Glastonbury is synonymous with mud, and this year was no different. Despite missing the morning downpour the wellies were instantly out and caked in mud. With backpacks packed full of multiple pairs of socks, clothes for every weather, sleeping bags, an air mat that never stays up and a tent, we began the walk worthy of Ranulph Fiennes. What made matters worse was that the remainder of our group couldn't have picked a spot further away from our car park. But after what felt like years, the trek was over and needless to say, many earned beverages were enjoyed.
Thursday was spent with further appreciation of the sheer enormity of the festival. Despite another mammoth trip back to the car for some vital alcohol, trips were made to some of many vintage shops and some incredible food stalls that are dotted all over the festival. Whether it be pies, Mexican, burgers, Chinese, freshly made lemonade or fruit smoothies, Glastonbury has it all and so much more. The taste buds are constantly satisfied. That night the giraffe Kigus were donned (you need one in your life) and the trip was made to the dance village. Despite the 'main acts' not starting until Friday there were tents rammed full of beats and hits for all to enjoy.
Whilst nursing heavy hangovers, it was finally time for some bands. And with bands, decisions have to be made. With the schedule being so good and varied and the site being so huge and still mud stricken, bands were always going to be missed. Some that took the hit for me were The Streets, Aloe Blacc, Wu Tang Clan, Janelle Monae, Yuck, City and Colour. Things are made even worse when you read reviews and watch coverage. However, I saw some of my favourite bands over the course of the weekend including Brother (now Viva Brother), Gaslight Anthem, The Vaccines, Biffy Clyro, Bombay Bicycle Club, Jimmy Eat World, Lykke Li and a few others. One of the many wonderful aspects of the festival is that you get to hear some of your favourite artists that rarely tour the UK, some you've seen many times and still love, and some you've never heard before. I won't review every band I saw as this will only cause fatigue to my fingers and your eyes. But I will mention a few words on some stand outs.
Bombay Bicycle Club - The shy and geeky, yet supremely talented boys put in a tight and passionate performance, letting the songs do the talking, whilst clearly enjoying themselves. Also some of their new songs sound good, REALLY good. Can't wait for the new album.
Biffy Clyro - Loud. Powerful. Energetic. Sweaty.
Jimmy Eat World - It was amazing to see a band that I've listened to for some many years for the first time. They played all the right stuff and it was incredible to hear Sweetness and The Middle live.
Viva Brother - Put in a solid, pumped up performance as ever, showing that they are only on the up. And it would not be a Brother show without some controversy, saying they were "coming down quicker than the twin towers" and continuing their Oasis spat by introducing a song as 'Wonderwall'.
The highlight of the festival was undoubtedly the Saturday night, largely due to Coldplay and our eagerness to dance.
Despite no one really being a 'massive' Coldplay, I think that every single one of knew every Coldplay, as does the majority of the British public, you just do. However no one expected the performance we got. While Friday headliners U2 tried to be epic and controversial and Beyonce was really good when it was a Crazy In Life or Single Ladies yet struggled to keep attention in the Halo type songs, Coldplay got it perfect. They piled absolutely everything into their set. The setlist was perfect, new songs were mixed with undeniably momentous songs such as Shiver and Yellow. The stage show was equally perfect with the perfect mix of lasers, smokes and confetti. Despite mucking up one song and restarting it, the energy and emotions throughout the set were through the roof, each and everyone of us absolutely loved it. Please see for yourself:
The second half of the night was wholly different. After the immense high of Coldplay we managed to settle down into a circus tent and was some incredible Knight/Robot dancing. After the act, the interval entertainers were the Jaipur Kawa Indian brass band. I'm pretty sure they were meant to just play a couple of songs for about 5/10 minutes, but we had different intentions for them. Again, suited up as giraffes we stormed the stage and created a dancing revolution. The band initially appeared pretty shocked, but were soon loving it and the tent quickly became filled by about a hundred people dancing and congo-lining their hearts out to Indian brass music. We insisted for many an encore and refused anything else, ruining the night's schedule, but it was worth it. A surreal experience. One friend simply said the next day "shit like last night is hard to forget".
After more hangovers were nursed, more of the festival was explored. From peace gardens to a stone circle to reflexology tents, Glastonbury truly keeps its hippie routes, ignoring the utter madness that is ensuing elsewhere.
After Beyonce's somewhat up and down performance, the final night was crowned with a visit to the Arcadia show and the Shangri-La areas. With it's lasers, flamethrowers and acrobats, Arcadia really is a site to behold. (This video is from last year, but you get the idea.)
Shangri-La and Block 9 hold no bars. Constructed a post-apocalyptic world, it really is something else. From half a block of flats with a underground train embedded in the side to an abandoned hotel which has taken the shape of some sort of faux brothel/strip club to horrific medical experiments being carried out to a mermaid cabaret bar named 'Fish + Tits', it really is something else. Surreal is one hell of an understatement.
So there we have it, Glastonbury has come to an end and I can't wait to go back in 2013. I hope you've enjoyed my words and pictures and the videos (not mine) on the post, I would love to hear your experiences of the weekend if you were there. It truly is an incredible festival, the diversity of acts and activities is unbelievable, the size is immense, the atmosphere is engaging. If you went, I hope you loved it as much as me, if you didn't make sure you're there in 2013.
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