27 June 2025
Today marked another warm and dry day at Glastonbury, the first full day of the festival. As was our custom, we were all gathered for breakfast shortly after it was served. Afterwards, we all headed our separate ways. I set off for the West Holts Stage, usually my favourite haunt, though I felt the music selection this year was rather underwhelming. I had also made a personal discovery: Brothers cider was no longer for me, too sweet. Instead, my magnetic draw for drinks pulled me more and more toward the main Cider Bus. In any case, the first band I was scheduled to see was indeed at the West Holts Stage, so I had to make do with Brothers.
Corto.Alto
Corto.Alto, led by Liam Shortall, is a Glasgow-based nu-jazz collective known for genre-blending, mixing jazz with hip-hop, broken beat, dub, and electronica. Their Glastonbury performance opened the West Holts stage and was a blistering and energetic electronic jazz sound. Yes, they absolutely deserve the acclaim they receive for their act.
Beans on Toast at the Avalon Stage
After West Holts, I moved onto the Avalon Stage. I don’t know, but I think this field has gone downhill a little. It used to host the Avalon Stage and the Avalon Inn, and some tea tents and a café. The tea tents and café were given their marching orders a few years ago. Now it is just the stage and Inn. The Inn is built to represent a pub building. I came here to watch Beans on Toast, sitting outside the Inn with a view of the stage and Beans on Toast. I got chatting to another guy, and it appeared he had flown over from Vancouver to see Beans on Toast play. He had seen him at a local folk festival in Canada. Now that is dedication!
Beans on Toast (again) at the Bandstand
I met up with Selina and Phil at the Cider Bus, where I was enjoying the driest draft cider they offered. I managed to persuade Selina and Phil to join me to watch Beans on Toast. Selina’s mum had explicitly warned her not to see him—a warning that, naturally, Selina chose to ignore. And she was rewarded! Beans on Toast decided to abandon the bandstand, instead choosing to roam and perform directly among the crowd, creating a truly intimate and memorable experience.
Lewis Capaldi
My main intention for the day was to secure a spot right on the front rail for Biffy Clyro, so I strategically started by heading over to catch the set by Lewis Capaldi. This wasn’t just any gig; it was his highly anticipated comeback performance after an extended hiatus of several years. Following a challenging period where he stepped away from the relentless public spotlight to focus on his mental and physical health—particularly as he learned to manage his Tourette’s syndrome diagnosis—he had returned to living quietly back with his mother. This performance was an incredibly poignant and emotional moment, marking his brave return to the stage. Since this comeback performance, he had been touring and will appear at the Isle of Wight festival in 2026
Alanis Morissette
The next show was Alanis Morissette, and I managed to move further forward, ending up just one row back from the barrier. Truthfully, her music isn’t strictly my usual taste, but I was amazed by how many songs I recognized and knew the words to. Her performance was a raw, nostalgic powerhouse, delivered with the intense, uncompromising energy of a true rock icon. An added bonus? My neighbour spotted me on TV! I was only on screen for a fleeting two seconds, but I’ll take it.
Biffy Clyro
As a few people left after the Alanis Morissette performance, I pushed to the rail, but there was a disappointed woman, she really wanted to be on the front, but for The 1975. I wasn’t interested in the 1975, so I agreed to make sure she was on the rail for their performance. This worked fine, and when Biffy Clyro’s set was finished, I made sure she got to the front. Biffy Clyro were excellent, delivering a blistering, energetic set that cemented their reputation as a premier live act. Their performance, full of intense guitar riffs and soaring anthems, was a definite festival highlight. The cameras did spot me, though they were looking for more glamorous subjects.
Cirque Du Vulgar
The Cirque Du Vulgar is rather raunchy with a lot of nudity, yes I saw dangly bits, so no pictures. Cirque Du Vulgar is basically a circus show, but it’s one of those grown-up versions. They take your standard big top setup and swap out the clowns and elephants for a more adult kind of performance.
The act itself is a mix of legitimate circus skills—think aerialists doing their thing up high, and some genuinely impressive acrobatic stunts—but all of it comes with a strong layer of raunchy comedy and burlesque elements. There’s plenty of audience interaction, often with an adult theme, and the humour is generally pretty filthy and not for the easily offended. It’s a night of daredevilry and risqué routines, all designed to be a bit chaotic and over-the-top, but it’s fundamentally a talented circus troupe doing tricks in fewer clothes with a lot of swearing.
As for Glastonbury, they’re regular fixtures in the Theatre and Circus Big Top, often headlining that field’s late-night programming. At the festival, it’s just another piece of the late-night fun—a chance for the crowd to take a break from the bands and see some acrobats and comedians pushing the boundaries. It fits right into the whole Glastonbury vibe, offering something different in the small hours when people are looking for a bit of cheeky escapism. You hear people talk about it, but it’s just one of the many weird and wonderful things you might stumble across after dark.
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