Supertramp played early on Thursday evening followed by Black Widow who did their ritualistic chant song Come To The Sabbat. Island resident and musician John Lytle does not recall when Gary Farr played, "Possibly before the Groundhogs", but he remembers playing on stage with him:
Vic King: How did you know Gary Farr? Was it because you come from Southsea?Vic King interviewed John Lytle over the phone on 28/8/97"Yes, I lived in Stanley Street which was just across from Marmion Road. On the corner of Marmion Road and Palmerston Road, opposite St. Judes Church and the Manhattan Coffee Bar was a boutique run by Rikki and Gary Farr. We used to rehearse in the rooms above. Gary played twelve string. The girlie downstairs ran the shop.
In advance we never talked about playing the at the Isle of Wight Festival. I got on my motorbike. I had a little tent. I wandered down to the side of the stage and Gary called out for me to come up and do something.
We did fifteen minutes. I think I got some of my strumming technique from Gary. He was good. When I got back to my tent some bastard was unscrewing the battery from my motorbike. I hit him over the head with my guitar."
- John Lytle