"Travis Are Men Who Saved Big Festival" - The Sunday Mail

By Mike Merritt

TRAVIS staged a last-minute rescue act at the Isle of Wight Music Festival yesterday.

Singer Fran Healy and his bandmates rushed from a recording session to headline the festival after former Smiths frontman Morrissey refused to appear.

Promoter John Giddings made a personal call to Travis to step in following the row with Morrissey, who claimed he had never agreed to play the event.

Scot Giddings yesterday praised Travis, whose breakthrough album was The Man Who in 1999, for helping him out and added: 'Morrissey is just being miserable as usual' He claims his management booked him without his knowledge but we have been selling the tickets with his name on them for months.

'Travis deserve a gold medal. I called them at the last minute. They were recording a new album and not planning to do anything until it was finished. But they have come out of the studio to the rescue.

'They are just a great bunch of guys who deserve every success they have had.

'Morrissey could learn something from them.'

The 35,000-ticket festival is a sell-out and other acts include REM and Embrace. The three-day event ends today.

Morrissey last year released his first album in six years, You Are The Quarry.

His official website last night blamed the pressure of a new album and losing his drummer earlier this month for his non-appearance at the Isle of Wight
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