THE Isle of Wight Festival ominously had Wet Wet Wet headlining the Big Top on opening night — and the grey skies looked like it was going to bring a downpour in their honour.

Luckily, the forecasted rain held off while festival-goers enjoyed the first few acts of the weekend yesterday (Thursday).

Three original band members of Wet Wet Wet were joined by additional musicians and created a strong sound in the Big Top.

Their new frontman, Kevin Simm, was formerly in Liberty-X but the power of his voice was generally unknown to the public until he appeared on television talent show The Voice and stunned the judges with his rendition of Sia’s Chandelier.

He went on to win the show, in 2016, and was then signed up to replace Marti Pellow as the Wets singer. His vocals are not dissimilar to Pellow’s and, although not a showy frontman, he proved his worth and grew in confidence as the set went on.

The band ramped up a gear halfway through with Wishing I was Lucky, then Angel Eyes, and of course the crowd loved the Wets version of With a Little Help From My Friends.

The set finished with the group’s biggest hit, Love is All Around, which is one of the most successful chart hits of all time, having spent 15 weeks at Number One in 1994.

Heather Small was second on the bill.

Known for her powerhouse vocals, she sang hit after hit, such as her band M-People’s One Night in Heaven and Moving On Up, and her solo songs, including Proud.

She was only on stage for 30 minutes, but it was a memorable performance.

Festival stalwart James Walsh was among the other acts to perform — after treating Red Funnel ferry passengers to a spot of busking earlier in the day.

Today (Friday), don’t miss headliner Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds, The Courteeners, Lily Allen, James, Gerry Cinnamon, DMA’s and Wild Front on the Main Stage.

In the Big Top you will find Hacienda Classical, Jax Jones, Sigala, Freya Ridings and more.

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