Well it was a dry Glastonbury this year. Not talking non alcoholic but the weather. Just a sprinkling of rain early one morning. Now for other important information... a health update. The week before I manage to come off my bike skidding along the tarmac getting a very nasty case of "road rash" down my left leg (photos available for those missing 24 hours in A&E). So patched up with various plasters and bandaging. Regardless Monday sees me intrepidly travel to Cardiff to spend the night with Olly (that's Simon for some of you who may be reading) then Tuesday morning we drive to Pilton. Our tent is already erect and we have luxury camping with showers, clean loos and a canteen with subsidised bar. I'm not allowed to say why on pain of excommunication from Glastonbury Festival (according to their email to me) but thanks to those who know who they are. Spend the evening chatting to new chums and drinking chilled cocktails.
Wednesday after having leg dressing changed (thanks Craig) Olly and I go on site just before the hordes to wander around and up to the big Glastonbury sign by the Crows Nest watching the tent fields filling up. As it's so hot we then chill out in the shade on the Strummerville comfy sofas. It's a lazy day readying ourselves for the weekend...
Thursday starts with a bang at the TWFTPU (look it up) flavoured vodka pink party by the tree with the crew including Lesley, Craig, Cameron and Neamh my hosts. My absinthe mix went down like marmite on toast. Without the crumbs. Well some said crumbs. The poteen helped me on my way to my later unsteadiness... After the party we (throughout this report "we" is very variable) go see Lambrini Girls who play an excellent set at the Greenpeace stage. Sometime after that we all meet up to see Doreen Doreen play an entertaining and danceable covers set. Then it's off to Strummerville where we meet up with Ramsay and Jo to dance around to a great set by Imperial Wax. Well, I'm hobbling about in time to the music and Olly has an interesting moshy thing going on. Things get a bit hazy here but I have a definite memory of Lynks back at Greenpeace and sometime after that I'm helped home by Olly leading me by the hand. The hot sun and pesky leg have all caught up with me. Nothing to do with sampling 25 vodka shots in the afternoon I'm sure. Or the potato cocktail.
Friday feeling a little worse for wear and leg playing up a bit. Apparently I'm monosyllabic all day. We meet with Ramsay and Jo to see some Squeeze classics before heading to West Holts where we catch a bit of Asha Puthli disco before a great Squid set. Over to the Other Stage for a slick and danceable Confidence Man set. Then it's over to the Main Stage for a great PJ Harvey set with apparently the BBC not showing the numerous Palestinian flags which they don't across all their coverage which is probably why so many bands have flags or stickers on their sets. It's a busy day and next up its a solid set by Sprints and then Kate Nash who after an excellent start of hits there's a medical emergency hiatus and she loses momentum somewhat. Shame as she usually puts on a raucous punky set at the festival. Off to see Fontaines DC at the Park. Didn't want to get anywhere near the mosh and on the edges could hear the Stonebridge Bar banging beats so not ideal and their louder songs sounded great and the quieter ones like they'd been remixed by a dance DJ. Ah well that's Glasto for you.
Saturday my leg is feeling a lot better and so once more unto the breach with Olly and Cameron. Hear a bit of Kneecap at Woodsies who are roundly derided by many other bands for not pulling out of Live Nation gigs due to sponsorship by those supplying arms to the Israeli army in their genocide of the Palestinians. We enter the tent to see an excellent punky set by High Viz. Then to the Park to see a great and varied set by Bar Italia with Ramsay and Jo. Next is the Last Dinner Party at a packed Other Stage consolidating their claim to stardom with a consummate Glastonbury set. And a proper political message from Abigail urging us to vote and then continue pushing for more drastic social changes by protesting. Then their belting finale (explicit lyrical content). Fantastic set with a massive crowd and to think that less than two years ago I hugged Abigail as she was lugging equipment into a van after playing at the Brudenell. A very worthwhile walk back to the Park to see a band that Cameron recommended and turns out to be another festival highlight. Lankum play traditional Irish songs with a modern twist ranging from upbeat jigs to laments. A truly mesmerising set with the last song bringing tears to my eyes remembering those who are no longer with us. Which has happened before at Glastonbury including 14 years ago watching Kate Nash on another rainless weekend. But back to Lankum, not sure why I've not come across them before but a great band and I have to wander up the hill to look over the humanity of Glastonbury and take a bit of time to come back from thoughts of those lost and back to party mood. And I'm certainly in party central for the next set which is an epic by The Streets up there in the top 10 of Glastonbury performances. Properly engaging with the crowd surfing and chatting about the experience we are all having. And the brilliant intro to Sabbath's Iron Man possibly a nod to Mike Skinner's Birmingham roots. All his banging hits and even a race to a flag. Then a promise to see us at one of the clubs at 5 am. Blown away. Sadly I only find Ramsay and Jo afterwards and then we yo-yo back to the Park. It's worth it, again. We catch the latter part of Orbital including an excellent Spice Girls interlude with Mel C showing off her girl band dance moves and whooping up the crowd. Wearing proper Orbital glasses with lights at the side. Another slice of epic. And we have another to come today... Peggy Gou recommended by Lily-Rose brings a South Korean take on the party sound with a great mix in a house rave set ranging from harder techno to a poppier disco beat including bringing on Sophie Ellis-Bexter singing their classic dance hit Murder on the Dancefloor. Classic and lovely to see Peggy dancing around to Sophie. Well it is her favourite song apparently. It's another perfect Glastonbury moment. I do like SEB but wouldn't go out of my way to see them. But that's Glastonbury for you... I've seen quite a few artists I would usually avoid coming on with others including Spice Girls and Kylie M. My day is complete and lovely to share an evening's dancing with Ramsay and Jo. We go to see Fat Boy Slim at the Glade but having gone to the loo I can't face squeezing through a thousand young uns especially with me dodgy leg and I simply wander home mulling over the day's emotions.
Sunday is always an odd one. Excitement as to what the day will bring; some relief you've made it through the weekend; sad it's all going to end soon. Olly Cameron and I share our final trek to the site catching the strains of Sea Sick Steve sounding like he always does. He doesn't warrant bold type as fleeting. At Woodsies (nee Peel) we see a very solid New Dad set but not wanting to get caught in any roadblocks I leave early catching the finale of Soft Play at the Other and the last few songs of a band I hadn't heard of, another South Korea band, called Balming Tiger playing a range of funk rap and hard core. They are a boost for the energy levels on a Sunday. At some point I wander past Beans on Toast, well you have to catch him at least once every festival don't you. Then my core festie mates are back together for the legendary Steel Pulse who were one of my must sees this weekend. Their brand of British reggae doesn't disappoint taking me back to Birmingham in the 1980s. And indeed a mid 80s Glastonbury. An excellent set which goes down very well with the crowd. And one of the few, if not only, pure reggae acts this weekend. Another classic festival act on next which I first saw with Debbie in our first year together. Of course it's the fabulous Go! Team who I've seen numerous times and never disappoint. Their infectious take on dance rap hip hop and just downright jump about and sing back to us why don't you is just brilliant. A smile on everyone's face young and old. After all that excitement I wrist band my way into the crew bar for a cool lager then stay at Avalon for a bit of the too poppy for my taste punky Baby Queen. I wander around the Green Fields soaking up the vibes and regaining my energy for the evening. Wandering around I overhear a bit of Burna Boy who sounds pretty good but I'm not struggling over to the Pyramid and then catch the finale of The Farm just before people of my age stream out of the Left Field tent. Then a younger crowd arrive including Olly, Cameron and Craig (OK 2 of those 3 are not the "younger crowd" :-) to catch a brilliantly energetic set by the hard-hitting punk-rocking grime-rapping crowd-surfing rebel-rousing female-and-non-binary-safe-moshing and all-round-entertainment that is Bobbie-and-Bobby AKA Bob Vylan. Well that's enough excitement for one weekend and Olly and I leave Cameron and Craig to venture into the night as we wander home where weirdly our last view of the festival is seeing SZA is playing to a very small looking audience. The schedule has been odd this weekend with terrible dilemmas about which of very similar bands to see, stages that have been closed due to the crowds and others where there are too few punters. I don't include Shangri La which is always rammed after midnight.
Early to bed early to rise as Olly has us up at 5.30 to pack away the tent, say goodbye to our hosts and then we are on our way taking just an hour to leave the site. Dropped off at Bristol Parkway I'm back home by lunchtime to tell Debbie all about my weekend and have a long soak in the bath.
So thanks again to my camp mates and their welcoming chat and support. All that stuff doesn't come into this music blog as regular readers will know I never digress from the musical review in hand and of course at Glastonbury there's always other weird stuff to see and friendly people to chat to which is never recorded. Any important stuff I've forgotten put in the comments.
Stop Press. As I write this Mark Cavendish has just overtaken the legendary Eddy Merckx in le Tour de France stage wins. Chapeau!
The photos are random acts of kindness by myself and others (thnks). You can work out yourself who is who. And many of the performances are on the BBC. Check em out and weep you missed em.
Vive le Glastonbury Festival
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