Glastonbury 2024 Archives

Glastonbury Festival 2024 – Monday and Next Year Rod Stewart

Posted on July 1, 2024 by SteveDecember 20, 2024

1st July 2024

The festival was over, and the populace were leaving. This year, Love Fields laid on a Monday takeaway breakfast. This was new and lined our stomachs for the drive home. I hope they repeat. Except we chose to have a walk around the festival site to see if there were any bargains to be picked up. It was amazing how tidy the site was, hardly any litter on the ground. Too early to see if all the tents were taken home. A dry festival, so there should be no excuse to leave anything behind.

Rod Stewart

Let us hope next year when Rod Stewart plays the Legends Slot, that the weather will be kind.

We picked up a coffee, and some cut price nuts from a vendor. A walk up to the stone circle where some diehards were still sitting around. I stopped to take some more photographs of the ‘Model Glastonbury’ by Bellas’s bridge. I do this most years.

We left and eventually took the queue out of the grounds. At Love fields, because we were in the posh part of the site, we did not have to wait and were quickly on to Pylle Road. Then we stopped, there was the hour drive up Pylle Road, each site and camper van site prioritised their vehicles onto the road. The further we travelled the faster we progressed.

This was the first year I never saw the owners of The Love Fields. Owen was about saying goodbye to the glampers, but we missed him.

Selina and Phil purchased me a bottle of gin from Love Fields, called ‘We are not Worthy‘ gin as a thank you.

Anyway, we have our tickets for next year and will be at Love Fields yet again. Too early to say who is playing, other than Rod Stewart (Legends slot) is confirmed on the Pyramid stage. You can keep a track on festival rumours at the efestivals site. Another excellent site is ClashFinder where Glastonbury is a core listing. I find ClashFinder so much easier to use than the official festival apps. It has an excellent mobile webapp which works without a mobile phone signal. (Assuming you have registered and loaded your itinerary). You can also keep notes on each act you watch, and that information is there for you to review later, and on your laptop or PC. For those who like a hardcopy itinerary, you can print it out.

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Glastonbury Festival 2024 – Sunday and SZA

Posted on June 30, 2024 by SteveDecember 19, 2024

30th June 2024

Another dry morning, though cloudy and not very warm. Not much planned, did walk through the Carhenge and photographed the Car Henge in the daylight instead of the dark.

Good Habits

Walked past the ‘Band Stand’ and spent a while there watching the first couple on, called ‘Good Habits‘. They played the Cello, and Accordion. Because it was early in the morning, very few watching. So sad, quite enjoyable.

Seasick Steve

This must be the fifth time, at least, I have seen Seasick Steve. He attributes his succes to Jules Holland. Seasick Steve was about to give up music and lose his home, when a scout found him and invited him to play on a Jules Holland show. Since thoses days he has been a regular visitor to the UK. He thanked us for our support many times. The changes I have seen over the years are mainly the instruments he plays. In the early days they were totally home constructed string instruments made for garbage. He still plays those, but now much of the music is on proper commercial guitars.

I have seen him play at Glastonbury in 2010, T in the park in 2015, The Cambridge Folk Festival in 2022 and the Glastonbury Abbey Extravaganza in 2022, And now again in 2024.

Balming Tiger

Back at the West Holts stage it was Balming Tiger, a South Korean music collective from Seoul. They sang and danced to a background track.

Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They played the West Holts stage in the afternoon. Excellant.

Glastonbury-On-Sea

The pier, Glastonbury-On-Sea has been there for several years, Today was the first time I ventured onto the pier. Seemed to be inhabited by robots. Yes, it was worth the visit, especially as I was walking by and it was not to busy. Some of the arcade entertainment devices were not working, but others were. Fun to watch.

SZA

I decided to see SZA. Found a reasonable spot between the sound mixers. I am afraid I was not impressed. It seemed a very strange headline act. The large number of people leaving the show was very noticeable. Indeed, I did not wait until the end and headed off. The stage backdrops were very impressive, but I could not get to like her songs which appeared disjointed. Not the best headliner for the final act on the Pyramid Stage. A huge disappointment.

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Glastonbury Festival 2024 – Saturday and Coldplay

Posted on June 29, 2024 by SteveDecember 19, 2024

29th June 2024

Another dry morning, and after breakfast headed over to the West Holts stage to see an Irish band called Kneecap

Kneecap

I lasted 10 minutes with this Northern Ireland band, not my cup of tea, I couldn’t understand a word they sang or said. Not at all sure why they have a big following. So back to Pyramid via the Theatre and Circus area to see Ayra Star

Ayra Star

At the Pyramid stage I watched Ayra Star with her 10 backing singers. Very beautiful to watch, but not my style of singing.

Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy

Now at the West Holts stage to watch Alogte Oho & His Sounds of Joy. They are a Ghanian group, singing gospel, It improved as the set went on. I did leave a little early so I could see the Last Dinner Party at the Other stage.

Last Dinner Party

Saw the ‘Last Dinner Party’ last year when they were playing the first set at ‘Woodsies’ on Saturday. Now they have been promoted to the “Other Stage”. Missed the first part of their set, but made it to listen to quite a few songs. Excellent as before, especially now I can sing along to the chorus of ‘Nothing Matters‘

Circus Funtasia

Decided to watch Circus Funtasia, Selina had mentioned it from the previous day. The five motor bikes driving around the inside of a sphere was interesting. The next act, close to my heart, the man on stilts with chain saw.

Coldplay

Watched Coldplay with Selina and Phil. We were far back, so no chance of seeing Coldplay in the flesh, especially with the array of flags. A good crown around us enjoying the event with dancing around us, including a Scottish guy in kilt. Selina appears in the video below.

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Glastonbury Festival 2024 – Friday and Heilung

Posted on June 28, 2024 by SteveDecember 12, 2024

28th June 2024

Another dry day in the paradise city of Glastonbury Festival, the seventh largest city in the south of England, after London, Bristol, Southampton, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Brighton. Alas not as warm, and now it was cloudy. Found another Polestar 2 parked in The Love Fields, they must have arrived on Thursday. I rushed out after breakfast to see the first band on stage at Woodsies. I arrived early and had to wait to get in. There was a talk about cosmology given by Brian Cox at The Tree. I listened to this while waiting for the Voice of Baceprot to appear.

Voice of Braceprot

The Voice of Braceprot are an all-female metal band from the Philippines. They were all dressed in black hijab. They explained how they were hated for the music they played. They considered metal was just like any other music, but more enjoyable to play and listen to. It was an enjoyable set, played with precision, but lacking a little bit of soul.

Lambrini Girls

Next up was a three woman queer punk band called the Lambrini Girls. The lead singer took crowd surfing to the next level and spent most of her time in the crowd. Plenty of energy and heart in this band. Quite enjoyed the atmosphere.

Squid

I walked over to West Holts for a Brothers cider and to watch Squid. Close to the front. The drummer is the vocalist, I managed to get onto the BBC TV. I have not heard this band before, but it is well worth listening to.

Vaccines

Back over to Woodies to see The Vaccines play.

Danny Brown

Walked back to West Holts (yes I was already to 10,000 steps) and was met by a mass of people leaving. The Sugababes had just finished. It was chaotic, so I chose a nearby food stall, and ordered and ate supper until the Exodus had completed. Chose to watch Danny Brown an America rapper. I wanted to be at the front for the next band.

Heilung

I was at the front for Heilung. A very strange act. More like a religious ritual than music. They had also played at Download, but I had decided not to hear them there because they were on at Glastonbury. The base drumbeat was exceptionally loud, I and the other guys I was standing with asked (signed) for earplugs from security. The loud deep base is unfortunately not evident in the soundtrack of the video. I quite enjoyed listening to them after the pain had been reduced by earplugs. This video is not suitable to being published on Facebook who have a censorship policy of female bodies.

Fulu Miziki

I decided not to see the headline on West Holts (Jungle) or the Pyramid (Dua Lipa), or the Other Stage (Idles). The Other stage was the hardest, I love the Idles, and I therefore I missed the Banksy migrant inflatable boat. Instead I watched a short set of Fulu Miziki at Car Henge before popping over to Arcadia for Fatboy Slim.

Fulu Miziki was all I was expecting, a percussion set on mainly odd bits of recycle materials.

Arcadia

I headed over to Arcadia, I had missed Arcadia for a few years, not because of trying but because of the huge crowds and congestion. I was going to get there before the main acts had finished. On the way I paused on the rail track to look at the Other Stage and the Idles. I was tempted to stay but decided to head on to Arcadia.

Arcadia had been refreshed, the dock crane had gone, and instead there was a dragonfly in its place. The flames were still there, and so were the crowds. This is one of many places for dance music, fire and light shows,

The Hive

After Fat Boy Slim, I headed towards the Silver Hayes, in the hope of meeting with Ed, or Jon but found the Silver Hayes area was totally packed out, with no entry signs, I instead managed to find a small stage, The Hive where N’FAMADY KOUYATÉ was performing. I had seen him more than once last year at Glastonbury, and at the Cambridge Folk Festival the year before. He was his usual best.

Now it was back to The Love Fields but stopping by at Carhenge where Fulu Miziki were yet again preforming. This time on a trailer stage which started to move away at the end of their show.

The Hive where N'FAMADY KOUYATÉ was performing

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Glastonbury Festival 2024 – Thursday and Jordan Watson

Posted on June 27, 2024 by SteveDecember 8, 2024

27th June 2024

The day started with a good breakfast at The Love Fields. Lots of tea and coffee, bacon and eggs, cereal, and pastries. As we left, I did notice it was worth eating early, we missed the queues which had built up.

Joe Wicks

First event of the day for us was Joe Wicks. Selina and I joined the crowd to work out for 30 minutes. We didn’t join the queue for the selfie afterwards. There were several hundred exercising, the crowds stretched all the way back to the arch between the Circus and Cabaret fields. While we were exercising, Phil chatted to a couple of Glastonbury volunteers. We kept bumping into them throughout the event, and it wasn’t as if they worked in the Cabaret field.

Greenfields

Afterwards we all headed to Greenfields, which is very crowded on the Wednesdays and Thursdays. It is crowded because the area is running talks, craft tutorials, alternative technologies, and massages, while the main stages are not fully running until Friday. We listened to a talk about Hydrogen power and watched a small rocket being created and fuelled by hydrogen which was electrolysed from water.

A walk around the Stone Circle, exploring the hedges in the hope of spotting the location of the Piano Bar. We did see the dragons in the stream.

Walked around the craft areas, Selina went back at a later time to do some willow work.

Micheal Eavis

We split up, and I saw Michael Eavis on the Park stage singing ‘ My Way’ and others.

Michael Eavis singing at Glastonbury 2024

Jordan Watson at the Terminal

We all joined up again and visited Williams Green. I was always hopeful of hearing Fulu Miziki, but missed them again. We joined this long queue which would take us into this building where we thought there would be a good view of the site. The wait was ages, very slow moving and only a few people let in at a time. I assumed it was Health and Saftey running amock. Turned out that this was an art installation called The Terminal by Jordan Watson. It is an immersive art installation at Glastonbury Festival that parodied the UK’s immigration process. We were required to answer questions from “border force agents” and pass a UK citizenship test to gain entry. The installation featured a repurposed airport terminal with airport seats dotted with spikes, adding to the discomfort and highlighting the challenges faced by immigrants. At one stage we had to remove our shoes and walk over sharp stones.

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Glastonbury Festival 2024 – Wednesday

Posted on June 26, 2024 by SteveDecember 3, 2024

26th June 2024

On Wednesday, I set off to the Glastonbury Festival 2024, I was taking Selina and Phil to the festival. The first time for Phil, the third time for Selina (98, 99, 24) and the fourteenth time for me (98, 99, 09, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 22, 23, 24). The only gap for me was between 1999 and 2009. The other gaps in the years were when Glastonbury had a fallow year or Covid circulated. We were going to be staying at a glamping site called Love Fields.

We set of at 10.30, stopping at Starbucks near Frome, intention of charging the car with some free BP electricity. Alas all chargers were in use. Arrived at The Love Fields just before 2. A note to myself, ignore Google Maps, it will see the holdups on the main roads around Glastonbury, and attempt to find a quicker route, this inevitably will take you down small single-track roads, and roads that are closed to non-residents during the festival.

I had booked a large Ash Yurt at The Love Fields for the three of us. This is in the VIP area, where there is a selection of accommodation at different costs. There are several bars in the VIP area, and other bars outside the VIP area, but still in Love Fields. There are a couple of stages are in the area, with some bands playing both here and in the main Glastonbury festival. I have always wondered if you could come to The Love Fields and not attend Glastonbury Festival.

The yurt came with electricity and double bed for Selina and Phil, and a single for me. Checking in was quick and easy, driving down to the yurt to unload, and then taking the car back the car park. Slight irritation was by the Friday, the parking was full, and some vehicles were parked in the driveways. We picked up our wrist bands and guides from reception. The glamping site is very convenient to the festival. Straight out of Love Fields and you are at Pedestrian Gate C to the festival. It is also not far to walk to the Pyramid stage. Many staying at the festival site would have a longer walk than us.

Not many bands are playing on the Wednesday, it’s an arrival day. We did go for a walk around the site so Phil and Selina could get their bearings. Met up with Ed for a pint at the Stonebridge bar and headed back to Love Fields to watch the fireworks. Missed Mary, she was initially coming to work, but unfortunately her brother had an accident a few days before, so she stayed behind to look after him.

There is an excellent view of the fireworks from Love Fields. We also got to see the drone display, a first for Glastonbury. To see this, we had to be in the upstairs bar in the “Barn”. I had a Negroni here, but timeline is hazy.

Afterward the fireworks I went for a walk around the site, visiting the Avalon bar, the Ribbon Tower, and then I headed over to Woodsies stage to see the new Tree Stage. Then it was back through the Wood, walking through the trees on a platform. Final walk back to Carhenge to see Fulu Miziki. A Congolese band that makes music from rubbish. Somehow missed them, but they are on again. Good to see Car Henge in the dark. Fabulous use of old American gas guzzling icons set up in the formation of Stone Henge. A nod to the origins of the new age travellers influence on Glastonbury. They had been cast out from Stone Henge in the Battle of Beanfield in 1985 .

This Wednesday, the weather was kind. It was sunny and warm. There had been several days break in the wet weather (we had been soaked at Download), and we were not going to receive any rain this weekend. There had been quite a lot of rain in the preceding weeks, but thankfully it had stopped, and the land had dried out to a considerable extent. Unfortunately, in preparation for continued rain, all the main stages had wood chippings laid out. This meant there was no lovely grass to sit down on at the West Holts stage.

It had been a lovely start to Glastonbury Festival 2024