Glastonbury!!

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Hi Guys,

I've made it back to London after the Glastonbury experience. It was wonderful, but I am absolutely knackered. My feet are killing me after 3 days standing 12 hours or so in a pair of wellies (gumboots if you're not in the UK).

The festival has a really great vibe and atmosphere simply because there are so many people that are in the spirit of things. People are really there to enjoy the music and other acts, and are always willing to help each other out and look after each other. There's a lot of peace and love in the atmosphere.

The weather was gorgeous leading up to the festival, but on friday morning at around 5am in the morning, it came bucketing down. Apparently lightning struck a couple of stages and one of the beer tents (No, not the beer tent!), and a months worth of rain was dumped on the site in around 6 hours. A stream that runs through the site broke its banks and flooded a few campsites. I've seen pictures of many tents underwater and people wading in shoulder height water to collect their belongings.

I can report all this from the warmth of my room back in Glastonbury town where I had a warm shower and full english breakfast every morning. I know I'm not fully immersing myself in the glastonbury experience, but I think the conditions would've been a bit too hardcore for a glastonbury virgin such as myself. Some people had everything washed away by the flood, and still stayed the whole festival (I salute you!).

All the water meant the whole site basically became a quagmire, and it wasn't uncommon to have to walk almost knee deep through mud puddles, with most mosh pits being ankle deep in slush (it made for the most difficult moshing experience I've ever had). Wellies had sold out entirely by 11am on the first day, and respect goes out to all those poor festivalgoers who did it in regular shoes covered in plastic bags. By the second day, the slush had become the type of mud that tries to suck the boot off your foot and it made for comic if not slightly treacherous conditions. (Numerous people slipped over and fell face first into the mess, to which the rest of the crowd would sympathise initially, before cheering at their misfortune)

Other observations: The site is absolutely massive and would take hours just to explore everything. The food there is marvellous for a festival. Thai red curry actually taste like thai red curry. I had Chinese food as well and that made me homesick. I never thought I'd miss the taste of oyster sauce so much, or the tell-tale thirst after eating something laced with too much msg 😊

And as for the music, well what can I say? I still think a great festival needs a great line up and you get nothing less at Glastonbury. I've given a very brief description below of the bands I saw because I'm still wired, and before I forget what was what (It's in vague chronoligcal order):

Cheers,
Ben

Roskilde here we come!!!!

those not really into this kind of thing, stop reading here. That is, if you haven't stopped reading already...


FRIDAY

Undertones:
Dirty and raw 4/4 rawk. Reminds me of the Aussie band The Casanovas 😊

John Butler Trio:
Good old Aussie blues/roots band (I was feeling homesick!). I've seen them a few times before and they generally don't disappoint. The brits really warmed to their style of twangy blues music.

The Thrills:
Good harmless pop/rock band. They did play their song 'Whatever happened to Corey Haim?' 😊

Hot Hot Heat:
A very impressive live act. Definitely recommend seeing them if you get the chance. They put on a good show and the lead singer has a great voice.

The Zutons:
Another band that's coming out with that 80s sound. Think the Killers, Franz Ferdinand etc. The Saxophonist is really pretty 😊

Elvis Costello:
Truth be told, Don't know much of his work but he was still quite entertaining.

Bloc Party:
Like Hot Hot Heat, they were a bit of a surprise packet for me. Very good show, and I will have to give them a few more listens before I become a bona fide fan.

The Killers:
They put on a great show. Most people in the crowd knew their songs, and the biggest receptions were naturally for the songs 'Somebody told me', 'Mr. Brighteyes', 'Smile like you mean it' and 'Only rock and roll for me'. They're a remarkably tight band. Definitely worth catching again.

White Stripes:
I saw them a couple of years ago at Livid festival in Melbourne, and their act hasn't improved. You get the impression that they just come on and play. and try and get off as soon as possible. I'm also not convinced about most 2-piece bands (Dresden Dolls are the exception). How many different things can you possibly do with a guitar and a set of drums?

SATURDAY

KT Tunstall:
Amiable pop music that wasn't half bad at all. She reminds me of Melissa Etheridge...

Kaiser Chiefs:
These guys are awesome. One of the highlights of the festival for me. Again, that very 80s sound, but their energy and onstage presence sent the 80,000 odd crowd absolutely mad. The lead singer spent time crowd surfing halfway through a couple of songs which is always entertaining 😊 Just as well the drummer is a great singer, because he ended up having to take over and finish a couple of songs for him. The crowd went wild for the aptly named 'I predict a riot', and 'Oh my god! (I can't believe I'm this far away from home)'. Yeah, I can't believe it either....

Ash:
Saw them last year and they will always have a special place in my heart. They're a lot of fun live and put on a great show.
'Oh yeah, she was taking me over,
and Oh yeah, it was the start of the summer....'

The Coral:
Band out of Liverpool, but not really my thing. Has a late 60s early 70s kind of sound. Oddly enough, they remind me of Manfred Mann 😊

Keane:
Feel good pop songs that the crowd really really enjoyed. Biggest cheers went out for 'Somewhere only we know' and 'Everything changes'.

New Order:
Now they're getting on a bit, and they look kind of odd on stage, but their music translates remarkably well on a live stage. Played songs that span their whole catalogue. Thankfully, they played 'Bizarre Love Triangle' and 'Love will tear us apart' as a homage to their Joy Division days. Amazingly, they didn't play 'Blue Monday'....

Coldplay:
What can you say about them? They didn't have the outright energy of the Kaiser chiefs, but they win you over with their charisma and put on a show that can't really be faulted. Played all their hits, but a highlight was their cover of 'Can't get you out of my head' so we wouldn't miss Kylie too much. It was hilarious as the whole crowd joined in:
'na na na, na na na na na, na na na, na na na na na,
I just can't get you out of my head, boy your loving is all I think about....'
That song is ridiculously infectious.

SUNDAY:

James Blunt:
Reminds me of Pete Murray, only a lot more talented. Earns bonus points for covering the Pixies' 'Where is my mind?' 😊

Ambulance Ltd:
Who?? That's what I thought. I thought I was seeing Cake, but couldn't figure out why they were playing this lo-fi 4/4 pop. On closer inspection of the program, Cake had pulled out of the festival. Duh....

Van Morrison:
Like Elvis Costello, I don't know much of his work, but thought it would be a great disservice to music if I didn't see a living legend. I recognised a few ('Gloria', and the Moondance one), but there was a beautiful moment when he played 'brown eyed girl'. There was a lot of love in the crowd 😊
'Do you remember when, we used to sing sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-ti-da (just like that)'

Brian Wilson:
This was such a cool set. Brian Wilson was in the beach boys, and they played all their hits. By now the sun had come out and we were really getting the california beach vibe, even though we were in our wellies standing in mud. I was getting really nostalgic because this was the stuff I listened to when I was an 8 year old. I love all the songs because they're so innocent and idealistic, it's beautiful. During 'Surfin USA', a guy was crowd surfing....on a surfboard 😊

'Well it's been building up inside of me for oh, I don't know how long,
I don't know why but I keep thinking something's bound to go wrong,
But she looks in my eye, and helps me realise when she says,
Don't worry baby, everything will turn out alright....'

Garbage:
I love Shirley. I have the biggest crush on Shirley Manson. Did I mention I love Shirley? Garbage hold a special place in my heart because they were one of the first gigs I ever saw, and it takes me back to my teenage years.

'Push it, make the beats go higher....'

Dresden Dolls:
This turned out to be a chronological trio for me. Beach boys when I was 8, Garbage when I was a 16 year old, Dresden Dolls when I was 24. I love the dresden dolls, they put on such a great show and their energy and charisma sends the crowd into hooplas.

'I am not so serious, this passion is a plagiarism,
I might join this century but only on the rare occasion....'

The Beautiful South:
This was a punt because I'd never heard of them before. Apparently they're really big in the UK. The only song I recognised was an ELO cover 😊 Again, good-natured pop. They remind me of the Polyphonic Spree, but older....

Tori Amos:
Tori Amos closed the festival in one of the smaller stages. She's an amazing performer. It's like her and the piano are in a really sensual embrace, and together they make beautiful music. She also has a party trick of playing a piano and organ at the same time with the instruments on opposite sides. Definitely worth catching if you get a chance.

She pretty much summed up my frame of mind when she covered Simon & Garfunkel's 59th street bridge song:

I got no deeds to do
No promises to keep
I'm dappled and drowsy and ready to sleep
Let the morningtime drop all its petals on me
Life I love you, all is groovy....

And on that note, I bid you adieu. See ya....
Bring on Roskilde!! Woohoo!!

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