glastonbury: day 3

You’ve guessed it … more rain. And so we missed Feluka at the Jazz Stage this morning – which J2 really wanted to see 😦 but by lunchtime, we were as mobile as we could be and were aptly tucking into Jerk chicken and Goat Curry to the reggae sounds of the Marley Brothers on the Pyramid. J1 disappeared off again for more of his favourite milkshake from the Shaken Udder stall, whilst J2 decided to go back to the Kidz Area to continue work on his tunnel in the sandpit. Me, I paid another visit to Burrow Hill for more liquid refreshment 😉

After packing up the tent, we were half way to the Other Stage when the heavens opened again … and it was then that the kids and I made the executive decision to detour to the exit … and catch Mika and the Kaiser Chiefs from our very snugly sofa at home … and in HD on our 42″ plasma telly!

I guess that’s my main gripe about Glastonbury 2007 – in 2005, about 2 month’s rainfall feel in one night but the rest fo the festival was pleasant enough, and more importantly there were still lots of green grass to sit on when one got a bit tired, drunk or over-laden with food. This year, it rained every bloody day and by Saturday morning, there were no patches of grass left … which made it a real slog. Time to petition Mr Eavis to move the date for 2008 … any takers?

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glastonbury: day 2

There doesn’t appear to be an end to the rain, and now the mornings have a chill about them too 😦

We missed Liz Green this monrning because of the weather and instead plodded about, dropping into the Chai stall for a game of carrom with J1, but by late afternoon, the sun had come out … in time for Babyshambles at the Other Stage – see pic. Why do people find Pete Doherty so offensive – man, the boy’s got talent! Even the beautiful Kate Moss made a cameo appearance on stage, kissed Pete and then squeeked a bit in La Belle et La Bete – keep the day job dear, you’re infinitely better at that 😉

Then it was a marathon sprint (well, as fast as it is possible to travel in mud) back to the Pyramid to catch Paul Weller, the Kooks and headlining Saturday evening, the Killers – oh, and catching Eric Bibb singing the blues at the Acoustic stage on the way. Actually, I listened to the Killers from the relative comfort of my dry tent … the weather here has been doing something really strange and sound seems to travel a lot further resulting in the organisers having to turn down the PA system, so as not to annoy the locals.

Set of the day goes to a small band I came across at the Bandstand called the Cedar. There’s also an Americana band playing Glastonbury this year by the same name – I’ll post a link to one of their songs later from a CD I bought on site …

glastonbury: day 1

I need a teleport machine! There’s so much happening it is impossible to be in three places at the same time. And because sound travels, the stages are located sufficiently far apart to avoid any contamination … which is a tad inconvenient at the best of times, but a royal pain in the backside when the paths are sloppy and swallowing up your wellies.

We managed to see the folks we wanted to see, and then some. Set of the day has to be Newton Faulkner at the Acoustic Stage (go to link for his cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop). Now, Sponge Bob Square Pants will never be the same after hearing him play so beautifully! This set was closely followed by Reverend & the Makers on the Other stage – an opnionanted little runt with plenty to say about nationalism, but perhaps should keep to making music 😉

Other bonus acts included The Hothouse Flowers (who are looking and sounding a little saggy), Sandi Thom (with a voice like hers, I don’t understand why she’s still a Lonely Girl), Bloc Party (who were surprisingly good) and Kasabian (what a show – see pic).

Oh, and Burrow Hill has started to do this hot & spiced (mulled) cider – ummmmm, absolutely yummy. Make note to self: don’t buy alcohol when kids are about – J1, the little bugger, has been keeping tally of my alcohol consumption throughout and plans to divulge all to wifey, unless I offer a generous bribe …

glastonbury: day 0

At Glastonbury, you can count on music to draw the crowds: even with limited appearances at the Left Field Stage and the Bandstand by relatively unknown artists, where there’s a drum beat, there you will also find revellers … filing into lines like ants to a hive – and this year, we are expecting a whopping total of 177,500. Now that’s a lot of ants!

Last night, we watched Ghostbusters on the giant outdoor screen – an interesting experience made more amusing by the pantomime-like heckling from the very inebriated audience. In case you didn’t already know – you should never cross the streams!

The Kidz Field opens its gates today, and J2 has already declared his desire to hone his skills with diablo by sundown.

Also, the music starts in anger this morning. Already earmarked are The Fratellis, Mr Hudson & the Library, The Earlies, Amy Winehouse & Damien Rice. Rock on …

Pic is of the infamous Brothers Bar outside the Jazz Stage. Let the small print be a reminder to all the pissed farts who were circling aimlessly outside our tent last night – you lot, buy a GPS already!

Update: I’ve just been informed by my learned wife (who has deicded not to brave the inclement weather) that ants live in *nests* – yeah, like I give a flying f*** when you’re covered in mud!

Update#2: As the alcohol dissipates within the system, more and more is coming back to me … like seeing Paris Motel at the bandstand sometime in the afternoon.

glastonbury: day -1

It isn’t really Glastonbury without the rain, mud and general flotsam of cans, paper plates & cups generated by the welly-cladded crowd that seems to be descending on the quiet village of Pilton earlier and earlier each year. The boys and I made camp around 6pm yesterday and even then struggled to fird a pitch large enough to accommodate our 4 man tent. Still the rest of the evening was mild enough to allow us to mooch around, marking waypoints of old haunts on the GPS just in case one is overcome by the effects of Julian’s Burrow Hill cider 😉

Attached pic is from the Green Sculptures field. The music starts on Friday, and until then we plan to loiter with some intent (mainly to put nice food in our bellies) and generally soak up the electric atmosphere, mud and anything else that comes with this crappy weather.

music, the food of love …?

I was going to blog about my selection of favourite Glastonbury tracks but that will only confuse rather than inform you of my musical taste, if indeed the notion of musical tastes exists at all. For me, music (of all genres) act as triggers to help my (failing) memory recollect certain events that have happened in my life, but also to evoke a mood that allows me to relate to a situation that I’m not familiar with. For example, since the elimination of poverty and the G8 is fairly topical at the moment, I’ve purposely listened to The Cars number Drive, to remind myself of the painful images of those starving, pot-bellied children that we first saw in some horrific detail during the original Live Aid – and yes, the eyes still well-up and gooseflesh is evident throughout, but more importantly that piece of music opens a portal to my body that makes it possible for me to experience physical pain even when I’ve never been subjected to extreme hunger. I’m not sure I fully understand the psychosomatic reactions at play, but there is definitely a link between what we hear and our physical well-being – sort of anti-endorphins I guess. Perhaps that’s why I find myself unconsciously singing along to the Car’s song – if listening to it makes me sad and feel sick, then singing is said to release endorphins that act to neutralise the pain. Ummmm, any bio-chemists out there care to comment?

That brings me to the book I’m currently reading – The Food of Love by Anthony Capella which has nothing to do with music or Shakespeare I’ve only just started it but instinctively know I’m going to enjoy the rest since I’m passionate about food and an absolute sucker for sit-coms.

glastonbury 2005 – the close …

I can’t remember the last time I went without my daily shower, so after 4 days of sleeping in a water-logged tent and some unexpected mud-rolling, I can fully understand J’s reluctance to give us a big welcome hug when we arrived home at 7:30 this morning 😉

It’s all over for another 2 years, and before you ask, yes we fully intend to go again in 2007! Michael Eavis has said his land needs the extra time to recover, and having seen the state of the fields this morning (rubbish + mud = v. bad news), I can see his point of view. Glastonbury has become bigger and more ‘global’ and yes, a little too ‘public’ for the Glasto veterans who have seen it transform from a medium-sized fringe music festival full of tent burglars to a huge, relatively crime-free and tightly organised commercial venture, that now caters for a wide spectrum of society – from music aficionados, hippies, vagabonds, skunk seekers, permaculturalists, dancers, trancers to … well, just about everybody including ordinary folks. It is entirely possible to go through an entire day without watching a band – there is just *so* much to do!

In the next couple of days, I’ll be updating the Music page with some of my favourite tracks from the event so watch this space …