My Glastonbury Adventure 2025: Part 3, 'Make Tea, Not War'.

Odele & Me backstage.

It was Wednesday morning at Glastonbury, the sun was shining, the gates were open, thousands of excited music fans were pouring onto Worthy Farm, and I felt better than James Brown!. I decided it was high time I took a long walk to one of my favourite places which has been in the same spot at Glasto since 1992. It is The Tiny Tea Tent. The people who run it are wonderful and some of them remember me from previous years. It is a great place to sit, have a cup of tea and just watch the world walk by. In past times I used to sit here and write a few postcards but couldn’t be bothered with that this year. 

If you sit outside the Tiny Tea Tent for long enough everyone you know at Glasto will walk by eventually. I got talking to these two Irish guys who were working at the Theatre & Circus Field. It was their first Glastonbury, so they were blown away by it. Then Bob from Nottingham strolled up, other people came and went, and three pleasant hours were wiled away until I decided to move on. Although the main stages didn’t open until Friday there was plenty to see, such as this Australian lady held aloft on a surfboard by four lifesavers while operating about six hula hoops. I bumped into Kate, Kellie, Heidi and Donna and we ended up in a crew bar where the New York Brass Band entertained us for a while (They aren’t really from New York!).

That evening, I met up with Peter, Helen, and their gang by the Ash tree at the back of the Pyramid field for the opening ceremony. Last year they had hundreds of drones flying about. This year they had a 1,000-voice choir of which Odele was one, acrobats, high wire performers and other acts. There were probably 50,000 people in the field, it might have been spectacular on the television, but it all fell a bit flat for me, the choir were un-miked so we couldn’t hear them from the back and couldn’t see much on the big screen. I went back to Tom’s before the end to avoid the rush. 

Opening Ceremony.

Back in Tom’s bar it was great to see Greta’s sister Berna who had just arrived from Dublin. Her journey here had been eventful and hilarious. She had taken a Uber taxi from Bristol airport, but it had dropped her at Gate A instead of miles away at Gate B where she had to pick up her wristbands before the cabin closed at midnight. She ended up getting a lift in the cab of one of those sludge gulping tanker lorries which empty the long drops. She made it in time, so all’s well that ends well.

Heidi Wins!

Thursday was to be a very eventful day for us. Firstly, I’ll tell you about Heidi being on Britain’s most popular radio show. The Vernon Kay show has an average of 6.73 million listeners every weekday morning. It includes a quiz called Ten To The Top in which two people compete against each other, and the one who gets the most answers right wins a smart speaker. They wanted two people who were both at Glastonbury to take part. Heidi applied and was chosen to compete live from our little encampment in Tom’s Field. She was competing against a lady who was camped in the northeast corner somewhere. Although it was Thursday, Heidi had to pretend it was Friday when the BBC Glastonbury coverage began. Heidi was nervous, but she scored 8 points, her opponent only got 2 answers right, so Heidi won! Brilliant. We had to wait until next day to hear Heidi broadcast on the radio.

As with last year I took a walk to the Peace Garden in Kings Meadow for the Peace Ceremony. Although it is nice to get away from the likes of that orange thing in Washington for a few days, everyone is still aware of the horrors going on in Gaza and elsewhere. Nothing has improved since last year. It was nice to see an Israeli and a Palestinian peace activist together on stage appealing for peace. There was also an opera singer from Ukraine who had joined the army, was seriously injured and was now working for peace. He sang Nessun Dorma. I listened from a bench under the shade of a tree and had a chat with a nice London Jewish lady called Debs who was running one of the bars at Glasto. We didn’t really agree about Gaza, but could discuss it without hating each other, which is always a good thing.

Hodmaddodery

After that interlude, I thought I’d go back to the tea tent for a sit down, but I had trouble getting there because it is opposite the Greenpeace Field where they have a death-defying huge slide. There was a girl on the top who had lost her nerve and couldn’t decide to slide or not. Everyone on the walkway stopped to watch, cheer, and encourage her to go. This created a people jam on the road, until finally to a huge cheer she slid, and the crowd dispersed, so I could get my cup of tea and a flapjack. The last few years it has been a tradition with me to go and see an old friend Tony Carter and his mate Steve who are a folk duo called Hodmaddodery and always play on Thursday at 2.00 on the bandstand in the Market Area. I was a bit late this year but caught the last three numbers which were The Well Below The Valley, a song about Down End in Bristol, and a Led Zeppelin song The Battle Of Evermore. They are great, go and see them if you live near Bristol. I went back to base then for a rest because my first work shift was at 6.00. It was really nice to see my fellow Van Morrison fan friend Emer from Dublin who has also been on the recycling team for the past two years.

3 Bin Rats, Kate, Kellie, Me.

Our team all met at 5.30 at our camp and walked down to the Pyramid Stage backstage gate together. Kellie christened our team The Bin Rats. We were Kate (Our Leader), Me, Odele, Kellie, Donna, Russell, Julie, Heidi, Donna & Leon, and a nice couple from Liverpool called Spike and Sharon. The shift was only four hours until 10.00 and the time passed very quickly. There were various jobs to do and Odele and me had the task mainly of making sure the bins in the hospitality area didn’t overflow and change the bin liner bags when they were getting full. Also litter pick anything on the ground. After work ended, I was too tired to do anything else, so just had my first alcoholic drink of the day back at base. I was in bed by midnight. Tomorrow, six days after we arrived at Worthy Farm, the music at Glastonbury 2025 would finally begin!.

Photo by Andrew Allcock.

To Be Continued…………………………….

Oisin Leech, One Hill Further, Acoustic Stage, Glastonbury 2025

My Glastonbury Adventure 2025: Part 4, 'A Chance Encounter'.

Alanis by Anna Barclay.

Friday and Saturday proved to be the worst of days and the best of days for me at Glasto 25. I’ll get Friday out of the way first. It began pleasantly enough. After breakfast our gang gathered around the radio at about 10.30 to listen to Heidi’s triumph ‘live’ from Glastonbury on BBC Radio 2 which was great fun. I called her Radioheid from then on. One of our two Donna’s is a huge Radiohead fan and had their t-shirt on, so I took a photo of them called Radioheid & Radiohead. However, I started to feel quite ill shortly after that. I think it was the heat causing it. It had been nice and warm all week, but by Friday the temperature had reached heatwave proportions. It was almost 30 degrees C, and we Celtic types don’t like it that hot. Even worse, our second shift was from mid-day to 6 O’clock, the hottest time of the day. The music had just started on the Pyramid Stage when we arrived for work. From the backstage area we could hear Supergrass followed by CMAT (who I would have loved to see), Burning Spear, and Lewis Capaldi. The work was fine; I had no problems with that. It was the heat that was doing me in. There was a water point and every time I walked past it, I took my hat off, turned on the tap full blast and stuck my head under it. 

Radioheid & Radiohead.

It was a real relief when me and Odele had a tea break in the shade outside the workers canteen. That seemed to revive me and got me through the shift. I must have walked past dozens of well-known people in the hospitality area, but I’m so out of touch these days I didn’t recognise anyone. I did see one man run up to somebody, shake his hand, and ask for a selfie with him. “Who was that?”, I asked the man when he had walked off. “That’s Tom Ogden from The Blossoms”, he replied excitedly. That meant nothing to me because I had never heard of him. I felt a lot better when the shift ended, and I knew tomorrow would be easier because we were on morning shift before the heat kicked in. Alanis Morissette was just beginning her set when we left backstage. I can’t say she was on my list of must-see acts, but I stopped to listen and quite enjoyed it, and found I recognised some of the songs, especially Ironic because I bought her Jagged Little Pill album a long time ago, although I haven’t played it in years.

After Alanis I headed home because I was starving. Dinner was excellent, Turkish Aubergine with chips, curry sauce, delicious salad, and a nice dessert. Then I enjoyed two cold ciders from Tom’s Bar. My original plan for the evening was to go and see Dhani Harrison, The Searchers last ever gig, and Ani DiFranco because I have an album by her called Red Letter Year that I like. All those plans went out of the window though because I was just too tired to walk down there. I listened to a bit of Biffy Clyro from the back of the field. I didn’t know anything about them, but they did sing a little bit of God Only Knows as a tribute to Brian. A band called The 1975 ended the night, but I was already in my Sleeping bag by the time they came on.

Me & Zoe (Blurred)

I had asked Kellie to give me a shout in the morning, but I was already up and about at 4.30. Compared to Friday I felt great in the cool of the morning and was raring to go and ‘kick some ass’ as they say in America. Take away breakfasts were available at that time of the morning, but I couldn’t be bothered to queue up for a baguette with a vegetarian sausage and an egg in it. The work was a pleasure on Saturday morning. Me and Odele kept busy tidying up the walkway to the Other Stage, then cleared up some of the BBC area. BBC people are very friendly and polite by the way. Then we were asked to tidy up this area that I think is called Moonbow. It is where the A listers stay in futurist looking caravan type things that I think are called Airstreams. I was busy clearing a table outside one of these things when a friendly familiar looking lady emerged from inside and thanked me for what I was doing. We started talking and she apologised for sounding hoarse and said she had lost her voice and had a show to do that day. The penny dropped, and I realised she was a famous BBC radio presenter. She asked my name, and then said, “What’s your friends name?”, looking at Odele a few yards away. “It’s Odele”, I replied, “Odele, come and meet Jo Whiley”. “That’s not Jo Whiley, it’s Zoe Ball”, Odele replied.

“Oh no, sorry I got your name wrong Zoe”, I spluttered.

“Don’t worry, it happens all the time, people are always getting us mixed up”, she said, laughing.

Zoe & Odele (Much better)

Anyway, Odele took a photo of me and Zoe which came out blurry sadly, and I took a photo of them both which is a lot better. Then Kate appeared who had met Zoe the previous year, and Zoe remembered her, so that was another photo opportunity. Finally, Zoe wandered off with this man who smiled at us. When they had gone, I realised he was none other than Zoe’s ex-husband and still best friend Norman Cook better known as the world-famous DJ Fatboy Slim. What nice people they are. The Kaiser Chiefs were on stage when our work finished at mid-day, but I headed straight for the Acoustic Stage. We didn’t have any more work for 34 hours and I was determined to make the most of it. What a fantastic day of music it would turn out to be.

To Be Continued………………………………….

My Glastonbury Adventure 2025: Part 5, 'Rockin' In The Free World'

Neil.

The Acoustic Stage has been my favourite stage at Glasto for decades. Firstly, because it is a huge marquee it protects you from the elements in all weathers. I especially appreciate it in hot weather. If you sit just inside in the shade, you often get the added bonus of a nice breeze. Another reason I like it is because the music is usually suitable for my taste and age group. The final reason is because it isn’t too far from Tom’s field and the Pyramid Stage. I’m getting too old for walking vast distances to The Park Stage and the Avalon Stage these days. 

Lorraine Nash.

When I arrived at 12.20 on Saturday there was a young Irish singer-songwriter on stage called Lorraine Nash. I had never heard of her before. In the programme it said, ‘Traditional Irish multi-instrumentalist adding piquant elements of folk, Country and Americana to her sound’. I thought she was great and will certainly follow her future career. The next act was one of the main reasons I had made a beeline to the Acoustic after work. It was Oisin Leech. I had seen Oisin on this very stage a few years ago when he was part of a duo called The Lost Brothers. It inspired me to buy three of their albums. Last year Oisin took a break from the Lost Brothers and released his first solo album called Cold Sea. It is one of my favourite albums of the past 12 months. At Glastonbury Oisin and his little band treated us to most, or maybe all of that album. I filmed one of the songs One Hill Further and put it on YouTube when I got home. You can see it below if you scroll down. 

Oisin Leech.

Oisin’s excellent set ended with the traditional song Wild Mountain Thyme which many of the audience sang along with. Oisin was to return to the stage later in the afternoon. I’ll tell you about that when I get to it. Sophie B Hawkins was the next act on stage. I knew that she is an American singer and animal rights and LGBT campaigner who had several hits in the 1990s such as Damn, I Wish I was Your Lover, but I can’t claim to be a fan. At Glastonbury she sang re-imagined versions of songs from her Whaler album. She sounded great with a very powerful voice. However, I was hungry, I hadn’t eaten all day, so left to find some food. I got a bowl of lovely pasta just around the corner and sat on some pallets by the entrance to Bella’s Field to eat it. I could hear music and went to investigate. It was a German punk duo called Otto & Astrid- Die Roten Punkte. Astrid played drums and Otto played guitar and sang. 

Otto & Astrid

The song I heard, Otto explained was inspired by Iggy Pop’s I Wanna Be Your Dog, but their song was called I Wanna Be Your Cat. Every verse ended with Meow !. It is incredible what you stumble across at Glasto. Then I hurried back to the Acoustic tent because I wanted to hear the next act called Not Completely Unknown. It was a tribute to Bob Dylan featuring some great musicians and singers including Ralph McTell, Paul Carrack, Sid Griffin, Liam O’Maonlaii and others. I can’t remember all the songs now, but it included Ballad Of Easy Rider, You Ain’t Going Nowhere, Mr Tambourine Man, I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight, One More Cup Of Coffee, One Too Many Mornings and a few others. They were joined at the finale by Oisin Leech for I Shall Be Released. I spotted Peter, Helen, Berna, Robin and some others and told them the tale of the Zoe Ball / Jo Wiley mix up earlier, and said I’d see them near the ash tree for John Fogerty.

John Fogerty 

The crowd was so big around the tree we couldn’t get near enough to it to get any shade, so had to sit under the blazing sun. I was really suffering in the 30-degree heat but was determined to see John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame. He and his great band which includes two of his sons didn’t disappoint and played all the great hits. Starting and ending with my favourite Up Around the Bend, plus Green River, Born on the Bayou, Have You Ever Seen the Rain?, Cotton Fields, Down on the Corner, Fortunate Son, Bad Moon Rising, and Proud Mary among a few others. I started moving towards the back towards the end to make a sharp exit back to Tom’s field and a much-needed shower, the colder the better. It did the trick and revived me for the evening. 

Red Arrows watch Pulp.

There was a mystery band on next called Patchwork and as everyone predicted it was Pulp. I didn’t see them but could clearly hear them from Tom’s. During Common People there was a huge WHOOSH and the Red Arrows aerial display team flew right across the site. That seems to have become a tradition of the last few years.  I chilled out then until the cool of the evening before making my way back down to see the act that I had been looking forward to more than any other. It was Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts. When I arrived at the Pyramid Stage field just before 10.00, I was surprised at how small the crowd was because the last time I saw Neil headline here in 2009 the crowd was vast. That was 16 years ago though, and todays youngsters have probably never heard of Neil Young. 

Neil by Matt Cardy.

I think it is partly clever stage management as well. They don’t want most of the 130,000 ticket holders at one stage and creating a possible crush. So, by having Charli XCX on the Other Stage who oldies like me have never heard of they spread the crowds. Anyway, I think I enjoyed Neil’s performance even more than the 2009 show because he mixed up acoustic Neil more with electric Neil and performed songs from all eras of his long and distinguished career. Right from the opening song Sugar Mountain which is one of the first songs he ever wrote, up to some new songs I hadn’t heard before. This is the setlist from Glastonbury. Sugar Mountain, Be the Rain, When You Dance, I Can Really Love, Cinnamon Girl, Fuckin' Up, Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black), The Needle and the Damage Done, Harvest Moon, Looking Forward, Sun Green, Love and Only Love, Like a Hurricane, Name of Love, Old Man, Encore: Rockin' in the Free World, Throw Your Hatred Down.

I wasn’t interested in trying to get to the front. At the edge of the field, they have these low stone painted benches that I was lucky to find a seat on. About ten minutes into the set this beautiful young woman asked if she could sit here. “Of course you can”, I said making room for her. Then I asked her if she would save my place and look after my drink while I nipped to the loo. When I got back, we started chatting in between the songs. Her name was Anastasia, 30 years of age and she was Greek. She had come to Glastonbury with her uncle who lived in London. He was a big Neil Young fan who had gone right down to the front to watch. Talking to Anastasia made the show even more of a pleasure for me. Anastasia said, “I don’t know this music, but it sounds legendary to me”. So, I think Neil gained at least one more fan at Glasto. Even though he often appears grumpy I think Neil enjoyed playing the show as well. He seems to especially love playing Rockin In The Free World and doesn’t want it to end. That show alone was worth coming to Glastonbury for. It finally did end sadly, and I said cheerio to Anastasia as she went off to find her uncle. I had been awake for nearly 20 hours, but what a great day it had been.

Photo by Tom Widd.

To be continued………………………………

My Glastonbury Adventure 2025: Part 6, 'Glasto Sunday & Manic Monday'

Odele & Me behind the Pyramid.

It is Sunday now and I am writing about the events of only seven days ago, but it is already beginning to seem like a distant memory, so I’m glad I took Jack Kerouac’s advice and always carry a notebook to remind me of what happened. I had a lie-in on Sunday morning after my epic 20-hour Saturday and didn’t emerge until about 10.00. Because of work Heidi and Julie were going home straight after our last shift tonight from 10pm to 2.00 to avoid the traffic chaos on Monday morning. Kate and Kellie decided to do the same thing. I didn’t blame them because we knew Sunday and Monday would remain scorching hot. So, they were all busy on Sunday taking down tents and ferrying their stuff to the car park in order to make a sharp exit after work. Russell kindly said he would give me a lift home on Monday afternoon. 

A shady corner.

In past years I have wandered down to the front of the Pyramid Stage on Sunday for the early acts because it is easy to get to the front before the crowds get too big. I was spotted on the telly a few years ago watching Mavis Staples, and my eagle-eyed niece Lee spotted me another year watching Vieux Farka Toure. This year though when I could hear The Selector playing at 11.15, I wasn’t all that bothered about walking down to see them. I chilled out back at camp until after lunch. Because I had work that night, I didn’t have a single alcoholic drink all day and felt better for it because mixing hot sun and alcohol makes you ill. Eventually, I took a slow walk down Muddy Lane which should be re-named Shady Lane, back to my beloved Acoustic Stage.

Michele Stodart.

When I arrived, I was disappointed to find that I had just missed The Henry Girls from Donegal who I had been looking forward to seeing. However, the next act Michele Stodart made up for that. She and her band were brilliant. Not only has Michele made several solo albums, but she is also a member of The Magic Numbers who I saw at Glastonbury two years ago after my niece Katherine told me not to miss them. I also had the pleasure of meeting her and her brother Romeo backstage after the gig. They are lovely people. Don’t ask what songs she sang because I don’t know, but she was great. I was also very impressed with the next act The Riptide Movement. 

The Riptide Movement

The programme said they are ‘Genre-blurring Dubliners playing a blend of indie, folk, rock and blues’. They only played a 40-minute set but certainly made the most of it. I filmed one song The Old Stomping Ground which you can see below. I think they are the best new Irish band I have heard in quite a while and look forward to hearing more from them in the future. The next act is a soul legend P.P. Arnold. I loved her singles in the late 1960s such as The First Cut Is The Deepest and Angel Of The Morning. A few years ago, I bought her ‘lost’ album The Turning Tide recorded in 1969-71 but not released because her Immediate record label went bankrupt. It was finally released in 2017 to critical acclaim. Van Morrison fans might like to know it contains an excellent version of Brand New Day. 

P.P. Arnold

P.P. Arnold began her career in The Ikettes who were Ike & Tina Turner’s backing group. You can see the influence of Tina with the hairstyle and the moves. P.P had an excellent funky band with her, and played a wonderful set of soulful classics and even had time for tribute songs to Sly Stone and Brian Wilson. I say brilliant too often, but she certainly was. Because of watching P.P. Arnold right to the end, Rod Stewart was well into his ‘Legend’ performance when I arrived. The last time I saw Rod on stage with Ronnie Wood  was 1972 when Rod Stewart & The Faces were at their peak. Rod made some fabulous albums back in the day such as Every Picture Tells A Story and Gasoline Alley, but I don’t think he wears it well these days because his voice isn’t what it was. 

Rod & Ronnie.

When I arrived, he was singing probably my least favourite Rod song Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?. Then he left the stage to change his shirt leaving the backing singers to sing Lady Marmalade. I quite enjoyed the Crazy Horse song I Don’t Want To Talk About It because it was quite emotional when the crowd joined in. This was followed by If You Don’t Know Me By Now featuring Mick Hucknell. I know Rod has had some health issues recently and had postponed some dates which made me think he was winging it by getting others to do some of the singing. I heard later that Lulu joined him to sing another song, but I had left by then. I would have loved to have seen Rhiannon Giddens at 6.30 but couldn’t face another walk in the heat. I wasn’t interested in Nile Rodgers or Noah Kahan either, so just rested before meeting the gang at 9.30 for work.

I forgot to tell you something. The backstage area which the Pyramid Stage and The Other Stage both back onto is called The Interstage. On Saturday when I was litter-picking the hospitality area. This lady came up to me and introduced herself. I can’t remember her name now, but she was the Interstage manager. She said, “I’ve been watching you”. “Oh no,” I thought, what have I done wrong?”. “You have even been picking up the really small stuff, well done, I must say all you recyclers have done a wonderful job”. So that was a feather in our cap!, what a nice lady. Anyway, we all got to the backstage entrance with time to spare on Sunday evening, so watched the first 15 minutes of Olivia Rodrigo’s performance. I didn’t know anything about her, but she looked and sounded sensational. I heard great reports of her show later, and she brought on Robert Smith of The Cure for a couple of duets. 

Olivia Rodrigo.

Work was relatively easy backstage because most people were out front watching Olivia. However, when a firework display heralded the end of her show, I knew it would get busy. Sure enough, minutes later the bars were packed with late night revellers. It did calm down again later, and we had the place spotless again by the end of the four hours. I just had one minor incident when I accidentally threw away somebody’s drink. He shouldn’t have left it unattended on a table full of empties. Luckily the bar staff gave him a free pint, so he was happy. 

The real Jo Whiley, & Robert & Olivia.

After work we said a fond farewell to Heidi, Julie, Kate and Kellie who were homeward bound. Odele headed to the Stone Circle to listen to drumming and watch the sun come up. I headed for my tent where I had a half bottle of brandy. Tom’s Bar had been closed for two hours, but I sat outside drinking brandy and orange squash and had a great chat with these two guys. One was called Sean, and I can’t remember the other one’s name, but he was a Brian Wilson fan. We were trying to decide who were the greatest singers and albums of all time. I finally crawled into my sleeping bag just before sunrise. On Monday morning there was no point rushing because there would be traffic chaos with about 100,000 people trying to leave. Mid-morning I slowly packed my rucksack and left it inside my tent, then went looking for some shade. I chatted with Paula, Bob & Stella and bumped into Jed who I have known for a few years now. He loves Monday’s at Glasto because he goes ‘tatting’. Lots of people do it. It means going around the campsites looking to see what people have left, such as booze. People can’t drink it because they are driving, they don’t want to carry it because it’s heavy, so they leave it for others to enjoy. As with last year, Jed had found a posh campsite where lots of exotic drinks had been left and gave me a big bag of them. I took what I could squeeze into my rucksack, Donna took a couple, and I left the rest at my mate Carpy’s tent. 

Paula, Bob, Stella & friends.

After one last enjoyable lunch I took down my tent and at 3.00 me and Russell who had already made one trip to the carpark loaded up his trolley with my stuff and the rest of his belongings. We said goodbye to Donna and started the long journey to the car. Russell pulled the trolley, and I pushed and tried to hold it all together. I must say that walk in the blazing heat was tortuous, we had overloaded it, and stuff kept falling off. Finally, about halfway we took half of it off and I waited with it while Russell carried on. I sat by the fence to await his return. This lady stopped and asked if I was ok and gave me a bottle of water. Russell soon returned and we got to the car with no more problems. I was surprised how easy it was to get out on the road, and 40 minutes later Russell was helping me carry my stuff to the front door of my house, Thanks mate!. Glastonbury was over for another year. I don’t think I saw as much music as I used to years ago, but Glastonbury isn’t just about music, primarily it is about friendship and people, and I have certainly made a lot of wonderful friends at Glasto. I won’t name them all because I’ll forget someone, but it's the fun and friendship I'll remember.  Lots of my friends live quite locally to me. There isn’t another festival until 2027, so I hope we don’t wait two years before meeting up again.

Happy Daze, Hope we meet again soon. x

THE END

The Riptide Movement. The Old Stomping Ground. Glastonbury 2025

Roy Harper. Glastonbury 2025 (Someone I sadly missed at Glasto)