THE Isle of Wight Festival is the stuff of legend.

Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, The Who, and The Doors have all graced the hallowed stage.

Now one Southampton band has followed in their footsteps by performing at the annual extravaganza.

The Novatones, a four-piece with a knack for creating energetic indie-pop songs, performed at the event at the weekend.

They are a band on the up – and they've only been together four years.

They consist of Anthony Pittman on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Mackenzie Gordon-Smith on lead guitar, Toby Hornby- Patterson on bass, and Sean Swift behind the drums.

In Anthony’s words, they are a band that have “completely exceeded” their own expectations and have gone on to support bands in venues up and down the country.

He said: “The Novatones are around four years old but a lot of that was a big learning curve.

“We’ve had a fair few line-up changes – we’re like the Sugababes, only uglier!

But we can firmly say that we have reached our final four.

“Toby and I have only recently joined the band due to the departure of two members, nevertheless the band name has been strolling round bars and venues for the last five years.”

They appeared in one of the biggest national talent competitions, Live and Unsigned, at The O2 and have a big following across the city, regularly appearing at venues such as The Joiners and the Brook.

Anthony says the city’s music scene is thriving.

“I have to say that local bands Looney Tunes and 2 Tonic played a vital part in me being in a band,” he told the Daily Echo.

“I used to watch them in awe when I was younger. They had a massive following and were local legends. They looked like they were loving it when they were on.

“Currently impressing are The Rising ,The Lost Boys, Dolomite Minor and Jigsaw Eyesore – all local bands who are amazing.

“The Southampton music scene is incredible. One of the best things about being in a band is the massive amount of talent you get to watch, and Southampton is full of it.

“Oh, and add Sean McGowan to that list – I could go on for ages with acts from the area but there’s far too many to list.”

The band have two EPs to their name under the old line-up and has support from the revered BBC Introducing.

They are back in the studio in August to record Sunday Romance Part 1, and again in December for the second part.

So with albums to look forward to and a slot at the Isle of Wight Festival, where do the band see themselves in the future?

Anthony said: “I went to see a psychic the other day and she said something about a tall, dark figure who works in Asda, so it looks like I may get a tan and I’ll be on the checkouts, but we’re going to give this band thing a shot.”