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

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

The Riptide Movement. The Old Stomping Ground. Glastonbury 2025.

Gone To Glastonbury.

 My home for the next 9 days.

My Glastonbury Festival Memories: Chapter 1, 1979

Chapter 1. 1979, Year of The Child. 

As Glastonbury is coming up again soon I thought I'd dust off my old Glastonbury stories.

My first Glastonbury was 1979. I was 27 years old. I had been going to festivals since I was twenty. My first festival was The Great Western Festival near Lincoln in 1972, but when I went to Glastonbury for the first time I knew that it was the best and I have been going to Worthy Farm ever since. In total, I think I must have spent about six months of my life at Glastonbury festival. I think we were in the Canal Tavern in Bradford On Avon and somebody said that there was a festival to be held down at Pilton. We needed cheering up because a month before on May 5^th there had been an election and Margaret Thatcher had come to power and a pestilence had descended on the land. It started at Thatcher and spread outwards. The Conservatives held on to power for another 18 years, but Glastonbury Festival was to be a beacon of hope in all the misery that was to come. On the sunny evening of Friday June 21^st, 1979, I got on the back of my friend Fred’s motorbike and we set off for Pilton. We didn’t even take a tent. In those days, we called a sleeping bag a Doss-bag. You just rolled up your doss-bag and tied it up with string and slung it over your shoulder. That was all I took to my first Glastonbury. I think when it got time to sleep I just curled up around a campfire and if it rained there was a crash tent up near the market area. When we arrived, the entrance was right up at the top of the site near the farmhouse. Standing at a table collecting the £5.00 admission was this girl who was topless. All she had on was a pair of shorts and a big smile.

 “Crikey”, I thought to myself, “I’m going to enjoy this”, as I handed her my fiver and tried not to stare.

In those days the small market area of craft stalls and food outlets was at the top of the site as well and we wandered down there towards the main stage. The whole of the valley could then be seen leading away to Glastonbury Tor in the distance. It looked beautiful and the whole scene seemed peaceful compared to other outdoor music events that I had been to. I could immediately feel that there was something special about this place, something spiritual, ancient, healing and mysterious especially with the view of the Tor in the distance, enveloped in the myths and legends that surround Glastonbury.

That festival was one of the few occasions I can remember when they didn’t have the famous Pyramid Stage. The other time was in 94 when it burned down shortly before the festival and wasn’t replaced till 2000. In 79 the stage was a square sort of thing with what looked like an inflatable roof. I think there were about 12,000 people there in 1979 and it was so small and friendly that you got to know quite a few of them by Monday morning. These days at Glastonbury everybody has a phone and are twittering and Face-booking non-stop but in 1979 amazingly there wasn’t one single phone on the site. To make a phone call you had to walk into the village of Pilton and use the public phone box. That’s what I loved about this festival, being cut off from the outside world in this little cosmic bubble of Glastonbury. The information point got covered in little hand-written notes of people looking for their friends but there was no real need even for that. If you walked around for half an hour you would meet everyone you knew.

It was still called Glastonbury Fayre in 79 and was in aid of the International Year of The Child and the Children’s World Charity. That charity was founded by Arabella Churchill and is still going to this very day. Arabella was the grand-daughter of Sir Winston Churchill and was a real driving force at Glastonbury. As well as organising the theatre and cabaret in 79 she introduced the Children’s area to the site which evolved into the Kidz-field of today. A lot of festivals don’t cater for children but that is another thing that makes Glasto so great in that it isn’t ageist. You get all ages from little kids to pensioners and everyone gets on fine. Arabella is remembered today on the site because Bella’s Bridge is named after her. Arabella was quite a character. My partner Kim and I met her one magical night in 1999 but I’ll tell you about that when I get to it. Another thing I ought to mention is that there was a tiny medical centre there which was run by the local doctor whose name is Chris Howes. As Glastonbury has grown it has developed into Festival Medical Services and is the biggest field hospital in Britain and also provides medical services for other festivals and events as well.

A major difference to today’s festivals is that these days there are bars all over the site but in 79 I can’t remember there being any. The only booze available was from a wagon which sold rough farmhouse cider in gallon plastic containers. It was smelly and tasted horrible but people including me still forced it down. Another difference to today’s festival as well is that there were no teams of people picking up the rubbish. I think everyone just took responsibility for their own area. There was probably some tidying up to do afterwards but compared to the scenes of devastation these days it was nothing. Also, in the early days at Glastonbury there was a huge supply of firewood provided, so there were campfires all over the site. By Sunday night I think most people had put all their rubbish apart from plastic on the campfire which cut down on the amount of waste. The campfires were great for bringing people together, there is something magical about a campfire, primitive communities have gathered around fires since the dawn of civilisation. It is that sense of togetherness that is missing in modern society. How times have changed. In 2017 I saw a market stall selling little bags of firewood for £8.00, nobody would pay that, would they? People wouldn’t dream of abandoning their tents back then either. Tents were expensive, they were too valuable compared to today’s cheap throwaway society. One final difference is that these days there are cash machines everywhere for instant access to money. At Glasto 79 most people were completely broke by Sunday night and there was a lot of scrounging of cigarettes, tobacco & food going on. Nobody seemed to care, everyone shared what they had.

And so, to the music. I could look through the archives and tell you who was on but that would be cheating. Because this is a personal memoir I will just tell you about who I can personally recall which isn’t all that much I’m afraid because it is so long ago in the mists of time and I can’t really remember who played on which day. One band I do remember were called The Only Ones. They had a minor hit around that time called Another Girl/Another Planet which was good. I remember Steve Hillage as well because I had one of his albums. The only song of his I can recall was his version of the Donovan song Hurdy Gurdy Man. Steve must have played last on either Friday or Saturday because the organiser Michael Eavis came on stage to ask them to stop playing as he had made an agreement with the villagers to end the electric music at midnight and it was now 12.30. Steve dutifully brought the set to an end after explaining it to the audience. Steve Hillage was to have quite an influence on the development of Glastonbury in subsequent years.

Although the weather was nice that weekend I think there was some rain because I have a vague memory of John Martyn playing and the rain dripping onto the stage through the leaky roof. I wasn’t all that familiar with his music at the time, but I have read somewhere Michael Eavis saying it was the most moving performance he had ever seen at Glastonbury and brought tears to his eyes. I did have a chance encounter with John Martyn many years later at Glastonbury, but I’ll tell you about that later as well. Sunday night was my best memory of all. There was a big jam session featuring amongst others, Pete Gabriel, Alex Harvey, Tom Robinson, Nona Hendryx and Steve Hillage. People told me later that it was Phil Collins on drums, but I didn’t recognise him at the time. Songs from that set I remember were Pete singing Solsbury Hill, him and Tom Robinson singing Bully For You and Alex Harvey singing a song called The Mafia Stole My Guitar. The festival ended with someone called Tim Blake playing synthesisers accompanied by a laser beam display.

Review: Remembering Now by Van Morrison.

I am very grateful that we still have a local record shop in our area because they are becoming a thing of the past. So, on Friday I rushed over to Raves From The Grave in Frome to pick up my copy of Remembering Now. My first thought on holding the CD in my hand was, “What a boring cover”, no expense had been entered into with the sleeve design. Whoever designed the cover must have thought, “Hmm, Van Morrison, Autumn leaves, that will do”. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been designed by AI. Anyway, as they say you shouldn’t judge a book by the cover, and that applies to music albums as well, because I hope I’m not being carried away here with enthusiasm after four listens, but I think this is possibly the most satisfying Van Morrison album since Hymns To The Silence 35 years ago. In a song on that album On Hyndford Street Van said,” It’s always being now, it’s always now”, and in Take Me Back Van sang of being in the eternal now, In the eternal moment. In subsequent years although Van made some excellent albums, I think he gradually lost his spiritual muse as time went by, especially during lockdown, a period that is best forgotten. He is spiritually reborn on this new album and remembering that NOW is the only time that exists. This new album is the work of someone who appears finally to be at peace with himself.

Crawford Bell.

The opening track Down To Joy will be quite familiar to most Van fans by now as it featured in the 2021 Kenneth Branagh film Belfast. As on most tracks it features Van’s regular musicians Richard Dunn, Stuart McIlroy, Dave Keary, Pete Hurley and Colin Griffin. I especially like the backing vocals of the late Crawford Bell with Dana Masters, and Kelly Smiley. The album is dedicated to the memory of Crawford Bell who sings on all but one of the songs. I loved the Crawford Bell singers when they performed on stage with Van, especially on such songs as I Can’t Stop Loving You by Ray Charles who just happens to be the subject of the next song If It Wasn’t For Ray. I think it is one of the lesser songs here. We all know what a huge influence Ray was on Van, but I don’t like the chugga chugga rhythm and find the lyrics a bit simplistic and cliched. A medley of verses from Ray’s songs might have been a better tribute. 

Haven’t Lost My Sense Of Wonder is much more uplifting. After being though the mill Van is now singing peace be still. The languid Hammond organ and piano playing of John McCullough are perfect on this pastoral song which would have fitted nicely on any 1980s Van album. For Love, Lover & Beloved Van put music to words he found in a book by Michael Beckwith founder of the Agape Church. I bet Rev Beckwith will be playing this every Sunday to his congregation. The string arrangements on this track and six others are by Fiachra Trench. Van has worked with Fiachra in the past on such great albums as Avalon Sunset and Poetic Champions Compose. 

Strings Maestro Fiachra Trench.

I think their welcome reunion adds a rich flavour to the album, and congratulations to the Fews Ensemble led by Joanne Quigley who play the strings. The radio friendly catchy Cutting Corners is one of three songs co-written with lyricist Don Black. I think that Van is a much greater lyricist than Don Black could ever hope to be, but I like this song with Van’s sax playing and Dave keary’s guitars. The violin playing of Seth Lakeman is also a welcome addition. A very cheerful sounding Van is Back To Writing Love Songs on the next track which is enlivened by Dave’s 60’s style guitar playing. The Only Love I Ever Need Is Yours is another Don Black collaboration. Fiachra’s strings and Van’s heartfelt vocals come into their own on this short but soulful ballad. I don’t like Once In A Lifetime Feelings all that much, mainly because of Don Black’s insipid lyrics which just don’t fit happily with Van in my opinion. Even Seth’s violin playing can’t improve this lesser track. Stomping Ground by contrast sounds just like the authentic, genuine, real, Van that we know and love. Van takes a walk down the mystic avenues of his old Belfast haunts accompanied by the lush strings, Hammond organ and piano. Van’s saxophone never sounded better. 

The Fews Ensemble.

The mystical mood is continued with Memories And Visions. Memories, Dreams & Reflections by Carl Jung came into my head while listening to this wonderful song. Van finds equilibrium while being in communion with the spirit of nature. Van’s voice combined with the organ, piano, acoustic guitar and sublime backing singers make this an outstanding song which you want to hear again and again (Listen to song below). When The Rains Came doesn’t quite reach the same heights for me but is still an excellent song. ‘I saw you standing’ is a phrase Van has used many times before, such as in When The Leaves Come Falling Down (which brings us back to the sleeve design), In The Garden, Ancient Of Days, and The Healing Has Begun. All songs from a golden era in Van’s career when he was in the presence of the Now, which he is remembering now. I can imagine that this song stretched out in live performance would be a spellbinding showstopper. 

Sadly, I feel that Colourblind breaks the spell cast by the previous three songs. It is ok, but misplaced here. Van is trying to inject some humour with clever word play. On a very optimistic album it is the only song with negative lyrics such as Van saying he is ‘browned off’. It is partially saved by some nice sax playing. If Colourblind hadn’t been placed here we would have had a clear run of five songs of Van at his soulful transcendental best because the title track Remembering Now is another song where Van finds he has gone full circle, back at square one and rediscovers the eternal now which is where he was at the start. To my ears the eerie Hammond organ playing is quite reminiscent of St James Infirmary. Stretching Out brings this sublime album to a magnificent close. This is a song that Van has been developing live in concert for many years when he has stretched out performances of In The Afternoon/Ancient Highway. It has always been a highlight of his shows and will continue to be, I am sure. 

When many critics have doubted him, just a few weeks short of his 80^th birthday Van is sitting pretty having pulled a magnificent spiritually uplifting life-enhancing album out of the hat. My opinion is that if three or four of the lesser songs had been left out, this work would be hailed as one of the best albums of Van’s whole distinguished career. Bravo!

Memories And Visions