The Festival Season Starts With A (bigger) Bang

The festival season is now well under way in Britain and last weekend saw the return of the legendary Isle Of Wight Festival. Headlining were The Rolling Stones and they didn't disappoint. Kick-starting their first UK festival date in three decades with the classic 'Start Me Up' they proceeded to blow away other, younger, performers on the bill and prove they're still the best rock 'n' roll band on the planet.

The Isle Of Wight holds a special place in festival folklore as, in 1970, it played host to Jimi Hendrix's penultimate gig. Some of the photos of his set that night have become iconic and rightly feature in Classic Hendrix, The Ultimate Hendrix Experience.

Also included within those pages are photos from another legendary festival, Monterey Pop, where Jimi famously set fire to his guitar. Monterey Pop Festival celebrates its 40th anniversary in July and, as well as the incendiary set by Hendrix, will forever be remembered for legendary performances by, among others, Ravi Shankar and The Who.

There are many more festivals to enjoy over the coming months and as they progress we will be taking a look back on the more memorable performances through the images and dialogue of the rich Genesis back catalogue.