The Isle of Wight festival signals the start of the big Summer festival season - with a sunny weekend forecast and line-up packed with headline acts and some of the best new talent, IoW 2013 looks to start the summer with a mighty bang.

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Thursday night looks like a treat for those getting there early: The Happy Mondays are joined by The Farm, The Blockheads, Ms Dynamite, Jaguar Skills, A-Trak and Grandmaster Flash to for a first night kick off as enticing as any you'll see this summer. Friday night belongs to The Stone Roses - topping the bill along with The Modfather, Emeli Sande and Ellie Goulding. Saturday sees The Killers, Bloc Party, The Maccabees and Ben Howard; and Sunday has Blondie, The Script and Newton Faulkner, building up to everyone's guilty pleasure, Bon Jovi.
 
A great line up of best new indie acts is one of the highlights of the festival: Jake Bugg, Everything Everything, Palma Violets, Bastille, Imagine Dragons and Kodaline are just a few of the acts that are likely to be topping festival bills for the summers to come. There's something for all tastes across the main stages: Example, T'pau, Sub Focus, I Am Kloot, Levellers, The Boomtown Rats and Paloma Faith all making up an amazing and varied line up.
 
We've been running an IoW 2013 playlist all week, and the these have been our top tracks for dancing (badly) around the living room in anticipation of some great festival moments:
 
Waterfall - Stone Roses
Pompeii - Bastille
Make me Smile (Come up and see me) - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel
Groovy Train - The Farm
That's Entertainment - The Jam/Weller
Two Fingers - Jake Bugg
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
Cough Cough - Everything Everything
Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll - Killers
High Hopes - Kodaline
This Modern Love - Bloc Party
Yeah Yeah - Willy Moon
I don't like Mondays - Boomtown Rats
 
A first class musical line up is not the only attraction of IoW for those that remember to step away from the main stages to take in some alternative entertainment.  The Intoxicated Tea Rooms offer jazz and swing, jive bunnies and cake in a  vintage emporium / diner / café combo  - you'll find Tim Burgess of Charlatans fame hanging out there for one.

Or if all the excitement gets too much, festival-goers can head to the Bohemian Wood and discover a magical place alive with mystifying performances and captivating art. Musical styles on offer include gypsy swing, afrobeat, skiffle, bluegrass and acid jazz. What's not to like about sauntering through the woods, enjoying the sunshine on your face and by night plotting your way through the paths and trees lit by glowing fireballs and lanterns.
 
Sounds lovely. But if that's not relaxation enough after a hard day and night partying, tired IoWers can seek out Bathing Under the Sky, which will be offering the opportunity to relax in a hot tub and sauna (yes, really a sauna). Guests can enjoy a hot shower, relax in a wood-fired hot tub with a glass of sparkling wine (included in a spa ticket), unwind in the sauna, then lounge in the sun on cushioned day beds and deckchairs. The spa comes complete with hairdryers and straighteners for those feeling festival-shabby.

The Isle of Wight has the complete entertainment package sewn up, and after a two year baby-related festival hiatus, this reviewer can't wait to get there. See you in the mosh pit (or the hot tub)

The Isle of Wight Festival 2013 takes place at Seaclose Park, Isle of Wight  from Thu 13th to Sun 16th June

Tickets available from Ticketmaster