Glastonbury 2013

[sirjonnyp]

Julian Temple's amazing documentary is on BBC2 now.


Already wishing I was going.

Funnily enough I watched Glastopia last night, which is a really good follow up. Not as many people seem to know about it though. Got me really hyped for the SE Corner

Ten minutes of it here http://vimeo.com/53345591

[magma]

The closest I've been to backstage is the off-site police holding cells.

Was thinking last night how glad I am to have seen the festival through the whole of the last 15 years... the first two years I went were proper old school insanity. We jumped the fences as did half of the rest of the crowd and the whole festival felt like it'd fall to bits at any moment... there were even people sitting on top of the fences with hammers and chisels felling entire panels for hundreds to run through at a time. It was exciting as FUCK, but dangerous... it's probably a lucky thing (for Glastonbury goers anyway) that the crowd tragedies happened at Roskilde and BDO, but it was inevitable that something had to change.

After the 2001 license fiasco and forced fallow year, the next few years were pretty tame. There was still great electronica around, but it wasn't fully mainstream yet and the guitar lineups were castrated to keep the suddenly-much-smaller crowd from getting too excitable. Sometime during this period the baskets of hash cakes and vodka jellies stopped going through the crowds and, despite it still being a beautiful weekend in the English countryside with some wonderful people; it all became just a tiny bit tame.

Then the storm of 2005 happened. The sun drenched site got destroyed with 3 months rain in the space of 4 hours and it's sunburnt and confused residents either forged on, canoeing through the markets and refinding Glastonbury's mojo within their sodden hearts along the way or went home with their heads dropped swearing to never to return. Stages sunk. Crew got electrocuted. By the time Brian Wilson got onto the Pyramid on Sunday, the sun broke through and tired legs managed to have their first sit down for 3 days, everyone on site was coming back next year. The festival itself almost wasn't ready for the return of the crowd's spirit... thousands of people finished their Sunday night dancing in front of burger vans because their boomboxes were the only things still making noise after the final headliners. I joined a conga line that seemed like it could've stretched the entire festival site.

2007 had another filtering effect. Whereas in 2005, the Weather Gods rewarded everyone for their stamina and loyalty, in 2007 there was no such reprieve. A truly disgusting festival that I'm not sure even the papers really did justice - nobody sat down for 5 days (unless you had the dubious pleasure of sitting in a cell for a bit...) and frankly, the only way to get through was to get completely and utterly munted. So we did. So everyone did. Glastonbury regained a bit of it's "Fuck off, I'd never go to that mudfest!"

Every year since, the crowd and site have grown slightly but deliberately, the festival's started to spread again and it's now big enough to be all things to all people - it's possible to have the Guardian-reader glamping festival, it's possible to take your kids and not have a smackhead throw up on their shoes and it's definitely still possible to forget to see a single band for 5 days because you've been talking to hippies, eating mushrooms and floating in the Dragon pond but more than any time since I started going, it's possible to have four or five nights in a row of blinding nocturnal entertainment... Shangri La and the Block Nine area really feel like a bit of the old festival spirit boiled down into one sordid little corner, it's absolutely wonderful.

tl;dr : I'm still very excited.

[particle-jim]

I just can't fucking concentrate at all today knowing that this time tomorrow I'll be sat in a car headed towards Shepton Mallet

[magma]

here will be a single point of entry from 22.00 in Bella’s Field (opposite the Cabaret Tent), at which point all the normal entry routes during the day (including the old railway line) will become exit only.

Fuuuuuuuuuck, they tried this last time I swear and it was a bloody nightmare. Thousands of people trying to go through one entrance to get to one part rather than scattering along the train lines..

Is that just for Shangri La and The Common now though? With Arcadia now in the Other Field and Glade Lounge running late every night, hopefully the crowds will be split slightly?

Basically, I don't give a fuck what's on, but I'm probably going to head to Shangri La sometime after midnight on Saturday night... half the festival will be at Arcadia for Fatboy Slim and the mystery headliner.

[magma]

I just can't fucking concentrate at all today knowing that this time tomorrow I'll be sat in a car headed towards Shepton Mallet

Serious.

I've got to finish a fairly important document today before I fuck off for two weeks and I can't even bring myself to open Word. I want to be there tomorrow like you and my brother!

[particle-jim]

I think I only have one thing that NEEDS to be done before I go, the rest can wait till next week, massive cba

[Johnlenham]

here will be a single point of entry from 22.00 in Bella’s Field (opposite the Cabaret Tent), at which point all the normal entry routes during the day (including the old railway line) will become exit only.

Fuuuuuuuuuck, they tried this last time I swear and it was a bloody nightmare. Thousands of people trying to go through one entrance to get to one part rather than scattering along the train lines..

Is that just for Shangri La and The Common now though? With Arcadia now in the Other Field and Glade Lounge running late every night, hopefully the crowds will be split slightly?

Basically, I don't give a fuck what's on, but I'm probably going to head to Shangri La sometime after midnight on Saturday night... half the festival will be at Arcadia for Fatboy Slim and the mystery headliner.

Oh yeaaaahh. keep forgetting its has been moved!
I hope so then, though fatboy slim was sick when i saw him 3 (?) years ago. Had just got dark and people were throwing glow in the dark stuff everywhere then it all went pitch black and some guy set off a flare in the tent! was amazing
So is there many people left TBA?

Works going at an ok pace so far, Im not in tomorrow but I have to sort out the tent and all that bollocks.

[magma]

I think I've seen enough FBS to last me a life time, but you just never know where you'll end up at Glastonbury... I think that's the one thing I'll definitely try to avoid, but I'll probably find myself down the front dancing shamelessly to big beat. Strangely, the only fight I've ever seen at Glastonbury was during a FBS gig in the old Dance Tent in 2000.

I've heard a very shaky rumour about Jurassic 5 appearing somewhere. If that happens, SOMEONE TELL ME.

[magma]

I just can't fucking concentrate at all today knowing that this time tomorrow I'll be sat in a car headed towards Shepton Mallet

Serious.

I've got to finish a fairly important document today before I fuck off for two weeks and I can't even bring myself to open Word. I want to be there tomorrow like you and my brother!

I've managed to open Word now. Only took 3 hours.

[particle-jim]

I just can't fucking concentrate at all today knowing that this time tomorrow I'll be sat in a car headed towards Shepton Mallet

Serious.

I've got to finish a fairly important document today before I fuck off for two weeks and I can't even bring myself to open Word. I want to be there tomorrow like you and my brother!

I've managed to open Word now. Only took 3 hours.

I've procrastinated for so long that the one thing I needed to get done has increased somewhat significantly... still haven't started it though

[magma]

I haven't written anything in Word yet, but it IS open.

[particle-jim]

I have a big stack of receipts to process, the fact I'm the only one in the office at the moment certainly isn't helping my motivation to get it out of the way

[magma]

Why do I never remember to book train tickets in advance? £65 return!

[AxeD]

What is this about people not sitting down? Don't you guys bring camp chairs?
That's always been my most valuable possession at festivals Guard it with my life.

Staying in a hotel for Exit though, after hearing about average temperatures of 30c.
Thinking about buying a camping ticket anyway, to still experience that vibe.

[Johnlenham]

Black bags work a treat!

[magma]

I've been on the campchair flex ever since 2005, I have to admit but 2010 they didn't even leave the campsite, I don't think. As long as the ground's dry it seems a bit selfish to clog up the stages with chairs... you would've had to fight me for it in 2011 though!

[magma]

I think I've finished the last bit of urgent work I needed to do before I leave.

Train tickets booked.
New tent pegs bought.

2 and a half hours to kill now...

[particle-jim]

I think I've finished the last bit of urgent work I needed to do before I leave

Same

[particle-jim]

actually scratch that, another pile of receipts just got dumped on my desk, sweet

[magma]