The Wombats restore 'free love' at Isle Of Wight

The Wombats got the Isle of Wight Festival moving with a vibrant early evening set on the island bash today (June 13).

Opening with 'Kill The Director', the band provoked the first mass dancing of the weekend as well as the first mass snogging session.

"Grab the flesh of a woman, man or animal," singer Matthew Murphy told the crowd. "This festival used to be all about free love. Let's bring that back now."

Despite a few mid-set glitches - "The Wombats always have technical problems" admitted drummer Dan Haggis midway through the set - crowd-pleasers 'Let's Dance To Joy Division' and 'Backfire at the Disco' earned them an enthusiastic ovation.

Murphy said later told Virgin Radio that the set was a record breaker for them.

"That was our biggest show to date," he explained. "Apart from [in] China when we played to 800 million people."

Keep up with this weekend's (June 13-15) festival action as it happens on NME.COM. For news, pictures and blogs keep checking the NME.COM's Isle Of Wight Festival page and NME.COM's Download Festival page for live coverage from both sites.