Glastonbury 2007 pt2: the festie!

[William of Walworth]

I know exactly what you mean. I got exactly one random conversation all weekend, everone else just stomp stomp stomp on by. And so much stuff left behind! I know sometimes it's difficult to get everything out, but I saw entire campsites abandonded - tents, sleeping bags, gazebos, stereo systems, the lot. I think it's been changing steadily over the last 7 years, but this one really brought it home.

I agree about the tat being left. The mud provides some -- but only a small -- excuse, but tat abandoning was pretty bad in 2005 too, and it was dry at the end of the festival, with the tat being left everywhere irrespective of how badly affected they were by the flash flooding of earlier.

BUT I disagree that the lack of random conversations and lack of friendliness. I think these factors may very well have been worse on the Oxfam Festival Safely frontline, or (in Crispy's case) the lack of friendliness may have benn more obvious on some parts of the site than others. (You were up with the Wicket Ground campers weren't you?)

Up in the Greenfields I had no problems finding a friendly conversation at any time, often they started it, often I did, and all was fine. Admittedly I know one or two GF people, but complete strangers were with very few exceptions pretty nice also. All over the site in fact, I scarcely witnessed, let alone get caught up in, any twattery.

There are LOADS of lovely people at Glastonbury!!

I think one criticism wiskey made earlier, about passive consumerism and lack of sponteneity, is a valid point in general. Glastonbury has definitely changed in that way over the years. But I think it's a BIT harsh to single out this year for special criticism of it, given the conditions!

 

[han]

i really cant begin with how much i despise most of the people i've just spent the weekend with (not all of em though), there was no sense of fun, nobody seemed to be joining in, everyone wanted to consume.

This is the (limited) impression I got from the telly coverage as well. It seems to be more like a giant 'Friday Night with Jools Holland' kind of thing, rather than the wild, crazy, wonderful diversity of the pre 2000 glastos....

But it looks like there sure were some good moments too! Iggy Pop - Shirley Bassey and the rest of the old folk looks like they rocked the place (they certainly rocked our living room!).

 

[William of Walworth]

I'm feeling a bit too ill to post anything meaningful right now, but – in spite of the horrendous mud – I did have a fantastic time

Haven't read this thread properly yet, but I agree with some of the feelings about the crowd. The atmosphere felt a lot more tame and less unpredictable than on previous visits. I did have some nice chats with random strangers, but there was something lacking overall... can't quite put my finger on it, but there wasn't so much of that warm and welcoming feeling I'd experienced before. The mud didn't help, obviously. It's hard to bump into random people when all your concentration is going into making sure you don't slip on your face into a pool of sludge.

I did have a fantastic time with all the Urbanites I spangled with though

Just wanted to bold the bit of your post that I think explains an awful lot of the rest really!

Let's see what it's like in a hot and dry year!

2008, in fact

 

[keicar]

Let's see what it's like in a hot and dry year!

2008, in fact

Are they having one next year?

 

[Skim]

I didn't manage too many pics but...

... I think this lady had the right idea.

 

[William of Walworth]

This is the (limited) impression I got from the telly coverage as well. It seems to be more like a giant 'Friday Night with Jools Holland' kind of thing, rather than the wild, crazy, wonderful diversity of the pre 2000 glastos.

What do you expect?

Pre 2000 Glastos were very different beasts for all the obvious reasons. The festival HAS changed a lot since then, no arguments (not least, the absence of wholesale tent robbing!! )

But I refuse to think that all sponteneitry, all creativity has been squeezed out, or that the fest has become hugely less friendly.

And to take an impression from the BBC coverage, which only presents a limited and necessarily selective view, concentrating on big name acts on the main stages, is something to be guarded against.

There was so much beautiful art and creative stuff especially up in the Green Fields especially, but it was so hard to see it or notice it in the rain and mud.

And I had a fine and friendly time and talked with lots of lovely people, strangers and not.

 

[Skim]

She made me forget the mud completely

 

[William of Walworth]

I agree about the lack of atmosphere, and I put it almost entirely down to the rain and mud. It's hard to really relax and enjoy something when you're muddy and cold.

Spot on!!

(actually I think the atmosphere in some places was fine, but you make the necessary point ... )

I will go next year but it had better be fucking sunny or it may be my last for a while and I never thought I'd say that.

Mud-hater though I am, my take is never to miss one, on the grounds that the one you miss will be the absolutele scorcher that is pretty badly overdue now. If the joy of a dry Glasto doesn't come in 2008 (which it will) it will in 2009. Or 2010. If I missed a hot and sunny one I would be so fucking gutted and unhappy. And despite earlier pre-Fest wavers, I'd have been pretty gutted to miss this one too ...

<swims through four Glasto mudbaths to get to the sunny uplands >

No 100% dry Glastonbury since 1995, fact fans! We are so owed ...

 

[William of Walworth]

She made me forget the mud completely

Missed her ....

 

[Skim]

No 100% dry Glastonbury since 1995, fact fans!

Are you sure? I can't remember it raining at all in 2000

 

[TopCat]

I did hope you would all get a few rays of sunshine but that was really shit weather.

I must say that if I would have had to wait up to 8 hours to get out of the car park I would have cut off my own legs for entertainment/relief.

Sunbound/Unsound in 2008 folks?

No mud guarranteed?!!!

 

[editor]

I know sometimes it's difficult to get everything out, but I saw entire campsites abandonded - tents, sleeping bags, gazebos, stereo systems, the lot. I think it's been changing steadily over the last 7 years, but this one really brought it home.

We came home with a very nice and rather expensive trolley which had been abandoned.

I'd say around 90% of the tents in our field had been left behind - it was like walking around a ghost town on Monday afternoon.

There was also sleeping bags, wellies, gazebos, mattresses, foot pumps, chairs, tables - the lot!

 

[William of Walworth]

Are you sure? I can't remember it raining at all in 2000

Thursday night!

 

[scifisam]

The point about missing our on random converstions because you were concentrating so hard on where to put your feet is a good one. It was also harder to talk to random people because everyone had their hoods up/ponchos on and hearing the person next to you was difficult with the rain pounding on your head. It wasn't that the people were unfriendly, just that conditions were against them.

I found having chairs sparked up a couple of random conversations with people who asked if they could sit down in my GF's chair while she went to the bar.

People just abandoning their whole tents explains why big ground still appeared to be almost full on Monday afternoon.

 

[Fuzzy]

No 100% dry Glastonbury since 1995, fact fans! We are so owed ...

that one was my first. was a bit shocked when i turned up again in 2004 and it was muddy.

 

[Skim]

Thursday night!

I have no recollection of Thursday night except that I was in a tent with some sixth-formers on acid

There really was rain? Bizarre, I can't remember getting wet at all that weekend.

 

[William of Walworth]

I have no recollection of Thursday night except that I was in a tent with some sixth-formers on acid

There really was rain? Bizarre, I can't remember getting wet at all that weekend.

I have archives ...

 

[keicar]

I'd say around 90% of the tents in our field had been left behind - it was like walking around a ghost town on Monday afternoon.

When they had the Download festival up the road t'other week, the local Scout groups got the pick of the surviving tents. At other festivals I've heard of enterprising school kids spending their holidays cleaning up and flogging off tents.

 

[William of Walworth]

We came home with a very nice and rather expensive trolley which had been abandoned.

I'd say around 90% of the tents in our field had been left behind - it was like walking around a ghost town on Monday afternoon.

There was also sleeping bags, wellies, gazebos, mattresses, foot pumps, chairs, tables - the lot!

Where were you camped? Sounds pretty bad ... I'm not surprised though

 

[david dissadent]

I'd say around 90% of the tents in our field had been left behind - it was like walking around a ghost town on Monday afternoon.

Some genius came up with advertising the idea that "leaving your tent behind was good for Africa". Not quite what the orginisers were saying but it was pretty obvious that that is what alot of the punters were hearing.

 

[Lazy Llama]

We were wusses and left on Sunday. We'd half-packed up on Saturday until it stopped raining. The missus was miserable, having had enough of being soaked and kept awake half the night by people called Barnaby sitting on the dragon shouting about how much acid they'd taken and then stepping on your head as they stagger about.

Was great to meet some of you on Wednesday night. Must admit I was mostly spangled on cider by the time I met people so my apologies if I dribbled, waffled, bored or upset anyone. Bumped into William by the toilets on the Friday (I think).

Didn't see any of the bands that I had hoped to see, for a variety of reasons, but did enjoy a few that I hadn't really gone to see, mostly in smaller tents/stages.

Liked:
The smaller stuff in the quieter areas
The spirit of some of the stewards and staff
The Wednesday and Thursday, and Saturday afternoon/evening.
Some very nice folk away from the main areas.
Random people sheltering from the rain in our tent porch.

Not so good:
Mud.
Lack of clean water at the toilets up in the Dragon Field for much of the weekend.
Dangerous path through the Dragon Field. The stewards had been asking for some straw but never got any.
Loads of straw being dumped in the market for the stall holders and their customers, instead of for the campsites which needed it.
Lack of organisation on the whole exit thing. We were lucky that we left when we did but even then we needed a push to get through the mud and there were no stewards giving directions where we were.
Posh kids with arrogant attitudes. Why pack your tent when you can just buy another one, dahling?
Overflowing urinals in the main areas. It's all very well telling people not to piss in the river, but if your urinals just flow onto the floor and out into the muddy paths, it's not really helping.

Favourite Acts: The Zen Hussies, !!! and Urban Myth Club.

 

[paolo]

The point about missing our on random converstions because you were concentrating so hard on where to put your feet is a good one. It was also harder to talk to random people because everyone had their hoods up/ponchos on and hearing the person next to you was difficult with the rain pounding on your head. It wasn't that the people were unfriendly, just that conditions were against them.

Yep, completely agree. Whenever I went somewhere where you could sit down out of the rain, like the bread and roses, random conversations started in less than a minute.

People were just getting worn down. On Thursday I wandered through Guilty Pleasures up in the Park and - seemingly just cos' I had a big camera - it seemed like everyone wanted to stop me and get their photo taken. Never seen so many happy faces all at once.

By Sunday night, it felt like alot of people had given in.

Last night I was wondering whether I would go back - but on reflection I like William's philosophy, that you can't miss one because it will, of course, be a belter.

 

[paolo]

Oh and for those of you who haven't read it...

...A genius bit of Charlie Brooker in yesterday's Guardian:

"Oh good. It's Raining Again"

 

[Sunray]

The rain and mud are going to put a dampener on things. If your not really prepared then your gonna be wet and muddy for days on end.

I've been there when its rained and then cleared up and there is a near physical shift of attitude and atmosphere as the sun comes out and stays out. Taking shelter from the rain is something we do instinctively, have to battle that as much as anything. The huge exertion between stages when the mud turns to treacle and nowhere to sit makes people very tired and irritable.

Declaring that everyone else is to blame for your own state of mind is comedy. If you can't manage to stay happy then you can't blame others for feeling the same way, can you?

Having to put my head down and stumble for 40 min between stages took up all the time for strolling by random tents which is one of the great things to do in Glastonbury. Got some spoken word in, some comedy, some not so great juggling and one baffling moment where The Amazing Dr Voltaire stuck a probe up his arse and connected it to a half a mega volt Tesla coil.

Sound system on the main stage was terrible. Thought there were too many people.

Arcade fire were great. They are a breath of fresh air in a time where there are a dearth of good indie bands. Most are quite bland IMO. Epitomised by The View, so bland that even after a lot of listens, I can't remember anything they play.

Seasick Steve got a massive ovation from the main stage crowd, prolly the best I've ever heard. He was amazing.

Saw quite a lot, Mr Hudson and the Library, The View (spit), Amy Winehouse, Ed Byrn, Sean Hughs, Diddly eye folk (The Big I think), spoken word, Coldcut, Chemical Brothers, Arcade Fire, Seasick Steve, Madness, Waterboys, Kooks, Holy Fuck, Mark Thomas, Tony Benn, The Pippettes, Rufas Wainwright, Klaxons (fuck you all), You Say Party We Say Die, Gus Gus (weird), King Blues and other stuff I now can't remember. Oh a poem thing about losing her clitoris.

My work rate rapidly tapered off in the third day.

Now I am just fucked and

 

[nosos]

You just reminded me of my pre-king blues thursday morning pill only to find that king blues weren't actually on thursday morning at all

Apologies for the obscene amount of shit I chatted to you that morning. That was far too early for pills.

 

[William of Walworth]

Oh and for those of you who haven't read it...

...A genius bit of Charlie Brooker in yesterday's Guardian:

"Oh good. It's Raining Again"

That was a fucking excellent piece ...

 

[newbie]

frankly i found most of the people i dealt with rude, uncaring, uncooperative, unhelpful and generally pointless. with punters like that how is it gonna be fun?

it's possible you and jtg were at a different festival to me

By the sunday night a few people were tired, stressed and a bit ratty but surely their impact was tiny compared to the cheerful good humour of the rest. I got the strong impression most people were having a great time, despite the mud & rain. But it was hard work and that occasionally showed.



I thought wednesday and thursday had a great atmosphere of meandering groups randomly enjoying each other without any running order induced stress (or mud ), especially weds night at the stones when so much pent-up teenage excitement could finally squeal and jump about and flap


shame about the weather and the tiny tea tent.

 

[Sunray]

What I find the most irritating about the mud is that there is a lot of stuff that I suddenly find myself not wanting to even bother with because its too much of a slog. Even if I know its good, I'll think 'mmm, thats gonna take me ages to get to and I want see x and I'll not have time if I go there and I'll be even more fucked'

Had to eat like a fucking horse to stop from falling asleep come 9pm.

 

[newbie]

The mud sucked. The rain sucked. The sound quality of the main stages sucked.

I only heard the (very wonderful) Pipettes on the main stage and it sounded ok then, but that was from up by the icecream van on the hill. Lilly Allen sounded ok from our tent in the family field too. The sound on the Other stage for Arcade Fire was dreadful, as were the screens and the camerawork.

Getting stuck in a car in the mud trying to leave for 11 hours really sucked.

I recall you didn't want to go on the See coach- how was that process? Would getting out have been better by coach or car, d'you reckon? I know Bath busstation was besieged and were hours late and very disorganised but I haven't heard anything about getting home by See.

 

[han]

But I refuse to think that all sponteneitry, all creativity has been squeezed out, or that the fest has become hugely less friendly.

I'm not saying that! Far from it! It just seems a tad more 'managed' and mainstream than the pre-2000 glastos, that's the impression I'm getting, but from what you're saying it sounds like the green fields and all the little quirky things that we love about glasto are still alive and kicking, which is