My Glastonbury 2023: Part 3, Never Mind The Strangers.

The Park, tidied by us!

I usually crawl out of my tent at Glastonbury all bleary-eyed and goopy, but this year on Friday morning I awoke at 5.00 fresh as a daisy, bright eyed and bushy tailed and raring to go. That was because I hadn’t had any alcohol at all on Thursday which might be a first for me in all the years I have gone to Glastonbury. The music would begin on the main stages today, but first there was the small matter of our second shift of litter-picking. I didn’t bother with breakfast, so after a quick wash and a cup of tea I got my gloves and litter-picking stick and set off on a brisk walk down Muddy Lane, across the market area and up to the tree in the Greenpeace field where we met our new team leader Millie. 

A rest near Strummerville.

I have been on the recycling team since 2005 and I think Millie is one of the best team leaders we have ever had. She is a brilliant organiser, and also joins in with the work, not just give orders. We soon had Greenpeace spotless and headed up to the Stone Circle field. Here, Millie got us in a line against the hedge and we set off across the field. It was like the start of the Grand National. There were still hundreds of people around the Stones who had been partying all night long, but we picked our way around them and soon had the Stone Circle looking pristine. After that, we made our way through Strummerville which is an area dedicated to Joe Strummer of The Clash who always went to Glastonbury and had a campsite that was legendary. Then worked our way across the top fields, down past the Tipi village, into the Park and up to the Glastonbury sign at the top of the hill. We were so brilliant; all our area was finished by 11.00. Shortly afterwards the office announced that the early morning litter pick was completed all over the site. Millie gave us more meal tickets and we were signed off for the day.

I'm an angel.

After lunch I was keen to hear some music. In the distance I could hear The Master Musicians of Joujouka who were the opening act on the Pyramid Stage. They are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians from the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco who were brought to widespread international attention by Brian Jones in the 1960s. I have seen them before at Worthy Farm, one magical day in about 1980 when Michael Eavis used to hold occasional little gatherings which had no publicity, it was just by word of mouth that people knew what was happening. As I approached the Pyramid Stage the music got louder and louder, but by the time I reached the barrier at the front their set had ended, so sadly I didn’t actually get to see them. As I was here, I thought I would hang about to see what the next act would be. Also, being right at the front there is always a chance of being on the telly, which has happened to me in previous years, such as when I watched Mavis Staples a few years ago 😊. It was really hot by now, so I asked a security man on the other side of the barrier for some water and he gave me a pint of water. I must have drunk gallons of water over the next few days.

The next act was Maisie Peters. I had never heard of her before. It said in the programme she was a versatile singer-songwriter whose second album The Good Witch was released today on Ed Sheeran’s Gingerbread label. She was very nice looking and reminded me a bit of Olivia Newton-John and a very confident young lady, strutting around the stage like she owned the place. After a couple of songs though I soon tired of it and began to wonder how she had managed to get on the world-famous Pyramid Stage. Near me somebody was waving this huge flag around which said MAISIE PETERS in great big letters. The cameras kept showing this flag on the big screens, and it dawned on me that her record label had probably made the flag, and her appearance was probably paid for by her management. I decided to head for the Acoustic Stage and hear some real music. (PS, Two weeks later I am thinking that I was a bit harsh on Maisie. I see her album is top of the charts. If it wasn't my kind of music, thousands of other people obviously enjoyed it, so apologies to Maisie.)

Berna, Gretta, Paul, Scilla, Peter, Helen.

Sadly, I had missed Allison Russell who I was looking forward to seeing, but they had put her on too early at 12.10. Martin Stephenson & The Daintees were performing when I arrived. They have been going since the 1980s and are a kind of folk-jazz indie type band with a Celtic flavour. They sounded very good, but I couldn’t possibly tell you what the songs were. Sitting on the grass outside the bar I spotted my friends Peter, Helen, Gretta, Paul, Berna & Scilla. I got to know Peter about ten years ago sitting around the fire in Tom’s field, and since then have become friends with his wife Helen, His friend Paul and wife Gretta, and Gretta’s sister Berna. We were all on the same team this year. Gretta & Berna are Irish and really good fun. Scilla is Helen’s mother, and she is amazing, ten years older than me and still going to festivals, an inspiration.

The Mary Wallopers.

The next band were one of my great discoveries of Glasto 23 The Mary Wallopers. They are an Irish folk band based in Dundalk. If you like music by bands like The Clancy Brothers and The Pogues then you will love the Mary Wallopers. The songs have a lot of humour, but also very political, anti-capitalist and anti-British establishment. I couldn’t tell you what the songs were called, but one song was about a rich man who went to hell. All the lines in the song ended in ium, so the rich man went to hell and ordered a whiskey & sodium, and the devil said, “This isn’t a fecking hotelium”. They were brilliant ! The next act was Seth Lakeman who you may remember I saw In Frome last year. He is a multi-instrumentalist folk singer from Cornwall and one of three notable musician brothers. He played a very nice set of laid-back music which might have gone over the heads of some of this festival crowd. Seth is very busy at the moment because he fitted this Glastonbury appearance in with touring as part of Van Morrison’s band. He played at the Royal Albert Hall with Van only a few days after Glasto. 

Seth Lakeman.

I headed back to base next to get something to eat, also something warm for the evening because I knew it would get cold later, so I missed Newton Faulkner. As I passed the Pyramid Stage Texas were playing, but I wasn’t that impressed. I wasn’t really a fan even in the 1990s when they were at their height. After dinner I put on my Irish rugby shirt for the evening and hurried back down. There was a mystery band announced called The Churn-ups. It turned out to be The Foo Fighters. I listened to a bit of it from the back, but had heard it all before in 2017, and I was keen to see two of my favourite acts. I was quite impressed with Irish singer Gavin James when I caught about 15 minutes of his show. I don’t know much about him. But will listen to more.

Gavin James.

The first act I really wanted to see was Steve Earle who I think is one of the all-time greats. It was surprisingly easy to get right to the front for Steve. He didn’t have his band The Duke’s with him, just himself, guitars and harmonica, but he put on a great show. I was hoping Sharon Shannon would join him for Galway Girl, but that didn’t happen. He paid a very nice tribute to his late son Justin Townes Earle who I saw play on this very stage only a few years ago. It was a great set of songs including some of my favourites such as The Pogues song If I Should Fall From Grace With God, My Old Friend the Blues, Guitar Town, Mr Bojangles by Jerry Jeff Walker, Harlem River Blues by Justin Townes Earle, Galway Girl, Copperhead Road and many others that I can’t remember now. It was a wonderful performance. 

Steve Earle.

My last band of the night was one of my all-time favourite Irish groups The Saw Doctors, all the way from Tuam in County Galway. I have seen them at Glasto quite a few times, but not for several years. I was very tired after a long day, but their infectious happy music energises you. We were dancing and singing along at the top of our voices. They sang some of my favourite songs such as Exhilarating Sadness, Red Cortina, Joyce Country Ceili Band, Share the Darkness, I Useta Lover, Green and Red of Mayo, To Win Just Once, Clare Island, Never Mind the Strangers, Tommy K, That's What She Said Last night, N17, Hay Wrap and some others that I didn’t know the names of. It brought a great day to a close. 

Saw Doctors.

For the second day running I hadn't had a single drink, and I don't think I could have enjoyed myself more even if I had. As we walked back up Muddy Lane I could see The Artic Monkeys playing in the distance, but I wasn’t interested. We were still singing Saw Doctors songs as we made my way back home “Never mind the strangers, 'cause I'll always be your friend, until the end”. I crawled into my sleeping bag and fell fast asleep. Another exciting day at Glastonbury was only a few hours away.

To be continued………………………

My Glastonbury 2023: Part 2, Love & Peace, Old Friends, & Old Cars.

Deepak Chopra

It was Thursday morning at Glastonbury. I didn’t have any work today, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and all was good. The gates had now been open for 24 hours and there were about 200,000 people on site. Although the music didn’t start on the big stages until Friday there were already events happening all over the site. After breakfast I took a long slow walk to the Park Stage where I had arranged to meet up with Odele. 

At 11.00 there was a guided meditation for thousands of people led by Deepak Chopra. In case you haven’t heard of him, he is an Indian / American best-selling author of books on alternative medicine, mindfulness, and healing. He was very influenced in his early days by meeting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and discovering Transcendental Meditation. He became famous after appearing on television with Oprah Winfrey. It was a wonderful experience to take part in this event which gave a great feeling of peace, unity, and togetherness in the audience. I was so inspired that I resolved not to drink any more alcohol for at least three days until I had finished my shifts at work on Sunday. You don’t really need booze to have a good time, and also it could make you quite ill in the hot sun.  I hope next year they might get Eckhart Tolle to lead a similar event, especially since Eckhart used to live in Glastonbury town before he moved to Canada and wrote The Power Of Now.

Louise Stewart Daisy (Pure LSD)

After the meditation, we took part in the Peace Procession which was led by large puppets, flags and CND banners from The Park to Kings Meadow by the Stone Circle where 10,000 people formed the world’s biggest peace sign while a helicopter hovered above taking aerial pictures of the scene. There was a group of Mexican Indians there performing a ceremony as well. Their leader looked like an Aztec in his strange garb. The crowd then moved to a small stage where Deepak said a few more words. Then a poet called Louise Stewart Daisy (Aka Pure LSD) recited a long moving poem about peace accompanied by some strange beguiling atmospheric music. 

Highwire.

As she spoke, a man walked across a highwire 40 feet up in the air without even a safety net, just carrying a long pole for balance. When he reached the middle of the tightrope, he started performing head stands. It was truly awesome to behold. Finally, he reached the other side to the cheers and relief of the audience. When this mind-boggling experience ended, me and Odele had a little chat with Louise Stewart Daisy and had a photo taken with her. She told us that she was staying and appearing in the Tipi Field. What a nice lady she is.

Human Peace Symbol.

After that me and Odele went our separate ways. She wanted to see something else, and I wanted to catch an old friend Tony who was appearing on the Bandstand in the market area at 2.00. I have known Tony for about 40 years since he lived near me in Trowbridge. He lives in Bristol these days, but I always catch up with him at Glastonbury. He plays with his friend Steve in a folk duo called Hodmadoddery. By 2.00 it was scorching hot, but luckily, I managed to find a shady spot by the side of the Bandstand to listen to their set. I stayed for the whole performance. 

Hodmadoddery.

I think the first song was called Ladies of Spain, Other songs included Dylan’s Girl From The North Country, Painting Box by the Incredible String Band, Deep Blue Sea, Will Ye Go Lassie Go?, Roy Harper’s Tom Tiddler’s Ground and many others including their own songs which I can’t remember the names of now.. If you like bands like ISB or Tir Na Nog I think you would love Hodmadoddery, and if you live in the Bristol or Bath area then I urge you to see them. I took a few photos and had a chat with Tony afterwards who introduced me to Steve. I said I’d like to buy their CD. Tony wouldn’t accept any money and he very kindly gave me a free copy of their CD which I am listening to right now as I write this. It is excellent, and I might review it on my blog page before too long. Tony said they were playing again at the Avalon Café & Toad Hall, but I didn’t catch those gigs.

Carhenge.

I wasn’t bothered about what I saw after that. I wandered up to William’s Green and had a look at Carhenge which is an amazing structure built from 24 iconic vintage cars. There has been a Carhenge previously at Glastonbury in 1987. Thatcher’s nasty government had banned people from holding the Stonehenge summer solstice festival, so the Mutoid Waste Company built their own replica of Stonehenge at Glastonbury out of scrap cars. Their leader, the underground visionary designer Joe Rush has gone on to be world famous. On the Glasto website it says, ‘Carhenge is a tribute to the pillars of Counterculture and the free festival movement, the heroines and heroes from the margins of society, the non-conformists, punks, and visionaries whose courage and energy has shaped our culture from the underground out. From Quentin Crisp, pioneer of the trans community and author of The Naked Civil Servant, and legendary rock’n’roll guitarist, Chuck Berry, to fashion and environmental icon, Vivienne Westwood, and Hawkwind’s pioneering Sax player Nick Turner, who sadly passed away this year’.

After that I was getting hungry and tired, so wandered back to base. Thursday night is the traditional recycler’s party. I usually go to it because Michael Eavis always used to come along to thank everyone for their efforts. He hasn’t enjoyed the best of health recently, so I didn’t expect him to attend. Also, I wasn’t drinking and wanted an early night to make sure I was up for work in the morning. I was asleep before the sun had set over Avalon. I had now been on site for five days, and finally on Friday the music on the main stages would begin, and what an incredible day of music it would turn out to be.

To be continued…………….

Avalon Sunset.

My Glastonbury 2023: Part 1, Return To Avalon.

Our recycling team.

It was Sunday morning, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it was time once again to set off for Glastonbury Festival. My first Glasto was 1979 and even after 44 years of going to the worlds best festival I still get excited, barely able to sleep the night before. Kate messaged me at 1.00 and said they would meet me at Morrison’s car park in Westbury in 10 minutes. I really fell on my feet when I met Kate & Donna. I used to have to catch the train to Castle Cary, then the shuttle bus, then a long walk across the vast site carrying my heavy rucksack and tent, but now thanks to them I get driven all the way there, through the entrance onto Worthy Farm and all the way to the Recyclers crew campsite at Tom’s Field. I am extremely grateful.

Donna & Kate.

Donna is a great driver, and it only took about 40 minutes to get from Westbury to the site at Pilton. The gates don’t open to the public until Wednesday, but there are about 30,000 workers at Glastonbury including 2,500 on the recycling team. Even so we were surprised at how busy Tom’s Field was already on Sunday. I had treated myself to a brand-new tent this year from Lidl (£69) and was a bit concerned that I wouldn’t know how to put it up, but with a bit of advice from Kate I soon had it sussed out, threw in my rucksack and sleeping bag and was relaxing with a can of cider by 5.00. Brilliant, job done!. 

Kellie.

Then I went to the office to register for work and collect meal tickets, gloves and my new recyclers veteran’s t-shirt. The following day our little encampment was joined by Kellie, originally from Essex but now living in Frome. It was her first Glastonbury, but she took to it like a duck to water. She is a great character, and we all became great friends over the next week or so. On Tuesday our group was complete when my friend Odele arrived. I met Odele ten years ago, the Rolling Stones year and we have met up at every Glasto since then.

Odele.

Most of the big public bars weren’t open yet, but there are crew bars dotted all over the site behind the main stages, so on Sunday evening me, Kate, Donna and Kate’s friend John went for a long walk to the crew bar at Arcadia. It was great in there. The part we went to had little alcoves where you could sit. You could almost think you were in a traditional English pub and not in a field on a farm in Somerset. It was very pleasant but after about three pints I got restless and thought I’d go for a wander on my own. In the market area I was surprised to see that the Bread & Roses Saloon was already open. It is a great spot for sitting outside and people watching. I sat there for about an hour talking to complete strangers and watching the world go by. Finally, I thought I’d have a wander to my favourite crew bar at the Acoustic Stage because I thought I might bump into some old friends, you never know who might be hanging about. I can vaguely remember talking to people, but I don’t know what about. In the end I decided I had drunk enough for one day and walked slowly back up Muddy Lane to Tom’s field, crawled into my sleeping bag and was fast asleep by 1.00.

Nearly ready.

On Monday morning I was awoken at 5.30 by the sound of cows mooing from a big barn nearby. It’s wonderful and reminds you that we are actually on a working dairy farm. Most of the cows go on holiday for the duration of the festival and sometime afterwards to surrounding farms. Some stay though and are kept in a huge barn known as the Pilton Mootel. I was starving hungry because I’d only had a bag of chips at Arcadia the night before. I made my way to the workers marquee and ate a hearty breakfast, vegetarian of course. Then packed my little backpack with all I might need for a day’s walking and set off for a lazy long walk all over the huge site. As in previous years my first stop was at the Tiny Tea Tent which has been in the same spot since 1992. It’s always nice to sit here and watch all the comings and goings. The Greenpeace Field opposite was a hive of activity with workers feverishly putting final touches to the various structures. It got a bit dusty with all the vehicles driving by that corner, so I made my way to the more bucolic peaceful surroundings of King’s Meadow, the Stone Circle and the Peace Garden, perfect for a spot of mindfulness and meditation. 

At the Stone Circle.

It was getting hot. To the left of the Stone Circle is my favourite oak tree which I enjoyed sitting in the shade of for an hour or so. I got chatting with this Irish man from County Sligo and asked him what he was doing at Glastonbury. He said he was setting up the secret Piano Bar. I told him that I had heard about the Piano Bar, but had never been in it, and asked where it was. He said, “You see that metal fence over there by the hedge, well, go through that gap in the fence, and you’ll find it”. I meant to check it out later, but never did. Maybe next year. I was out walking until late afternoon until I got hungry again. 

Dog made from cars.

Back in Tom’s Field the bar was open, so I had a couple of cold ciders and dinner at 6.00. That evening a gang of us went to the Acoustic crew bar. Kate bought me a drink which some woman immediately knocked over and didn’t buy me another one, but I didn’t get angry because this is Glastonbury. There was some quite heavy rain on Monday night. It didn’t bother me though. I like the sound of rain on my tent, it lulls you to sleep, as long as it doesn’t come into your tent. My new tent did its job perfectly and didn’t leak. Tuesday was another glorious sunny day which passed in much the same fashion as Monday. Tuesday evening was the annual recyclers Quiz run by Bronwyn from the office. Our team as in previous years were The Glastafarians. Team members were me, Odele, Peter, Paul, Berna, Orla, & Robin, We were previous winners, and have always come first or second, but for some reason this year was a disaster. We only got 14 points and came nowhere. I was disgusted with our performance and resolved to do lots of revision before next year to restore our reputation. 

Working above the tipi field.

I went to bed early Tuesday night because my first shift at work was on Wednesday morning at 10.00. I’ll tell you more about the work in a future instalment. Sufficient to say that the first shift went really well. It was easy because the gates were only opened to the public on Wednesday morning, so there wasn’t much litter to pick up. Basically, it was just a long walk. A packed lunch was sent out to us in the fields. Work ended at 4.00, we were given more meal tickets and told to meet at the Greenpeace Field on Friday at 6.00 in the morning. As I curled up in my sleeping bag on Wednesday night and drifted off into peaceful slumbers little did I realise was a fabulous day Thursday would turn out to be. The magic of Glastonbury was about to begin!

Mexicans at Glastonbury.

To Be Continued……………..