Glasto – Day 1
Words & Pics By Brenda M Parker
(Day 2 posted tomorrow)
I have to confess that I’m probably not best prepared for this, my inaugural Glastonbury. However, being an actual culchie, I figure that if something happens in a field, I’m sure that some natural instinct will kick in. Either that, or I’ll be trying to herd up the cows.
I get there on Friday. Already people have started to wilt as the audience for Bombay Bicycle Club spills out into the field. It’s like a living, breathing, sweating Urban Outfitters. We head to the Other Stage for Phoenix, in search of summery sounds and are not disappointed. I would say that the problem is that they only really have one gear, which is “jaunty”, which is probably why the singles work better on the radio rather than as a whole set.
Next band on the agenda was Breakestra, out on the West Holts stage. If Phoenix were Sunkist, this lot would be Lilt. They are joined by Chali 2na from Jurassic 5, and the formidable vocals of Aphrodite. People are dancing, the crowd swells as we are treated to a cover of the man in black classic, “Ring of Fire”
It’s time to chill out a bit before the evening, so rather appropriately it is Nouvelle Vague who follow up. When I’ve seen them before, it has been very stylish, the songs delivered with Gallic flair. I don’t know if it is the ubiquity of cover versions thanks to relentless “talent” shows, or because the two girls seem like they’ve had a shandy too many, but it seemed rather like going through the motions.
Later, I take my place for Gorrillaz, and I think It would be fair to say that anticipation was super high, after all the performance by Blur last year surely must be one of the most epic Glastonbury moments in history. But this isn’t Blur, and the majority of people in the audience have only heard Gorillaz singles, so you can perhaps see where this is going. Things start out well, with Bobby Womac’s amazing vocals on Stylo. By the time the Lebanese orchestra come out there are more than a few murmurs of dissatisfaction. The woman beside me asks “do you think Damon is testing us?” Judging by his defiant glare in our direction, I think we’re failing. Nobody wants to be the one who cried “Judas” when Dylan turned electric, but we’re struggling to join this performance up. At one point there’s a dirge-like song about leaving the taps running performed to a video backdrop of whales being killed, and people begin drifting off in search of more lighthearted entertainment.
Those that stay are rewarded with a trio straight out of the nursing home. Shaun Ryder and Rosie Wilson pick things up on DARE, although she gets a bit out of control and Shaun stands there bewildered, looking like he has been using Ian Beale as his fashion muse. Mark E. Smith ambles on, clutching the words on a page in his hand, vehemently spitting out the lyrics to Glitter Freeze. Finally, Lou Reed takes a spot for Some Kind of Nature. I think I feel perplexed, I wonder who will be next… The biggest cheer is for Snoop Dogg as he arrives for Clint Eastwood as if we had earned the singalong song after a rather gruelling set. He is sporting a hairdo that is rather in vogue with primary school girls, and gives a holla out to “Glastonberry”, but I have a soft spot for him. I think this is a performance that time will judge better, either Damon and the Gorrillaz are visionaries and we are sadly lagging behind, or this has become self-indulgent. Did I enjoy it? Yes I did, and I don’t think just because it is the pyramid stage we should expect karaoke classics.
One of the unique features of Glasto is that once the sun sets, there are so many things to do once the bands on the main stage finish. We head up to Shangri-La and Bloc 9 to inspect the weird and wonderful creation there, then end the evening off with a spot of Silent Disco in 3-D. You jump around with headphones on listening to the DJ while looking at a big screen with those funny glasses, in case you were wondering. That’s rather a lot of things to wear on your head at once.
