Right, now that I have somewhat recovered from the sleeplessness that is Glastonbury ( - I really hate noise around me when I try to sleep, so Glastonbury with music until 3am, the outdoor cinema until 4am and people talking in their tends until God knows what time was really not that relaxing) and from the cold that ensued after (-yes, it did rain, if only for 2 days, which sent Glastonbury die-hards into ecstasy – and I am not sure which part, the rain and mud “Yea, the real Glastonbury, man” or the sunshine “That is really nice, so much better than last year’s” - I can go over my memories of Glasto.
Much to the occasional dismay of my friends I am not prone to use superlatives easily (- so a question like: “How did you like it?” will quite often draw the answer “It’s ok” if it was ok or “It was good” if it was good, which sometimes seem to disappoint people – but what is wrong with “good” – it is better than “average”, better than “ok”?)
But Glastonbury deserves the attribute “awe-some”. Even form the pictures I saw online before I went I knew it was big, but you have no idea of the sheer scale and size until you are there. And even then you still don’t realise it fully – I only got an idea when I was actually leaving, looking back down into the valley and remember all the places I had been to and how much they make up the panorama that is outstretched in front of you.
Obviously you have heard all the horror stories of previous years, mainly all to do with the weather eg, rain and the mud.
And they are all true – chemical toilets in constant rain are really not that nice. And due to the rain there is no place to sit, so you are constantly standing or walking. All things in the tend get slowly but surely wet- and because it is raining you can’t make a fire. People become one great ungainly mass due to the efforts of the great leveller, the rain, with the mud everywhere and the sight of wellies, water-proofs and raincoats everywhere.
Yes, Glasto in rain, still an experience, just not sure what sort of…
The site is roughly divided into 4 parts – the main acts, Theatre/Circus/Cabaret, Dance/Techno and alternative (“Hippy”) life with their veggie stuff, their pro-biotics, solar energy and their “be-nice-to-nature” attitude. Yeah right, have your seen the amount of rubbish after any of the main acts? It looks like the top- layer of a rubbish dump. And it makes quite an unique sound when you walk on thousands of empty plastic bottles and beer cans.
It is only in the sunshine that you see the diversity of people from the age range to the cultural background – though it is predominantly a “white middle-class” event. And even then I don’t know whether there really is a connection between the various sections other than standing in the same queue for food, drinks or toilets – or singing along to Neil Diamond “Sweet Caroline” oh-oh-oh… the great British tradition of a sing-along from 12 year old giggly girls to hung-over ravers to the guys who dress as if they have just escaped the lunatic asylum.
Yes, it is probably getting more commercialised, the ticket malarkey is still ironic (after all one would expect the more political/alternative/Hippy section of Glastonbury to oppose governmental schemes such as the introduction of an ID card, but they willingly submit their picture, address and back details online to get a personalise tickets that would not look out of place next to an passport), for all it’s mixture of “cultures” there are only really a handful of Asian or black faces in the crowds. But it is still amazing that such a large crowd could come together, get in parts quite drunk and high but without any real aggro. Though I have seen many rude people (mainly when they push you out of the way at a gig in their drive to get closer to the stage) I have not seen any arguments or fights.
And I can’t still get over the sheer size – ok, 150,000 people sound enough, but I can’t really visualise such an amount anyway. That comes when on the way to bring back your stuff to the car you hear the roar of the tens of thousands of fans cheering after a song – although there is at least a mile and some hill between you and them.
And there is so much stuff going on all around you- and especially if it is not raining –
Kleinkunst, cabaret, political stuff, impromptu shows, games, gigs, freaks, weirdos and hippies…
It seems a shame with so many of the smaller acts that they do not get any larger audiences you feel they deserve – especially if you have just left one of the main acts with thousands of people and then come across a really witty performance where about 20 people sit scattered in front of the stage. And little does it matter that without the tens of thousands that are cheering for the main acts, those performers may not have had any audience at all.
On one hand you need to be alone, so to just be able to really drop in anywhere you like without having to wait for friends queuing for food and drinks or not being interested in the curiosity to literally pop you nose into every venue there is. On the other hands you need to be with friends to share the (muddy and wet times as well as the sunny ones) and to show you things you would not have known existed ( like the strawberry cider - “Cin cin, Sara” or Trash City” and Shangri-La" – Thanks Jim) – another contradiction that is Glastonbury.
I know that is may sound like a cliché but Glastonbury truly is indescribable – you have to experience it to get a glimpse of what it is.
It take you a day or two to take it all in - the first days when you rush from main act to main act, to busy to take it all in, the last day really to appreciate all the variety and the smaller thinks and events happening everywhere- and largely to the fact that none of the main acts on Sunday really grabbed me.
And saw some pretty amazing performances - Duffy was brilliant, so was Katie Melua, Manu Chao, Eddy Grant, The Men they could not hang, Amy Winehouse, Hazel O’Connor, The Ting Tings - only Sinead O’Connor was a bit of a disappointment. She sung well enough, but did not connect to the audience other than a few lines at the beginning stating that she would first sing from her new album and then some older stuff. And then she just sung the songs back-to-back. Only when the audience sang along to “Nothing compares to you” did she smile and be aware that she was not in a recording studio or so.
All in all I think I was quite lucky with the weather – though first two days were pretty wet I have to say – but at least I know what Glastonbury is also famous for, the mud. And with the last two days being sunny I could also see the potential in variety and well-being that it brings with it.
Even when longing for a hot shower and my own bed on the last day you just realise how much of it all you have not seen. I think it is humanly impossible to see even only 10% of the stuff that is happening at the festival.
So, yes, Glastonbury was exhausting but brilliant! (and if you want to see the all the videos I made from Glastonbury, just visit: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=9B4E1EED6FD26EAC
