November 30, 2009

By By Richard Smirke, London

Jay-Z, the Strokes and Pink are among the first acts confirmed to play the 2010 Isle of Wight festival, held June 11-13 at Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, England.

Jay-Z will headline the main stage on Friday June 11 with New York City alt-rock act the Strokes topping the bill the following day. Pink will close the festival on Sunday June 13.

Other acts confirmed to appear at the 55,000 capacity event include Blondie, Orbital and veteran U.K. new wave/pop band Squeeze.

Commenting on the bill, Isle of Wight festival promoter John Giddings said in a statement: "Ever since I heard the first Strokes album, I've wanted them for the Isle of Wight. Jay-Z and Pink are two of the best live acts I have ever seen and the Blondie hits speak for themselves. I can't wait!"

First held in 1968 when Marc Bolan headlined the then one-day event, the Isle of Wight festival was the setting for a series of legendary live performances from Bob Dylan in 1969 and Jimi Hendrix in 1970 -- the artist's last major performance before his untimely death at the age of 27.

Having been absent from the festival calendar for 32 years, the festival returned in 2002 and has since become a key event on the U.K. live music calendar. Previous acts to play the festival in recent years include The Rolling Stones, the Prodigy, Coldplay and The Foo Fighters.

Tickets for Isle of Wight festival go on sale Dec. 4. Prices range from ?65 ($107) to ?150 ($247).

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