Performing at Isle of Wight 2010

Counting the original trio of landmark Isle of Wight Festivals ('68, '69 & '70), the 2010 event is the 12th in the series . . . and, as we've come to expect, the major players are big enough to be seen clearly from the mainland. Rock 'n' roll legend Paul McCartney hoves into view, and dwarfs the island's ferry, with his 1974 hit "Jet", while Jay-Z sings the praises of New York as the ultimate city of opportunity, accompanied by Alicia Keys, on "Empire State of Mind". Special guest status on the main stage goes to the likes of Florence + the Machine ("Dog Days Are Over") and P!nk who never fails to wow a crowd with "Get the Party Started". Smile . . . it's Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel, in Next Steps.

Queen Victoria had a holiday home on the Isle of Wight, but all thoughts of royal elitism are banished by a 2010 festival line-up that has the people's interests at heart — of all the songs tailor-made for a mass singalong, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" wins the popular vote, while "I'm Not Alone" by Calvin Harris has the power to unite all festival-goers under one beefy groove. Crowded House's "Weather With You" is a ballad that unites the young and — if you were around when it was first released, back in '92 — the middle-aged, and Orbital reminds us of the glory days of acid house, when everyone was sorted, with "Chime". Discover you inner rock demons with Suzi Quatro, in Deep Cuts.

A run through our Isle of Wight '10 Deep Cuts unspools the years almost as far back as the festival's origins — Top of the Pops regular Suzi Quatro was the wild woman of rock when she took "Devil Gate Drive" to Number One in 1974, while Spandau Ballet dominated the early '80s with new wave classics like "Gold" and — ten years further down the line — James captivated the country with its lyrically cynical, musically exultant brand of Manchester rock ("Laid", 1993). Keeping it current is Daisy Dares You, who lures us down her pop-punk rabbit hole accompanied by Chipmunk with 2010 debut single "Number One Enemy".

Held on the same weekend as Scotland's RockNess (and sharing a couple of acts, including American tourists the Strokes and Blondie), the three-day Isle of Wight shindig signals that the U.K.'s summer festival season is truly underway. And if we may compare the 2010 event to a giant imaginary suspension bridge linking the island to the mainland, the twin towering mainstays holding the entire edifice together would have to be leviathan of rap, Jay-Z, and icon of rock, Paul McCartney. And with foundations like those you just can't go wrong. The rest of the line-up includes Editors and Doves, Marina & the Diamonds and Florence + the Machine, Spandau Ballet and Shakespears Sister, Orbital and Ocean Color Scene . . . let's be honest, this is nothing short of monumental.