Spiegel im Spiegel for Cello and Piano (Arvo Pärt)

Happy 90th Birthday to Arvo Part.

I just realised that today marks the 90th birthday of Arvo Part who was born  in Paide, Estonia on September 11th 1935. He is possibly the most popular living composer of classical music in the world, so I thought I would dust off this little piece I wrote a few years ago.

.................The small Baltic republic of Estonia only has a population of 1,329,460 people, but they can be justly proud, because one of that small number is arguably the greatest living composer in the world today. His name is Arvo Part who was born in Paide, a small city in Estonia in 1935. I had not heard of him until a few weeks ago. My awareness of his music came about through my growing interest in minimalist or ambient music. I see my discovery of Arvo Part’s music as a progression from other work I like such as Terry Riley, Virginia Astley, Tony Scott, the piano improvisations of Keith Jarrett and other such music. I like to think that I have an eclectic taste in music and do not think there is any genre of music that I would refuse to listen to. However, there are times when I do not want to listen to songs, I just want to listen attentively without having to think. Minimalist type music is perfect for a meditative state of mindfulness.

Reading about music online, the name of Arvo Part kept being recommended as an example of minimalist music. I decided to order a CD but had no idea what the best recordings of his compositions were, so settled on a double CD called The Very Best Of Arvo Part. It is a 2010 compilation of nearly 160 minutes of music by various artists, orchestras, and choirs. I thought I knew nothing about this music, but some of it sounded quite familiar. That is probably because film makers have often used his music in soundtracks. I do not really feel equipped to discuss this music in depth because I do not know enough about classical music and the techniques involved in composition. When I hear about terms like counterpoint, polyphony, tonality, or dissonance, I must look them up to see what they mean, and even then, I don’t understand it. I just like the music.

I gleaned from the sleeve notes that Arvo Part developed a radical new approach to music that he called Tintinnabuli meaning little bells. Many of his early pieces in this new style, including Tabula rasa (1977) and Spiegel im Spiegel (1978), have become some of his best-known compositions. Both of those compositions are included in this collection. Tabula Rasa is 28 minutes long and is exquisite. In Part’s music you can savour every note, harmony, and silence between the notes. I think all great musicians understand the importance of leaving spaces in their work.

Arvo Part suffered under Soviet rule. The censors banned his work from being performed. He was branded as ‘a traitor to the fatherland’. His reputation grew in the west however and the authorities finally granted him an exit visa in 1980 and he resided in Berlin where he stayed until 2010 before returning permanently to Estonia. Along with John Williams he is now the most performed composer in the world. There may be better recordings of his work, but as an introduction to Arvo Part I am very happy with this collection. It features music by such people as The Choir Of Kings College Cambridge, The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and many others. I was particularly taken by the violin playing of Tamsin Little and the piano of Martin Roscoe. This is very spiritual music. Arvo Part is a member of the Russian Orthodox Church, but you do not have to be religious to be moved by this music. By spiritual I mean in the sense of transcendence. To quote Van Morrison you could say this music really is ‘hymns to the silence’. I am extremely pleased to have discovered this wonderful music.

Seeing Yusef / Cat Stevens, at Bristol Beacon 8/9/2025.

I have been a Cat Stevens fan since the 1960s, but it was in the early to mid-1970s that he became one of my favourite singer-songwriters with such albums as Mona Bone Jakon, Tea For The Tiller Man, Teaser & The Firecat and Catch Bull At Four. I have always liked music with a spiritual content and Cat’s songs certainly had that in abundance. My interest waned after that, and Cat Stevens withdrew from making music and changed his name to Yusef (which translates as Joseph). In recent years though he has re-emerged from the moon shadows and started performing again under the name Yusef / Cat Stevens. I finally got to see him play live when he gave a magnificent performance at Glastonbury two years ago in the Sunday afternoon legends spot. This year it was announced that he had written his autobiography On The Road To Find Out and was performing a tour to promote the book. One of the dates was at Bristol Beacon, so I snapped up two tickets in the pre-sale for myself and a friend. On the night my friend sadly couldn’t go due to illness, so I gave her ticket to another friend who lives in Bristol. Before the show began I was pleased to meet up with three other mates who I know from Van Morrison gigs. When we took our seats, I was slightly annoyed to find that the start time had been put back by half an hour, from 7.30 to 8.00 because I was hoping to catch the 10.25 train home. More about that later.

I must say that the stage set and lighting for this performance was magnificent and theatrical. There was a small table on the stage with a teapot and cup just like the cover of Tea For The Tillerman. The entire show had a changing backdrop of Cat’s own artwork, old photographs, rare videos, and scenes from his life. He was accompanied by just two other musicians on guitars, keyboards and various other instruments. The show began with Cat walking on from stage left, playing his acoustic guitar and singing Miles From Nowhere. Then he sat by the little table and began to sing songs and recount his life story which began above his Greek Cypriot parents Moulin Rouge restaurant in London’s West End. He attended a nearby catholic primary school which was run by nuns. This led to a little snippet of Days Of The Old School Yard. 

He originally wanted to be an artist or cartoonist. You can see he was talented in art from the album covers which he created. Then he heard The Beatles and Stones and that was it. He persuaded his father to buy him a guitar. Mike Hurst of The Springfields (Dusty Springfield’s group) heard his songs and got him a deal with Deram records and Cat had early hits with I Love My Dog and Matthew & Son which was only kept off the top of the charts by The Monkees. He was in a dark place emotionally however which led to such songs as Trouble and A Bad Night. Disaster struck and Cat was in hospital for 18 months with TB. When he recovered eventually, everything including his music had changed. He was writing a musical based on the Russian revolution and one of the songs from it was Father & Son. Chris Blackwell of Island records offered him a contract which led to his most successful period as a singer-songwriter, but Cat was on a spiritual quest. He used to frequent a bookshop called The Bodhi Tree where he discovered a book called Zen Flesh, Zen Bones which influenced the Catch Bull At Four album which went straight to number one on the Billboard charts.

A turning point in his life was when Cat almost drowned while swimming in the sea off California. He made a deal with god that if his life was saved he would work for him. I think the last song before the interval was one of my favourites The Wind. After the interval Cat sang another wonderful song Lilywhite and then recounted how his brother gave him a copy of The Koran after visiting Jerusalem. This led to him eventually visiting the mosque in Regents Park, becoming a Muslim, being introduced to the Hard Headed Woman he was seeking, getting married and having children. He lost interest in music and dedicated his life to creating schools and charity fundraising. It was the horrors of the Bosnian war that brought him back to playing music and writing songs, also his son encouraging him to pick up the guitar again. I must say that I didn’t know anything about his music of recent years, but one song The Little Ones about the children of Bosnia was particularly moving. 

However, I was getting fearful of missing my train and had to leave. I found out this morning that I missed hearing Peace Train, If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out, and the encore which was Wild World. I grabbed a taxi outside and headed for Temple Meads Station where I found I had just missed my train. I realised that I could have seen the end of the show after all. I caught the next train at 11.06. At Bath I had to get off the train due to engineering works and catch a replacement bus service. After I finally got off the bus I still had a twenty-minute walk home. I got through my front door at 1.00am exhausted, but still happy that I had witnessed a brilliant concert by the legend that is Yusef / Cat Stevens and will certainly be buying his book when it is published on September 18^th. 

I might have made some mistakes and this list might be in the wrong order, some of these songs were just snippets, but I think the concert setlist was Miles From Nowhere, Days Of The Old School yard, I Love My Dog, The First Cut Is the Deepest, Trouble, Father and Son, Sitting, Joseph, The Wind, Lilywhite, On the Road to Find Out, Hard Headed Woman, Bitterblue, Moonshadow, Cat In The Dog Trap, Oh Very Young, The Little Ones, How Good It Feels, Peace Train, If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out, Wild World.

Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Wild World (Glastonbury 2023)

My Tallest Sunflower Finally Opens.

 

My Garden In Early September.

 

R.I.P. My Favourite Royal.

I was sorry to hear today that  Katherine Duchess of Kent has died aged 92. If you are not familiar with all the names of the royals you might remember her as the elegant lady who used to present the trophies at Wimbledon. It was in 1993 when I first realised what a nice person she was. Jana Novotna was leading Steffi Graf 4-1 in the the third set of the Wimbledon final and seemed to have victory in her grasp. However, she lost her nerve and Steffi won five games in a row to win the championship. When Jana was being presented with her runner-up trophy she was so upset she cried on the Duchess's shoulder. You don't often see such a public display of genuine compassion from the royal family. 

Katherine's first love was music, and it was her ambition to be a music teacher. She played organ, piano and violin and has also sung in various choirs. She particularly admired the cello player Jacqueline Du Pre and they became great friends. I listened to Desert Island Discs when she was the guest. Incredibly she once said that she also likes Gangsta rap music by the likes of Ice Cube and Eminem which was very surprising for an 89-year-old female royal. In 1994 she converted to Catholicism which must have raised a few eyebrows among the other royals. Under the Act of Succession of 1704 Catholics are not allowed to succeed to the British crown, so she relinquished her place in the line of succession. I don’t think she was concerned about that because in 2002 she decided to drop the ‘Her Royal Highness’ from her name preferred to be known informally as Katherine Kent. For thirteen years she was a music teacher in a school in Hull where nobody knew of her royal connection and the pupils just knew her as Mrs Kent. She also gave private music lessons in her apartment at Kensington Palace. 

When The Samaritans asked her to be a patron of their charity she accepted as long as she could be trained as a Samaritan. She subsequently worked for them, answering the phone to people who were contemplating suicide. She also took a great interest in charities that work with children, and the elderly, and in hospices for people who were terminally ill. Her love of music also led her to founding her own charity called Future Talent which is dedicated to helping children from poor backgrounds to achieve a career in music. When I look at some members of the Royal Family whose selfish behaviour has sometimes turned the monarchy into a soap opera it makes me realise why Katherine Duchess of Kent was my favourite royal. 

Steffi Graf vs Jana Novotna - Wimbledon 1993 Final - Highlights

Happy 80th Birthday to Van Morrison

Kate Nash: The Cheese & Grain, Frome, 24/7/2025.

For the last three weeks or so I think I have had a mild case of the post-Glastonbury blues. Ordinary life has seemed a bit dull and boring, and watching the news only adds to the depression. There was also the feeling that summer is slipping by, and I’m not getting out and about enough and enjoying the nice evenings. Anyway, on Monday night in my local pub I saw a What’s On guide for The Cheese & Grain in Frome. We are very fortunate to have such a great local venue because they have had lots of famous acts play there recently such as Supergrass, CMAT, The Libertines, Wunderhorse and The Selector all of whom played at Glasto. I read that Kate Nash was playing there on Thursday, so decided to get myself a ticket. I must have bought one of the last tickets available because by the time Thursday arrived it was a complete sell-out. I must admit that I knew very little about Kate Nash beforehand. She had played at Glasto on the Leftfield stage which made me think that her heart was in the right place. Also, I knew that she had made a number 1 best selling album a long time ago and the couple of songs I had heard on youtube reminded me of Lily Allen because of her London accent. Even if I wasn’t very familiar with her songs, I figured that any live music would lift me out of the doldrums. 

My main concern was that I would be the oldest person there by about 30 years.  However, when my taxi dropped me outside the hall and I surveyed the queue of people entering I was relieved to see that all age groups were represented from youngsters to oldies like me. They have a nice outdoor bar area which is perfect for a pleasant summer evening, so I got myself a pint of  cider and sat out there for a while until it was time for the support band who were called Nobody’s Dad. They are a four-piece, two male, two female, young indie rock band from Bristol who played a short, loud and entertaining set of songs. One of the songs was about a pet goldfish called Margo. The girl on guitar and vocals was particularly impressive. They were obviously very pleased and grateful to Kate Nash for giving them the opportunity to play to such a large audience. 

Nobody's Dad.

During the interval I sat outside again and enjoyed the last of the evening sunshine. One good thing about a standing gig at the Cheese & Grain is that it is quite easy to get near the front by walking up the side of the hall. However, when Kate came on stage promptly at 9.00 to huge applause from the packed hall although I had a great view of herself, I couldn’t see all the band from my side position. I can’t give you a setlist I’m afraid because I only caught the names of about four or five songs and guessed what some other songs were from the lyrics. I filmed two songs called Ray and Mouthwash (See video).

Kate also sang a new song which I think was called Rage. Other songs I hope were called Wasteman, Dickhead, Germ, Foundations and My Bile. I was very impressed with Kate as a charismatic performer. She has great stage presence and knows how to get the audience on her side. The audience were obviously a lot more knowledgeable than me and sang along to many of the songs. At one point Kate went into the audience and disappeared from sight. I bet the security staff were relieved when she finally reappeared. Before the show I had this idea that she was a kind of cockney folkie type singer, but nothing could be further from the truth. I would describe the music as loud indie pop/rock.  The subject matter of some songs seems to be about such topics as mental health, and dealing with relationships (often toxic relationships). There is a large political element to her music as well, and she went to great lengths explaining things that make her angry at the moment. 

At one point she produced a Palestinian flag and made a speech denouncing Keir Starmer and the government for classing people who are active in support of the people of Gaza as terrorists. By the audience response you could see that most of them agreed with her. Later in the show she voiced her anger at feminists who are transphobic (probably referring to the likes of J.K. Rowling). Some of the song titles and the subject matter might seem a bit depressing, but the audience obviously love Kate Nash, and she loves the audience. I enjoyed the show immensely and felt quite uplifted by it. On the way out I bought her most recent album called 9 Sad Symphonies which I have played several times now, and like it more with every play.. It is an excellent well produced album, very cinematic with lots of lush orchestral arrangements. Thank you very much Kate Nash, Nobody’s Dad and The Cheese & Grain for a most enjoyable evening in Frome.

Kate Nash in Frome. Mouthwash

My Glastonbury Adventure 2025: Part 1, 'A Tent Called Brian'.

 

Since I first went to Glastonbury 46 years ago in 1979, I think I have only missed about five festivals which was mainly due to Kim being ill. However, 2025 was the first year where I seriously considered not going. This was due to worrying about being at 73 too old for it, and not being up to all the walking, and suffering in the heat. Also, I had usually worked the morning shifts which meant I got the work out of the way by mid-day and didn’t miss any music. This year I had been put on evening shifts at the Park Stage which is on the opposite side of the valley from our camp site at Tom’s Field. With the walking involved this would have turned a 6 hours shift into 8 hours. Even worse, I would have missed seeing Neil Young. Happily for me, an angel came to my rescue which was Kate who has arranged my lift to Glasto for the last four years. Kate is a team leader on the Backstage crew at the famous Pyramid Stage and managed to get me transferred to her team, also it meant I was reunited at work with Odele my Glasto friend since 2013. So, in the end there was nothing to worry about, and Glastonbury Festival turned out to be just as magical as it ever was. This is what happened.

Heidi, Julie, Kellie, Me, Donna, Kate.

On Sunday morning I was up and about by 4.30, and my rucksack and tent were ready to go. At 7.00 I got the message that the convoy was on the way and got outside on Westbury marketplace. Soon three cars arrived driven by Kellie from Frome, Donna from the Isle Of Wight, and Russell from near Devizes. It was wonderful to see them all again after a year. I travelled with Kellie who we first met three years ago when purely by chance she camped next to us, which is often how friendships begin at Worthy Farm. Kellie is kindness personified and always brings me a chair and 8 cans of cider. She also has a wicked sense of humour. There were no traffic problems, and we soon arrived at the car park where we found Heidi and Julie. (Later in the week Heidi was to become a radio star, but I’ll tell you all about that when I get to it). We met Kate in the long queue at the recyclers cabin which had opened at 8.00, so we had wait patiently to collect our wristbands for Glastonbury and Tom’s Field. Once inside we made our way to our usual spot near the far end of Tom’s field which was already filling up. I had bought my little tent in Lidl for only £19 and was a bit concerned that it wouldn’t be up to the job, especially if it rained. 

Brian.

I called my tent Brian in tribute to the late great Brian Wilson who was my favourite ever Glasto performance exactly 20 years ago. Brian the tent proved to be well up to the job and looked after me for the next 8 days. Shortly after we got the tents up there was a couple of quite heavy rain showers, so we sat in the porch of Heidi and Julie’s huge posh tent until the rain stopped. Our little encampment was completed when Donna And Leon arrived. They are a brilliant, fun, positive couple who live only a few miles away. In Tom’s Bar it was great to meet up again with my friends of many years now Peter, Helen, Paul and Greta. There are about 30,000 workers at Glastonbury, so there are crew bars everywhere behind most of the main stages. On Sunday evening we made our traditional way to the Tow & Hitch which is the crew bar at Arcadia. You can also get food there which kept me going for the evening.

Pyramid, Sunday Evening.

After two pints I was getting tired and decided to be sensible and head back. Halfway home I stopped at the Bread & Roses Saloon and after another pint I seemed to revive, so decided to make my way home via the Acoustic Stage Crew Bar. I chatted to the barmaid who was from Dilton Marsh just outside Westbury and knew lots of people and pubs that I know including Rob Pike who always provided the marquee for this bar, so that was interesting. I also had a good chat with this guy who has helped build the Kidz Field for the last 20 years. Finally, I made my weary way home and crawled into my sleeping bag about 12.30 and fell asleep almost instantly. Little did I realise all the amazing adventures, chance encounters, great music, and excitement that was to fill the week ahead.

To Be Continued…………………………………

 

My Glastonbury Adventure 2025: Part 2, 'A Dramatic Incident'.

Michael & Emily Eavis.

I emerged from my tent all bleary eyed on Monday morning at about 6.30, quickly pulled on my boots and made a dash to the loo. It is a myth about how bad Glastonbury’s famous long drop toilets are. These days they are kept adequately clean by teams of volunteers from Water Aid who I call the Poo Fighters. So, total respect to them. After a quick wash I made my way to the workers marquee for breakfast. We didn’t have meal tickets this year. We were given a bar code when we collected our t-shirts and gloves. The bar-code had to be scanned every mealtime. I must say that the catering was a vast improvement on last year and the food was delicious. I’m not famous for my cooking and I ate better at Glasto than I do at home, so congratulations to the hard-working catering staff. This year I was determined to cut down on any unnecessary walking because the previous year I had walked about 15 miles a day all over the 900-acre vast site. My aching feet were so blistered and sore I could hardly walk by Sunday night. Therefore, I never left Tom’s Field until the early evening, just sat around chilling and chatting with old friends until Kellie announced it was Beer O’clock and I cracked open a can of cider. 

Kellie.

After dinner on Monday evening Me, Kate and Kellie walked down to the Acoustic crew bar where they met Kate’s friend John, and I sat with Peter, Paul, Greta, Helen, and some other people whose names I can’t remember. Peter said that it was going to be very hot later in the week, so it was important not to look at The Sun,…or the Daily Mail, ..or The Express, which is the only joke I can remember. Finally, it was time to make our way home. “Come along children”, I said, guiding them back up Muddy Lane. Back at base, me and Peter decided to have one last drink in Tom’s Bar. I asked for two cold ciders and Lawrie who has run the Bar for at least 20 years said, “Those drinks are on me, I’ve known you boys a long time”, which was another example of the kindness of Glasto folk.

Kate, Heidi, Me, John.

I thought Tuesday would be another quiet day of just hanging out and chilling. It began quietly enough but ended with some high drama in the evening. I could hear the pitter-patter of rain on my tent when I awoke, so I just turned over and went back to sleep until 9.30. I had missed breakfast, but never mind, 8 hours sleep is great by Glasto standards. The programmes had arrived, so I picked one up at the office and sat outside the marquee drinking tea, reading the programme, and talking to old mates like Pete, Bob & Paula from Nottingham, and Mani who drew mine and Odele’s portrait last year. In the afternoon Leon and Donna who had gone home on Sunday for work returned and we even had a glass of champagne. I kept telling my fellow campers stories about my previous experiences which always began with, “In the old days at Glastonbury”, until Kellie said I reminded her of Uncle Albert in Only Fools & Horses who always started a tale with “During the war”.

My Wristbands.

Odele messaged to say that she was arriving late and would probably miss the annual recyclers quiz at 7.00. That was a bit of a blow because our team The Glastafarians were the reigning champions. Greta and Paul were also meant to be in our team, but we wondered what had happened when they didn’t show up. So, our depleted team was just me, Peter, Helen, and Robin. When the first question was ‘In what year did Brian Wilson give a memorable performance on the Pyramid Stage?’ I thought it was a good omen that we would win again. Sadly, we only came 3^rd, but we still have the best record of any team, with our two previous victories. The entry fees always go to charity which makes it all worthwhile. Right at the end Greta’s husband Paul arrived and told us the reason for their absence. 

Festival Medical Services.

Earlier in the evening Greta and her friend Mary went to the carpark to bring in more stuff. On the way there they saw a man collapse on the ground. He was having a heart attack. Greta and Mary are both nurses and knew exactly what to do without panicking. They performed CPR on the man and contacted Festival Medical Services. An ambulance arrived within two minutes because they are already on site. The ambulance staff used a defibrillator on the man and transferred him to the air ambulance. Within a few minutes he was flown to hospital in Bristol. The good news is that he survived. He is a very lucky man because he would have almost certainly died if Greta and Mary hadn’t been there. 

Opening Ceremony.

Later that night I met up with Odele and talked with her and Steve until retiring early just past midnight. There was to be lots more excitement the next day. The gates were to be opened, and 130,000 people would pour onto Worthy Farm. Thousends of people were already in the queue and sleeping in cars outside, eager to get a good spot for their tents. There was to be an opening ceremony, and also, our friend Heidi was to appear on the Vernon Kay show to millions of listeners on BBC Radio 2 live from Tom’s Field. I’ll tell you all about that in the next instalment.

To Be Continued...........................

 

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…………………………….

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………………………………