My Glastonbury 2023: Part 4, Minor Mishaps & Chance Encounters.

Before & After.

It was Saturday at Glastonbury, the busiest day of all. I was wide awake by 4.30 and even had time for a shower before work today. We litter-picker volunteers are the unsung heroes of Glastonbury. While 200,000 people were fast asleep in their tents we were already up and about, ready to tidy up the site for another day. When we met up again at the Greenpeace tree I realised I had two minor mishaps. 

Greenpeace Tree.

Firstly, my litter-picking stick was broken, so I had to dump it. I managed ok without it, but my back was a bit creaky for the last two days. Secondly, I had forgotten to put my water bottle in my backpack. It was already hot, even at this early hour and Saturday would be a real scorcher, the hottest day of all. I managed alright though. Every time I saw a tap I stuck my head under it and had a good drink. Also, I forgot to put some sun cream on my arms which was a silly mistake. More about that later. The work went smoothly, and we had our areas spotless again by 10.30. We joined up with two other teams to help out at the area in front of the Pyramid Stage which is always the messiest area of all. I even had time for a little chat with Odele who just happened to be walking by and spotted us. We had it all nice and tidy and ready for Rick Astley by 11.15 and work was done for the day.

The Unthanks

I didn’t go back to base immediately because one of my favourite groups was opening on the Other Stage at 11.45. This is the second biggest stage. In the old days it was called the NME Stage, but over the years has become simply known as the Other Stage, although in fact there are dozens of stages. Anyway, the group I wanted to see were The Unthanks and if you have read my blog page before you will know that I am a huge fan of theirs. They are fronted by Rachel & Becky Unthank and combine Northumbrian folk music with elements of classical and psychedelic music, and even a bit of clog dancing!. They are unique. 

Unthanks.

I didn’t even know they were on at Glasto until a few days before the festival, but I’m very glad they were added to the line-up. They played a short but sweet set of songs including The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry, A Whistling Woman, The Sandgate Dandling Song, The Royal Blackbird, Magpie, Mount the Air, & Sorrows Away (Love Is Kind). My favourite was Magpie which you may know from the TV series The Detectorists. I found some footage of The Unthanks performance and shared it below if you want to see it.

Crowded Acoustic Stage.

After that wonderful start to the day’s music, I wandered back to Tom’s Field for lunch. Then hurried to my beloved Acoustic Stage to catch The Magic Numbers. I especially wanted to see them and take some photos because my niece Katherine met the Magic Numbers in a hotel in Cork, Ireland and told me what nice people they were, and to make sure I saw them. When I arrived there, I was amazed because the Acoustic Stage field was rammed with people. It was impossible to get inside the huge marquee. I knew they were popular, but not this popular. The reason for the overcrowding was because people were seeking out any place that afforded some shade from the hot sun which was beating down. I felt quite disappointed. I could hear the band, but not see them. I listened from a shady café opposite called The Cake Hole. More about the Magic Numbers in a minute.

Richard Thompson.

The next act on was Sharon Shannon who is wonderful and always kicks up a storm at Glastonbury with her lively Irish dance music. I did actually manage to find a shady spot just inside the tent where I met Helen and Scilla. I had a problem though. When I arrived on site six days earlier, they had put my wrist band on too tightly. Because I had stupidly not put sun cream on my arms they had swelled up with sunburn. The wristband was cutting off the circulation to my hand and was getting very painful. I was worried that if I just cut the wristband off, I might not be allowed back into Tom’s Field by security. I had to march all the way back to Tom’s Field office and explain the situation. They cut off the tight wrist band and gave me a new looser one. It was a great relief but meant that I missed nearly all of Sharon’s set. When I returned Badly Drawn Boy was performing, but again I couldn’t see anything, so had to listen from outside. I’m not familiar with his music, so couldn’t possibly tell you what he sang.

Richard & Zara.

Not to worry because the next act was one of my all-time favourite artists Richard Thompson who I have been a fan of since 1969 when I bought What We Did On Our Holidays by Fairport Convention. There was even lots of nice room just inside the tent for Richard. He played a blistering set of classic songs and unbelievable virtuoso guitar playing. I can’t remember all of the songs, but he definitely sang Misunderstood, Genesis Hall, Beeswing, Johnny’s Far Away, Vincent Black Lightning 1952, Wall Of Death, Keep Your Distance, and I Wanna See The Bright Lights Tonight. For two of the songs he was joined by the new lady in his life Zara Phillips. Towards the end of his act there was a huge roar from above, we looked out at the sky and the Red Arrows RAF Aerobatics Display Team did a fly past of Glastonbury. They had thought of everything this year.

Me & Romeo Stodart.

After Richard’s stunning performance, me, Peter, Paul and some others went to the Acoustic Stage crew bar to find some shade and somewhere to sit. Who should we meet, but lo & behold,  The Magic Numbers !!. Brilliant, I could get a photo for Katherine after all. The Magic Numbers are two sets of brothers & sisters. There were about eight people here, so I wasn’t sure exactly who was a Magic Number or not. Luckily, I recognised one of them Romeo Stodart and he was more than happy for a photo. We had a bit of a chat and this lady asked what I did. When I said I was on the litter-picking team they said thanks for the work we do, so Katherine was right, they are nice people. I went back to base for dinner and a little rest after that.

Glen Hansard.

In the evening I saw Glen Hansard. I have seen him previously on the Acoustic Stage, many years ago when he was in a band called The Frames. I’m not an expert on his music by any means, but an American Facebook friend is a huge fan, so I was determined to see him, hopefully take some photos, and write down the set list. The photos are a bit blurry, and I hope this setlist is correct. When Your Mind's Made Up, Down On Our Knees, St John, Bearing Witness, Bird of Sorrow, No Mountain, Winning Streak, High Hope, Her Mercy & Revelate. There might have been more. Glen paid a moving tribute to his late friend Christy Dignam from the band Aslan during the show. He also said that one of his songs was inspired by Leonard Cohen. I also noticed that he occasionally improvised little Van Morrison ‘isms into the lyrics, such as ’turn on your electric light’. I hoped he would sing a Van song, but he didn’t. It was an excellent performance which deserved a much bigger audience. 

Glen Hansard.

The last act on this stage was Paul Carrack. I felt sorry for him because the crowd had thinned out to almost nothing. The reward for headlining the Acoustic Stage seems to be having the smallest audience of the day. I didn’t stay and headed homeward via the Pyramid Stage. I thought I ought to watch a bit of Guns N’ Roses. I like Slash’s guitar playing and Sweet Child Of Mine is a great song, but I don’t think Axl Rose sings very well anymore. Anyway, most of it was just a noise to me. I was in my sleeping bag by 11.30 on Saturday night blissfully unaware of just what an incredible day Sunday would turn out to be.

Guns N' Roses.

To be continued………………………