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ISLE OF WIGHT

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Day 3: Bestival


Day 3 started off in the Bestival fantasy-themed press tent where we gulped down more Red Bull's than humanely allowed and talked to a bunch of new artists including Everything Everything and Eliza Doolittle.


In the afternoon, I met up with Oxford's proud folkers Stornoway who have been tagged as the next Mumford & Sons. I think that's hilarious because I interviewed Mumford last year in London for an On the Radar profile and already there's new bands being compared to them. What I can vouch for is that both bands share a similar sharp wit and dead panned humour that I'm a major sucker for.


Before our interview, we set up in the adventure park for an acoustic version of their single, Zorbing. 1 take and it was beautiful. We then made our way to, what we joked as, the biggest ride in all of Great Britain- it was a kid's swing boat. The gentlemen that the Stornoway boys are brought along pitchers of Pimm's. After several near vomit attacks during the interview (drinking Pimm's while the boat slowly sways up and down for 20 minutes is probably not recommended), we escaped the boat ride unharmed.


Later in the evening, I went by to see Brooklyn's Here We Go Magic and took Mike and Peter to Blacksheep for a lil brew tasting. I'm not a huge beer drinker, so I wasn't sure how good of an evaluator of brews I was going to be. The lovely manager at Blacksheep, Annie, was super helpful and took us through Isle of Wight's most popular brews, which we all tasted/knocked back. The three of us decided that Goddard's Fuggle Dee Dum was the clear winner. There's just something about Isle of Wight's sincere quaintness and retro vibe that you can't help but fall in love with.



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The Minghella's


As stoked as I was to meet up with all the rad bands in town for Bestival, it was meeting Edward and Gloria Minghella that was on the top of my list. I'm a huge fan of their late son, the supremely talented director and writer, Anthony Minghella, and am also a big lover of ice cream, which Edward and Gloria have made a business out of.

After meeting the Minghella's at their factory, they took me to Gossips cafe which is right by the pier and is such a gorgeous setting for a Sunday brunch. Coming from the city, it was refreshing to breathe the clean air and feel the cool breeze of the autumn approaching. I also had the honour of selecting a new ice cream flavour called "the Enchanted Manor". After trying several flavours, I chose raspberry & champagne as the winner. I became obsessed with the ice cream (seriously, the richest and freshest you'll ever have) and ended up going back and trying more. 


I was beyond won over by the resilience and hospitality from the Minghella clan. Hearing Gloria reminisce about Anthony's dedication, talent and generosity was truly inspiring and really does help you put life into perspective. I was touched to have been able to have the opportunity to spend the day with Gloria and Edward. 

Much love and thanks to the Minghella's! xx

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Day 1/2: Bestival


Bestival has been running on the Isle of Wight since 2004 and this year, taking place at Robin Hill park, saw ticket sales of over 50,000... that's like almost half the population of the entire island. Spanning 4 days with an eclectic line-up of artists from the Flaming Lips to Dizzee Rascal to Mumford & Sons, it was the perfect chance for me to come over and "VS." the island for the first time. My only point of reference of the Isle of Wight was my childhood pen pal who lived here and wrote to me that parts of the island was sinking into the water. I thought that was super rad back then, and let's be honest, I'm still intrigued by the fact today.


For my first Bestival day (which was technically Day 2 of the fest), I met fellow Vancouverites Amber and Steve from Black Mountain at the East Cowes ferry docks and we drove to Dimbola Lodge in West Isle. It's a bit of a trek, but damn, is it worth it.

At first, it looks like you're just driving by a beautiful estate... which Black Mountain and I had no problem dropping by and having a coffee at. We knew there was a statue of Jimi Hendrix outside the lodge but we had no idea the incredible art that was waiting for us inside.

As soon as we got out of the van, we were met by photographer Charles Everest in the parking lot. Everest has a photo exhibit of candid images captured from the Isle of Wight festival in the 70s, including the very last photo ever taken of Jimi Hendrix. Who knew that this existed in a far off lodge on an island in the South of England? We felt like we had stumbled upon a huge secret and became deliriously in awe.


After being blown away by Everest's striking photographs, we discovered a whole floor of original paintings, sketches and drawings by Miles Davis, and a room full of Patti Smith's photography. We could have seriously stayed at Dimbola the whole day, but alas, Bestival was beckoning us and we made our way to Robin Hill park.

I'm always impressed by festival goers in the UK and their ability to love and embrace the enormous amount of mud. Take the picture below, this girl couldn't care less about spending the rest of the weekend barefoot in the mud. For me? My worst nightmare.


I, on the other hand, clinged tightly to my wellies all weekend.


Saturday night at Bestival was closed by Hot Chip on the mainstage who thanked everyone for coming out to the last of the summer festivals. Hot Chip never cease to amaze me live- they always put on an energetic set full of positive vibes. A great night to top off my first Bestival experience.


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