Sigala, Jonas Blue and Rudimental. The singer/songwriter recently released a record containing her hits to date plus four brand new tracks.
After five years of silence and achieving two of the best-selling albums in British chart history, Dido returned with her fifth album, Still On My Mind, in 2019. Debut album No Angel still remains the top-selling debut by a British female artist worldwide, contributing to the singer-songwriter notching up over 40 million album sales across her 20 year career.
Singer, rapper and producer, Example’s career spans the past decade and includes three Top 10 albums (including the platinum Number 1 album Playing in the Shadows), ten Top 10 singles, arena tours and festival headline slots in over 60 countries. The hit machine returns to The Isle of Wight Festival in June.
After signing to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records, the late ‘80s saw the Happy Mondays become the pioneers of the Madchester sound, as they blended their love of funk, rock, psychedelia and house with the sounds of the UK’s emerging rave scene. The band’s third album, 1990’s platinum-selling Pills 'n' Thrills And Bellyaches, led to the Happy Mondays crossing over into the mainstream to become icons of Britain’s biggest cultural phenomenon for a generation. In 2016, they won the Ivor Novello’s Inspiration Award, further cementing their reputation as one of Britain’s most influential and loved bands.
Frontman Shaun Ryder said: The Isle of Wight is such a great festival - we're really looking forward to being back there again in 2020!!
The last few years have been remarkable for James Arthur. Number 1 track Say You Won’t Let Go reached a billion streams on Spotify (only 18 other records have managed this on Spotify), placing Arthur alongside artists including Drake, Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber in streaming history. James has now sold over 25 million records globally, has 22 million monthly listeners on Spotify and has had over 1.5 billion views on YouTube.
Northern Irish artist JC Stewart has collaborated with fellow Isle of Wight Festival artist Lewis Capaldi, Maggie Rogers and Benjamin Francis Leftwich. A self-confessed “professional sadboy”, Stewart has had support from Radio 1, Sunday Times Culture, Wonderland and Notion.
JC said: I am unbelievably excited to be playing The Isle of Wight Festival this year. Not gonna lie, to be included on a line-up like this is pretty mental for a guy from a small town in Northern Ireland writing sad songs. Expect pyrotechnics, strippers and free champagne*
*absolutely no refunds if none of this happens.
One of the leading bands of their generation, Kaiser Chiefs have released six studio albums - including their Mercury Music Prize nominated debut, Employment - achieved Top 10 singles, BRIT Awards, Ivor Novello Awards and sold eight million albums to date. 15 years into their career, the band are continuing to release records and remain undeniably Kaiser Chiefs. Frontman Ricky Wilson was part of Sky Arts’ broadcasting line-up in 2019 but returns to the stage at the 2020 event.
A gifted observational lyricist with a distinctively delicate voice, 19-year-old Maisie Peters continues to cement herself as one of the UK’s brightest new talents. She currently boasts over 150m global streams, 4.7m views on YouTube, 3.4m monthly Spotify listeners and has famous fans in global superstar Sam Smith and Lewis Capaldi. A captivating live act, Peters has toured with the likes of George Ezra, Mahalia and Tom Walker.
Maisie said: I’m so excited to be playing The Isle of Wight Festival next year! I’ve been following it for years and as a south coast girl it’s so cool to get to be on a line-up that has had some of my favourite artists on it. Mad times!
Over the past 30 years, Primal Scream have embraced everything from psychedelic pop to degenerate rock’n’roll; euphoric rave to industrial gloom. They have made records with George Clinton and Kate Moss, invited Mani of the Stone Roses and Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine into the fold, survived narcotic oblivion and personal trauma and captured the mood of the nation several times over. Throughout it all, they have always sounded like Primal Scream. They headline the Big Top on Friday 12th June.
In 2019, Sam Fender won the BRITs’ Critics’ Choice Award, embarked on an extensive sold out tour and saw his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, debut at Number 1 on the UK charts. He makes his Isle of Wight Festival debut next summer.
Since rising to fame in the 90s as one of the leading lights of Britpop, Shed Seven released their first new album in 16 years, Instant Pleasures, in 2017 which went Top 10 and achieved acclaim across the board. Their 2019 tour, which also marks the 25th anniversary of their first album release, features a mix of Shed classics and choice cuts from Instant Pleasures including fan favourites Room In My House and Better Days.
Sigma stand at the meeting point between dance music and pop, pioneers of a radio (and stadium) friendly sound that’s seen the duo shift over four million singles, clock over 300 million YouTube views and play stages across the word. Past collaborations include Take That, Rita Ora, Paloma Faith, Labrinth and Birdy and a video appearance from Stranger Things’ Millie Bobby Brown.
The duo, playing a DJ set, said: We can’t wait to be back on the Isle of Wight playing the Big Top! See ya there!
Expect soaring singalongs to ring out from Seaclose Park when Supergrass make their Isle of Wight Festival return to celebrate 25 years since the Oxford outfit's Mercury-nominated Number 1 debut album release, I Should Coco. Bursting onto the scene with infectious hooks and melodic charm, scooping BRIT, Q, NME and Ivor Novello Awards, the 1995 album marked the beginning of nearly two decades of chart-topping success. Expect a career-spanning greatest hits set to be blaring from the rafters in June 2020.
The Manor are the sound of their south London manor; local heroes and viral superstars rapping about universal pastimes. A hip hop/R&B/Brit pop trio, they are loud, proud and defiant. MCs Danny Graft, Scotty Stacks and Jonny Dutch are school friends turned pie-eyed pipers with a common touch, a natural flow and an infectious ability to draw everyone to the party. They secured a coveted support slot on The Streets’ comeback tour earlier in the year.
Artists announced today for The Isle of Wight Festival 2020 (in alphabetical order):
Becky Hill
Dido
Duran Duran
Example
Happy Mondays
James Arthur
JC Stewart
Kaiser Chiefs
Lewis Capaldi
Lionel Richie
Maisie Peters
Pete Tong presents Ibiza Classics
Primal Scream
Sam Fender
Shed Seven
Sigma
Snow Patrol
Supergrass
The Chemical Brothers
The Manor
Published on 08 December 2019 by Ben Robinson
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