V-Dub Island returns bigger and better for a second year

Following a successful first year V-Dub Island returns for a second year, and building on last year's success by extending to a four-day festival. Arriving early on Thursday evening we were surprised that despite the fact that the camping areas were fairly full, the main area was actually quiet. I guess that most of the VW enthusiasts, having only just arrived on site, were having an easy evening getting their vans ready for the weekend ahead.

In addition to the VW-centred activities, the site itself this year offers three stages of music, the main stage, a small stage in the café area and a small dance tent - the latter being almost apologetically tucked away in a corner of the field, leaving us to wonder whether some people even noticed it over the weekend.

In the centre of the main area was a small beach which kept the younger ones amused while their parents lounged in deck chairs enjoying a beer. We were later to discover that the popularity of the beach was partly due to 'gold bounty' hidden in the sand - the children that found it could claim a free cake in the café as reward.

Music this evening was mostly given over to the local punk scene, with Rigsby, and Special Bunch playing suitably raw and raucous sets, the former delivering some unexpected covers, such as Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song' and 'Leaving on a Jet Plane'.

Next up was Pleasureade, who added a level of sophistication to the raw guitars that brought to mind early Muse at times.

Tonight's headliners were Isle of Wight veterans Goodbye Stereo a band who have never seemed to gain the success they should have - their anthemic pop/rock is certainly a cut above some of the acts that have managed a step on the rungs of fame. They are a band that enjoy themselves on stage and the small crowd that formed to watch seemed to enjoy the show too.

By Friday the campsite was filling up, with the organisers having to open another camping field to accommodate the numbers. The forecast rain was holding off for the most part, with just a couple of brief but surprisingly sharp downpours in the evening. But they cleared up as quickly as they came, and most part of the day was bright if somewhat breezy.

Today saw more people in and around the main arena, and the beach was hidden under the mass of kids digging for the buried treasure. We took the opportunity to start looking around the site and saw some fantastic camper vans in all their glory, but we knew that more would likely arrive before the drive-out on Saturday morning.

On the main stage, after some pleasantly chilled acoustic stereophonics-esque music from Slombers Woke, the rest of the afternoon was given over to the rockers. One of the highlights of the afternoon were Skin Deep, a band who drew in one of the bigger crowds, by providing a sing-along of classic dad-rock anthems, cheesy it may have been, but it was also very lively and a lot of fun – perfectly matching with the relaxed, family friendly ethos of the festival. Also of note were Blue Motion, whose energetic rock bought to mind The Strokes and the Hives – the only misstep was a decision to wear white shirts, black trousers and skinny ties, which given their youth, left them looking like they'd come straight from school.

Taking a break from the music we went in search of food, we didn't have to search very far though as, apart from an ice cream van and sweet shop, there is only one place on site offering sustenance. Thankfully they had expanded on last year's scant offerings of burgers or baked potatoes, to offer some proper cooked meals as well. The food was pretty good, but I still feel that given the size of the event it would still be nice to offer a couple more food stalls, as at times the queues got quite large as everyone descended on the one place for their meals.

One of the nice things about small festivals is they offer the chance to discover new talent, and as we ate, we were entertained by Cherishport's performance on the Café stage. Cherishport is a one-man band who mixes beatboxing with folk/pop in a kind of Beardyman/Newton Faulkner hybrid, recording loops to set up backing drums, vocals and instrumentation then singing and playing over the top. It's something that is very effective and I certainly recommend taking the time to seek him out if you get the chance.

Ben Goddard is a musician who is starting to make waves along the south coast, with several appearances at local festivals through the summer. He delivers a fresh and light version of rock with a country accent that gave a bit of light relief from some of the heavier rock elements. It was clear that the Isle of Wight crowd were unsure and had been tempted back out in to the sun as the group took to the stage, but with his backing band the Heartbeats, he won over a few more minds as the tent filled back up as their set got under way. They are another group who really enjoy what they are doing,and thrive as the crowd are energised by them.

Following them were Golden Strands the first of two female lead groups. An energetic electro pop style that got the crowd interested and on their feet, the tent filled dramatically when a rain cloud burst overhead but this did the band a favour as although the weather quickly cleared many stayed to listen before the lure of lounging in the deck chairs around the beach drew them back.

After a quick turn-round the next act were on, Catalist are one of those heavy rock bands that seem to believe that a tonne of attitude can make up for average songs, and we left for the bar having quickly tired of their shouty bombastic sound.

Headlining tonight's event, were Southern Big Man, a local act who have been making waves recently on the Isle of Wight with their eccentric rock. Fronted by JonoNotBono, whose image brings to mind a budget Russell Brand, the crowd quickly warmed to the bands energetic funk-rock which took in themes such as arguments with neighbours and motherly advice to dealing with hangovers (lying on your stomach in case you were wondering). The crowd's enthusiasm was no doubt helped along by the bands dancers who distributed shots to the audience through their set. Sadly they only played for about half an hour, and seem to leave the stage just as the crowd were warming up, but that was enough to make them a band to watch for the future, hopefully they'll write some more material for future shows.

All in all it's been a good start to what is a very relaxed and friendly festival, and we look forward to seeing what the rest of the weekend has to offer.

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