Pop stars Geri Halliwell and Ronan Keating have joined the crowds watching rock legends Fleetwood Mac close proceedings at the first major British music festival of the summer.
More than 50,000 people have enjoyed acts across a dozen stages since Thursday at the Isle of Wight Festival with The Black Keys, The Prodigy, Pharrell Williams and Blur all playing the main stage.
The blues and 1980s legends headlined the event in the latest stop on their reunion tour. Doubt had lingered over whether the performance would go ahead after they cancelled gigs in Birmingham and Manchester last week due to illness.
Blur also battled illness to perform at the festival, with frontman Damon Albarn confessing he had been worried he would not make it to the show after losing his voice.
He struggled with a weak voice during the band’s headline set which included a range of songs from their early Britpop tunes to tracks from their new album Magic Whip. He told the crowd: “I truly didn’t think I would make it here tonight but thank you.”
Fleetwood Mac began their greatest hits show with The Chain, known by many as the Formula 1 theme, to the delight of the crowds who reportedly included retired F1 driver David Coulthard, as well as Halliwell’s newly-wed husband Christian Horner, who is the boss of the Red Bull racing team.
The couple flew by helicopter to the festival site at Seaclose Park, Newport, following on from other former Spice Girls Mel C and Emma Bunton who were seen at the festival too.
As well as a photograph of the couple next to the helicopter, Halliwell posted on Twitter: “On way to Isle of Wight festival. Can’t wait to see Fleetwood Mac. The Chain.”
Keating with girlfriend Storm Uechtritz also arrived on site and were shown around by festival promoter John Giddings.
Other acts who have taken to the stages included Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit, Paolo Nutini, The Courteeners, Ash and Imelda May.
The festival is in its 14th year since it relaunched the legendary events of the late 1960s which saw acts such as Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan and famously Jimi Hendrix, who gave his last UK performance on the island.
Thousands of people wore Hendrix masks on Sunday afternoon to create a new world record on the main stage, renamed the Electric Church, to mark the 45th anniversary year of his performance and to raise money for the WellChild charity.