In 2013, I became the youngest journalist to ever cover the Glastonbury Festival - here is what went down.Ā
Since it's inception in the summer of 1970, Glastonbury has been famous for it's unbelievable lineups, unique artistic vision and unparalleled euphoric feel. AsĀ the beginning of the European summer began to set in this unique brand of festivities was once again imprinted on the small British town of Pilton. As the gates opened to over 250,000 punters, staff and performers early on Wednesday morning, it became apparent that this would be the finest celebration of global musical talent the festival circuit has seen in some time.Ā
With a lineup that consists of nearly 2000 artists from across the globe who performed over 58 stages, there was no questioning the variety of talent and styles over the three day event, and the presence of 6 separate Mercury Award recipients in addition to some of the biggest names in music history made it clear that it was not going to be any ordinary music festival.Ā
As excitement grew for the forthcoming festivities, thousands of expedition parties set out to discover the vast 1100 acre campsite, but it was clear that one week would not be enough. Beyond the expansive array of music, lies a net of; labyrinths, mazes, hidden surprises and experiences waiting to be discovered. This is part of the magic which Glastonbury incorporates into its celebration; unlike many festivals it truly embraces the Arts. Going beyond the norm, a web of artistic installations populated the farmland, providing absolute awe amongst veterans and newcomers alike.Ā Ā
As the sun began to illuminate the sacred Stone Circle festival goers awoke early for more exploration. The warm ciders and ales were cracked and consumption began, as the countdown began for the first bands to open the weekends proceedings. African artist Jupiter & Okwess International filled the ears of those in attendance with their infectious tribal vibes. However it was not until local hero Jake Bugg took the stage that the crowds really began to pick up. Powering through tracks from his debut album. The Nottingham singer-songwriters melodic tunes soundtracked the first afternoon of the event.Ā
A surprise set on The Other Stage from Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye, saw many fans left in disappointment as the reality of his singing ability sett in. Musically Beady Eye were on top form, reproducing a very Oasis esque sound however it was Gallagher's vocals which brought the overall performance down. However it was The Hives which saw the most impressive acts of the morning automatically winning Best Dressed Award for the day. Up to their usual antics, vocalist Pele caused an absolute frenzy as the Swedish outfit smashed through tracks from most albums within their hour long set. The excitement and crowds continued to build as day turned to dusk.Ā
With Kodaline having amazed the crowd in the John Peel Tent and Goat achieving a similar effect with their tribal tunes, it was time for the big names to begin. Dinosaur Jr and Miles Kane led the assault of Rock on Worthy Farm as the likes of Steve Aoki, SBTRKT and Skrillexās Dog Blood retaliated, giving the guitar groups a real run for their money with their endless beats and cakes. However as time passed, it was clear the DJs could no longer keep up as Tame Impala showed the majority of acts how to do a live show, destroying the Other Stage with British hipsters Alt-J in close pursuit. Since their success in last years Mercury Prize, Alt-J have seen a whirlwind of success, as evidenced by the crowd who stood witness to their set. As the group closed with Taro their success was clear as a majority of punters stood amazed. Ā
Despite indie rockers Foals taking over duties from Alt-J, it was British MC Dizzie Rascall who drew the crowds for his hour long set. Including the likes of āScreamā, āDance Wiv Meā and āBonkersā the local star caused a frenzy, administrating Fridays dose of hip-hop. Having destroyed the Pyramid Stage yet again, he left to make way for Glastonbury veterans Arctic Monkeys, whom were set to make their grand return.Ā
However despite the rapper drawing the crowds, it was Foals who put on one of the performances of the day, with Spanish Sahara and Inhaler being clear highlights. The performances was not only extremely well polished, but the vocals of Yannish Philippakis not only suprised the crowds but evidently some of the band members themselves, judging by their facial expressions during the climax of recent single āInhalerā.Ā
After the release of Suck it and See in 2011 and subsequent singles since, the crowd were ready to see what had changed within the Arctic Monkeys camp to warrant another headline performance, and as predicated by NME it was one to remember. Opening with their epic new single Do I Wanna Know? the tone was set early for their performance, yet the Sheffield four-piece covered all four albums their set saw hit after hit boom through the speakers. The energy however, hit a all time high as the opening riff of R U Mine echoed throughout the crowd. With a vast majority of the crowd singing any and every word, it was a truly unique atmosphere. After the final notes of A Certain Romance faded, the group briefly left the stage before returning for an encore consisting of Mardy Bum, When The Sun Goes Down and finishing in a spectacular rendition of 505 featuring none other than Miles Kane.Ā
As the first night of acts came to a close, it was time for the infamous nightlife of Glastonbury to open up, and what better place for it to happen than Shangri-La. The after hours section consisted of two distinct zoned; Heaven & Hell. Living up to their names, Hell consisted of freakish twists and turns, all leading to an open field of fire and metal. With a vast array of groups performing across the weekend the highlight came in the early hours of the morning as Rudimental, Zane Lowe and special guest Diplo blew the minds of those in attendance. The derelict themed stage was the perfect setting for the absolute that the America DJ had in store. However over on the more pleasant Heavan stage, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke pleased fans with a mammoth DJ set consisting of NWAs anthem Fuck The Police. As the set came to a close, punters crawled out of the muddy arena and slowly dispersed to various other sections of the mammoth camp site. From Silent Disco to the Rabbit Hole, only few took the comfortable option of sleep, as others were purely overwhelmed for choice.Ā
The sun once again rose and the heavens opened their roofs for the most picturesque day of the festival. Indie rockers The 1975 opened the days proceedings with their indie-pop vibes being the soundtrack to the morning on The Other Stage. Evidently amazed with the mammoth turn out, the band exclaimed ālook at all these people, we feel a bit overwhelmed playing here. Please danceā before kicking off their biggest single āChoclateā which went down an absolute treat.Ā
Over on the Pyramid Stage it was Ben Howard who drew the biggest crowd of the early slots and after the international success of his latest album it came as no real surprise. His mellow yet inviting set called mainly upon tracks from Every Kingdom. From Old Pine to The Fear, even the sun came out to watch.Ā
Australia's best kept secret, Jaguar Ma stormed the John Peel Stage to a surprisingly small crowd, however as their infectious bass tore through the speakers the crowed quickly grew, expanding outside onto the lawn as the Sydney based act quickly became one of the weekends discoveries for thousands of punters. A truly animated set that included most of their tracks, it became quickly evident that we can expect big things in the near future from the local outfit.Ā
As the afternoon progressed, it was out with the new and in with the old as legendary British acts prepared to take their individual stages. Over on the Acoustic stage, The Proclaimers packed out the tent, as an impressively diverse act anticipated the start of their set. It doesnāt take a genius to figure out that a majority of the crowd where waiting purely for the Scottish duos biggest track Iām Gonna Be (500 Miles), yet when the opening chord was strummed it was truly something special. A chorus of croaky, drunken voices bellowed out every single word to the anthem making it a real highlight of the day.Ā Steve Winwood then took the stage to a now exhausted crowd after the conclusion of the Proclaimers set. Winwood the likes of Valerie, Higher Love and Night Train in his hour long set, witnessed by a more mature audience than that of The Proclaimers.Ā
Back over on the Other Stage, it was a procession of British acts which drew the big crowds as dusk began to illuminate the sky above worthy farm. Two Door Cinema Club kicked things off with recent single āSleep Aloneā which truly set the mood for the remainder of their performance. The Irish group sped through tracks from both albums including; I Can Talk, Sun, Next Year. Yet it was during Something Good Can Work which saw the crowd go absolutely mental, resulting in the group being one of the most popular acts of the day. Example proceeded to take over duty from the indie rockers, bring along with him his full live show. Despite the fact that the crowd had begun to trickle away for the festivals headliner the UK Dance artist still put on an impressive show. With a set including tracks from his past four albums, it was truly an impressive set.Ā
Arguably the sound of the British summer, Rudimental were readying themselves for the mammoth crowd which had piled into the awkwardly shaped Silver Haynes Stage ready for last years biggest success story. Bouncing onto stage, the group bought all the bells and whistles as they ripped straight into their biggest and best songs. From Hell Could Freeze to Home, the crowd knew each and every word merely acting as justification for the London outfits success in recent months. After dedicating Feel The Love to the front mans infant child, thanking both BBC Radio 1 and the crowd, fans quickly sprinted over to the Pyramid stage to catch a glimpse of the biggest rock band in the world.Ā
Whoever said that rock and roll is dead is kidding themselves. Granted, it may have been through bigger and better times, but much like the grand phoenix which sat atop the iconic 100ft stage, it's merely been reborn. The crowd which stood before the epic Pyramid Stage was by far and away one of the biggest a headline act has seen in years. The now 50 year old group had not even begun to play a note before a defining round of applause was awarded. As Mick Jaggerās astounding vocals burst out the opening lines of Jumpinā Jack Flash it became strikingly apparent that something amazing was happening before over 200,000 peoples eyes. Powering through the likes of Paint It Black and Gimme Shelter it was hard to establish what was more amazing; the fact that The Rolling Stones were putting on one of the best Glastonbury performances or the fact that Jagger still had the ability to dance around the stage with such energy. In the words of one elderly gentleman, āThat Maroon 5 song makes so much more sense now.ā The performance continued to grow, with special appearances from ex-guitarist Mick Taylor briefly joining for both Happy and Midnight Rambler. An adaption of Factory Girl, changing it to Glastonbury Girl went down an absolute treat. Yet it was the final stretch of the set which saw the band truly rise to the occasion. The opening percussion of Sympathy for the Devil took the audience into an ephemeral state of absolute sublime happiness. The deployment of surefire hits Start Me Up, Tumbling Dice and Brown Sugar kept this aforementioned euphoric state the crowd had been hypnotised in at a constant as the group continued to make festival history. As the encore came around, it was clear what had to be done as The Voice Chamber Choir came onstage for a truly unique rendition of You Canāt Always Get What You Want, however no choir was needed as the voice of 200,000 people tried their best to drown them out. The phoenix, which had remained somewhat motionless throughout the set now came alive, breathing fire across Pyramid Stage for the duration of the song. There seemed only one song left in the tank as the two and a half hour set began to draw to a close, not before Keith, Mick, Ronnie and co blasted out I Canāt Get No (Satisfaction), much to the crowds delight. It was a combination of the Stonesā legacy, Wattsā stickwork, the technical ability of both Richards and Wood on guitar and of course the voice of an icon, Mick Jagger. Despite the fact that theyāre one of the oldest bands still going strong, their performance contained more energy than a vast majority of the acts who played across the weekend.Ā
UK Dance titan Fatboy Slim, stormed the mysterious Arcadia Stage with his usual party anthem antics. Atop a stage manufactured to resemble a gigantic metallic spider, it was by far one of the more peculiar settings of Glastonbury. However Norman Cook once again failed to truly impress the crowd. Despite having a mammoth 6 separate sets at Glastonbury, his track selection consisted of what seemed to be several samples mashed with the same 8 bar electronic line, reminiscent of nearly every EDM song release last year. Cook left the iconic Spider inspired Arcadia Stage to allow room for a back-to-back DJ setĀ from Chase & Status and Skrillex who dubstepped his way into Glastonbury history, showcasing one of the most brutal and ruthless Arcadia sets in recent times.Ā
As festival goers awoke a peculiar mist had covered Worthy Farm over the night, what was left from the invigorating pyrotechnic display put on by The Rolling Stones the night before perhaps. It was Zulu Winter who kicked things off, projecting a surprisingly confident and wholesome sound which filled the field before them. Their loud but calming sound was perfect for the hazy Sunday morning slot, which normally sees a bout of hangover sweep the entire campsite. Williams Green became the place to be in the early afternoon with a combination of sensational bars and acts being the key draw cards. With The View, Palma Violets and The Vaccines soundtracking the area it was easily one of the most popular events of the day, with all artists putting on memorable performances.Ā Ā
As The Vaccines began, the crowd slowly lessened as one of the festivals most anticipated acts, Tom Odell took centre stage within the John Peel Stage. Living up to his reputation of live shows, Odell amazed the crowd with his empowering vocal power, bellowing out the chorus of recent single Another Love. Yet Odell was far off from the most impressive act of the afternoon as a wildcard act drew a surprisingly large crowd within the fields of Avalon. It was no headline act, nor was it the sound of summer. It was sir Bruce Forsyth. The BBC television icon stormed the stage to a riot of cheers, yet very few knew what to truly expect. A performance which saw a fusion of; jazz, comedy and standup it quickly became a throughly enjoyable act. The now 85 year old mocked The Rolling Stones, New Zealanders and beach balls in the most loving way possible. From tap-dancing to crowd involvement it was the combination of three completely different elements that made āBoy Bruceā such a hit.Ā
From there on in the festival saw a progression of relatively recent acts as Swedish outfit Of Monsters & Men performed their intoxicatingly acoustic set, including a majority of songs from their 2011 release āMy Head Is An Animalā. The crowds anticipation for lead single āLittle Talksā was clear, as the euphoric reception it earned was unquestionable. Shortly after that it was Vampire Weekend who took control of the Pyramid stage, yet it seemed as if they lacked the capacity to truly fill the epic arena before them. Musically the Americans were flawless, however the Pyramid Stage did not seem truly fitting, as even A-Punk failed to obtain its usual response. Of course the band deserve the slot that they were allocated, however it truly wasnāt as successful as a later slot on The Other Stage would have been.Ā
As Jame Blake finished up it was time for Tyler The Creator to tear a hole in the John Peel Stage. Within seconds the energy level was set as he appeared without the love of his life Earl Sweatshirt. Yet it was moments before āWe Got Bitchesā in which Tylers distaste for the crowds energy became apparent stating āI want to see blood and knives and shit, stop standing thereā and with that carnage truly followed. Bodies were passed over the fence like dolls as they attempted to flee the scene of chaos which appeared out of nowhere. Despite some minor technical issues, the American rapper, famous for carnage not only pissed off stage technicians but security by announcing his desire for a circle pit. āKeep fucking going backā he began āI want to see this shit go all the way to the backā, and as usually happens at a Tyler gig, the crowd obeyed with a mammoth circle suddenly appearing, moments prior to Tamale beginning and the crowd responding in what can only be described as an eruption. As silence followed the crowd were left both battered and bruised, even slightly confused at what had just occurred.Ā
Without further ado, French rockers Phoenix were welcomed by a mammoth crowd. Not wasting any time they were quick to showcase their latest album Entertainment, opening with the albums respective title track. The energy which had been unleashed from the lead vocalist surpassed any other frontman from the weekend. Vocalist Thomas Mars refused to let the gap between the stage and crowd get to him as he jumped down to the barrier during Lisztomania. The remainder of the band showcased their creativity perfectly mashing up Too Young and Girlfriend as well as a memorable rendition of āSunskruptā, a combination of Love Like A Sunset and Bankrupt! The energy continued to rise as the crowed continued to pour in, now spilling out the sides up onto the banks of the campsite. The energy truly reached its peak during the closing repise of Entertainment as Mars deemed it completely necessary to climb up the support structure of the tent, finishing the remainder of the vocals perched way up above the crowd, it was a performance par excellence.Ā
As Phoenix closed, headliners Mumford & Sons had one more song left in them, but needed a bit of help with the execution. As such, the UK folk group invited the likes of Vampire Weekend, The Vaccines and First Aid Kit onstage to an absorbing rendition of The Beatles āHelp From My Friendsā which could not have summed up the weekend that was any better. Despite the fact that Glastonbury is the biggest music festival in the world, it isnāt made by the acts, but by the crowd, the friends. The unique atmosphere of mateship is unparalleled. From the groups who adopted lone rangers into their campsites, to the life long mates made and even to the newlywed couples, without Glastonbury these people would be mere strangers to one another. To the new friends and the old, it became strikingly evident that Glastonbury, despite the accusation of becoming commercialised is a festival of love and friendship, and that is something that will never change.Ā
There is a downside to Glastonbury however. Team Eavis set such a high standard that no other festival can compete. The ability to conjure the most peculiar, awe inspiring artistic, musical and cultural movements and converge together to form such a unique festival It is this individuality which sets it apart from the rest. Glastonbury is not a vicarious experience, you have to live the festival to truly understand it. Every individual in attendance has a different story, from the surprise acts stumbled upon, to the new group of friends made.Ā
During the 2008 installation of Glastonbury, British outfit The Verve closed the festival with their headline slot on the Pyramid stage. The group put on one of the most iconic performances of their career, however it's what was said moments before 'Bittersweet Symphony' which truly embodies what Glastonbury represents . "It's a struggle, life is a struggle." Began frontman Richard Ashcroft, "and Monday morning may be a struggle for a lot of you; in a job that you despise, working for a boss that you despise, a slave to money then you die." Part of the magic of Glastonbury is that it provides an escape for the aforementioned "struggle". Its not just a festival, it's not merely a celebration of musical talent, Glastonbury is a lifestyle. It sounds immensely cliche but gazing around on the Monday morning as the platoon of cleaners move in to restore Worthy Farm to its pristine condition something became strikingly evident. The friends made, experiences had and performances seen would not have happened anywhere else. Glastonbury is an escape.
