Isle Of Wight Festival Friday Review — Wet Leg's Homecoming And Lewis Capaldi's Big Return Punctuate Memorable Day

(c) Stephanie McKay and Sarah Louise Bennett

Friday was the day this year's Isle of Wight Festival truly came alive.

With the Main Stage opening for the first time this year, thousands of festivalgoers poured into Seaclose Park for a packed day featuring local heroes, indie favourites and one of the most anticipated headline performances of the weekend.

From the moment Ash kicked off proceedings in the afternoon, the atmosphere steadily built across the site as sunshine, huge crowds and a packed programme created a festival buzz that could be felt in every corner of Newport.

As the evening approached, Northern Irish indie favourites Two Door Cinema Club delivered a Main Stage set packed with fan favourites, providing one of the day's biggest singalongs and ensuring the crowd was fully warmed up for what was to come.

But for many Islanders, Friday belonged to Wet Leg.

The Isle of Wight band returned home as international stars as they took to the Main Stage beneath a glorious evening sky.

Their appearance had been one of the most eagerly-awaited sets of the entire festival and drew huge crowds eager to see the local success story back where it all began.

Away from the Main Stage, the festival's Island talent continued to shine.

Fletchr Fletchr attracted a large audience on the River Stage, while The Optimists, 5 Degrees North and Joe Nelson helped showcase the strength of the Isle of Wight music scene in a busy Kashmir Café.

Earlier in the day, Chloe Qisha impressed inside the Big Top before Good Neighbours and Perrie kept the crowds flowing between stages as darkness fell.

Elsewhere, festivalgoers looking for something a little different found it at Cirque De La Quirk, where music, performance and spectacle combined to create one of the site's most colourful corners.

Then came the moment many had been waiting for.

Lewis Capaldi took to the Main Stage on Friday night for one of the biggest headline sets of the weekend.

With thousands gathered across Seaclose Park, the Scottish singer-songwriter brought the festival together for a set filled with chart-topping favourites and emotional singalongs.

As midnight approached, the music was far from over.

Tom Grennan ensured the party continued inside a packed Big Top, while JoJo and the Teeth, Charlotte Devaney & The Narni Shakers and Spence & Friends kept the energy levels high into the early hours of Saturday morning.