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| Swingin' around |
As the gloomiest depths of festival blues began to kick in
following on from my magical weekend at Gottwood, my best friend spontaneously
thought of the best idea....to try out Glastonbury for a couple of days! Being
a first timer at Glasto and only watching it on TV I didn't know what to expect
(I've always been a little intimidated going considering how big it is);
however actually being there is on a whole other level.
At Glasto there is something there for every music head. Whether
you're into your Indie, Rock, Pop or more, the line up is infinite. Glasto is basically the
size of a city, with an incredible amount of stages and stalls offering music,
theatre, poetry and even holistic healing. Therefore, it is vital that you guys
consider this just a review of my personal highlights, I only experienced a drop
of the ocean.
Getting to Glasto two days late isn't always ideal, however wading
through the crowds on Friday with our camping gear made us all that little more
excited to pitch up our tents and join everyone! As soon as we popped up our
tents and splashed ourselves in glitter we were ready for our first day.
After exploring the famous Stone Circle, meeting some welcoming
hippies and joining their sing-a-longs, we decided to go and see
some live acts. Starting off at the Pyramid Stage, Mary J Blige belted out a
class rendition of No Drama, Family Affair and Just Fine (a personal fave); even
as the imminent rain began fans didn't have a care in the world as she stomped
her sassy self on stage delivering pitch perfect performances. Later on at the same
stage, surprise guests The Libertines smashed out a historical delivery of
their greatest hits much to Indie fans pleasure. As the sun began to set into a
peach-hued dusk, I had to catch the last half of Jamie XX's live performance
over at The Park stage. Jamie XX's set really took audiences on an emotional
journey from starting with the light-hearted Good Times to the euphoric Gosh and ending the set with the sublime Loud Places. As the sun set and there
was no more colour left in the sky, Loud Places set the first night of
Glastonbury to be a gloriously moving and powerful start. This moment, hands
down, was the ultimate highlight of my Glastonbury experience.
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| Stone Circle |
As the live performances drew to a close, festival-goers that
weren't quite ready to go back to their tents headed down to Shangri-La/Block 9
where places like NYC Downlow and Genosys were based. We headed straight to NYC
Downlow to catch Hercules and Love Affair with Point G following straight afterwards,
all the while surrounded by fierce and foxy drag queens - the perfect way to
release your own inner Queen!
On Saturday arguably the coolest guy on earth, Pharrell Williams,
took to the Pyramid stage with a joyous feel-good performance of sing-a-long
chart toppers, all the way from his N.E.R.D In Search Of days to his recent
tracks such as Freedom and Happy. Audiences of all ages crammed together to
focus on the star's uplifting renditions filled with dance inducing spirit.
Following shortly after, the self-proclaimed "greatest living rock star on
the planet", also known as Kanye West, delivered a controversial (as
predicted) but entertaining show. From his opening performance of Stronger,
Kanye won the audience over as fans shouted along to the lyrics. Whether you
love the guy or hate him, the Pyramid stage was at its peak as all
festival-goers packed together to watch the most anticipated performance of the
weekend.
Unfortunately for us, we had to leave Sunday afternoon due to work
(boooo!). However, we did manage to finish our Glasto experience by watching
the infamous and charming Lionel Richie. His performance was just as you would
expect - full of energy, soul and just darn wonderful!! Of course he sang all
his classics from Hello to All Night Long. We all jumped and cheered to the classics
that everyone in the audience knows and loves. I couldn't have asked for a
better way to end the festival.
There's no doubt that I will be visiting Glasto for years to come.
The TV highlights don't capture the organisers' effort into the whole décor -
places like Shangri-La are great to end the night with. A particular highlight
for me was stumbling across a tiny drum and bass room in Shangri-la's Hell. The
room had me as soon as the DJ played Ltj Bukem's Atlantis!
Glasto is huge; so you have to be tactical choosing who you want
to see and plan your days ahead if you want to see certain artists. It is a lot
of hard work, however if you don't plan your days (like us) we were lucky
enough to discover a unique artist that I had never heard of before - Akua Naru. The talented Naru drew me in with her hip-hop sounds and soul-jazzy elements.
An incredible artist who I was so happy to find at a festival as big as Glasto.
Going to Glastonbury never interested me in previous years.
However, I now know why most people label it their favourite festival. The fact
that it is so large means that there is something there for everyone. Glasto
you've officially converted me into a massive fan!
Tania x
