Glastonbury 2015

Source: Wikipedia

After so many years of gazing longingly at the BBC coverage of Glastonbury, sitting warm and dry on my sofa at home, the Eavis' gigantic creation always seemed like a bit of a myth. Couple that with the astronomical ticket prices and the fact that they sell out within minutes, actually going never quite seemed like it was on the cards. Glastonbury was always a far-off fairy tale which changed with each telling, like a folk story passed down through generations, the true meaning always shrouded in mystery. However, with 200,000 people there, the experience itself was sharply real and not at all mysterious.

First off, I would like to make something very clear: the mud is not exaggerated. Although 2015 was relatively dry compared to recent years, the tramping of huge crowds up and down the huge site meant that the mud remained and was impossible to escape, However muddy or cold or rainy it was though, this did not dampen the spirits of either the crowds or the bands. There was always a smiling face wherever you looked, and a cheerful word said in passing. The spirit of Glastonbury is so communal and welcoming that it's impossible to feel like an outsider; the hippie origins of the festival have survived in its open-mindedness towards complete and utter strangers, and everyone is willing to have the best possible time with the best possible people, whoever they might be.

Source: Wikipedia

A few of the more difficult things about Glastonbury are (a) the crowds and (b) the size of it. We'll deal with (a) first. When there are 200,000 people all crammed into one space, all desperate to see the same things at the same time, it's an understatement to say that moving around is a wee bit tricky. Getting anywhere near the front of the Pyramid stage is a challenge of enormous size, unless you're willing to sharpen your elbows and push your way to the front, or you fore-go all calls of nature for the entire day, be they stomach or otherwise related. Ok now onto (b). The site is 900 acres. That's many many acres to be trudging from one end to the other throughout the day and night in desperate attempts to see all the bands you want to and soak in every last bit of the festival that you can. It is, therefore, impossible to do and see everything. Although this does mean that your legs ache by Monday morning, it's worth it to see the huge range of people, acts and entertainment that there are at Glastonbury. However if you do want to avoid running up and down 900 acres of farmland, pick the things that you really want to do and spread them out on different days so you do the things that are close together all on one day. It saves a lot of necessary leg-power.

Source: Wikipedia

And as for the music, I don't know if I can talk about it all here. Literally whatever you are into, there will be something for you, guaranteed. From Burt Bacharach to Jungle, Lionel Richie to Slaves, Glastonbury is the definition of 'something for everyone'. Some stages are dedicated to certain genres, such as Leftfield and The Park, and others, like the Other Stage and the John Peel Stage, cater to huge ranges of tastes, from the rising stars to old hats. Seeing as you pay so much for a ticket, you are given a free guide to the festival upon arrival, outlining the schedules for the weekend and allowing you to plan out what you want to see and where you want to go. One thing in common for all artists performing is how thankful they are to be there. They all recognise the cultural importance of Glastonbury Festival, and all know how lucky they are to be performing their music to thousands upon thousands of people, and to watch them give thanks to the audience in the middle of a set is
rather beautiful, especially when it's as heartfelt and genuine as they all were.

Where would a festival review be without a couple of highlights, eh? Patti Smith bringing the Dalai Lama on-stage so a crowd of at least 50,000 could sing him happy birthday for his upcoming 80th birthday. A man dressed in a mantaray costume running around the stage at Slaves for their song Feed The Mantaray. Kanye West flying above the crowd on a crane. Florence placing a flower crown on an adoring fan's head whilst singing 'this is a gift'. George Ezra's dad handing him his guitar for his change-over. FKA Twigs' insanely beautiful outfit. Wolf Alice's not-so-secret set on Thursday evening. Pussy Riot acting out overthrowing an advocate of Putin's regime whilst standing on top of a huge Russian tank. Jamie T joining The Maccabees for their song Marks To Prove It. Everything about The Who. Years & Years' frontman's beautiful rainbow besequined top to mark London Pride. There are far far more than I can put here, which just goes to show the absolutely high standards of the festival itself.

In spite of having just written rather a long review of the festival, I'm speechless in thinking of a way to sum it up, so I'll do it in three words. Just. Fucking. Go.