Getting very over-excited now. I'm off to the IOW Festival tomorrow. My first festival since August 1994 when I went to the Reading Festival to see Green Day and got to see a memorable (for the wrong reasons) performance by Courtney Love and Hole.

Said John Peel in The Guardian "Courtney's first appearance backstage certainly caught the attention. Swaying wildly and with lipstick smeared on her face, hands and, I think, her back, as well as on the collar of her dress, the singer would have drawn whistles of astonishment in Bedlam. After a brief word with supporters at the foot of the stage, she reeled away, knocking over a wastebin, and disappeared. Minutes later she was onstage giving a performance which verged on the heroic...Love steered her band through a set which dared you to pity either her recent history or that of the band...the band teetered on the edge of chaos, generating a tension which I cannot remember having felt before from any stage."

As I recall, the tension resolved itself by Courtney screeching something about the Brits deluding themselves that Blur were ever gonna be big in the US, and the front of the crowd responded by pelting her with various objects.

But that was the nineties. Things have moved on apparently. I've been given survival tips by a "young person".

"And Ellie, don't wear flip flops, ok, cos the toilets are gross.." and "make sure you get there early cos the Pimm's tent always runs out early.. but don't worry cos there's a champagne tent" and "make sure you wear layers cos it might be cold".

This all sounds a bit like your ma and gran clucking around as you are about to set off on your first disco. I might just have to start wearing purple.