Friday
I got my ticket for Glastonbury for the first time this year by working in the car parks, Alas, I slept in on ticket release day. As a car park worker by day I was only available in the evenings and missed some big acts. Even so, the event is so disarmingly huge and the sights so diverse, my small slice of it is nevertheless hard to summarise.
My Friday evening mostly consisted of electronic acts, including a very eclectic, if somewhat boring, set from Jamie XX. I also caught the blistering back-to-back techno set from Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann. I also managed to watch Billy Bragg, the ‘punk poet’, whose heartfelt political speeches were well received with the Left Field’s audience, although, apart from the well-known classics, his songs seemed awfully ‘samey’.
Saturday
Saturday’s day’s fun started with Little Dragon. The band offered their brand of electro/indie that everyone came to see them for, playing their better known songs like ‘Ritual Union’, and being pretty much as good I as thought they would be. Dan le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip attracted a crowd far too big to fit in the Left Field’s tent, so I watched their set from halfway outside, while not always completely aware of what was going on, I still got into it; going a bit mad when they did ‘You Will See Me.’ I then ran off to see Bryan Ferry, along with everyone over the age of forty, by the look of it. With a very tight and funky band supporting him, they ran through all the Roxy Music and Ferry solo material that everyone knew and loved. No complaints there.
Sunday
If forced to choose, I’d say Sunday was my favourite day at Glastonbury, despite only seeing two acts. A standout moment for me was watching James Blake on the Park stage, with the sunset creating an otherworldly aura around the audience and stage. With Blake’s sweet tenor vocals, there was a rich sense of melodrama in the air. My Glastonbury experience came to an end at the Other Stage, where Massive Attack played a spectacular set. The band’s high standard of talent was echoed by a high standard of visuals and a huge firework budget.
I might even get out of bed next time.
James Elsey
Image from The Independent
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