Glastonbury 2007 pt2: the festie!

[wiskey]

you know what the bestest bit of the whole weekend was?

the fact that my bed and my feet were very warm and dry throughout (except when i got one foot wet but that was minor).

 

[wiskey]

Their stuff was fucking great, and was wonderful to see them come out to play on Sunday

they were supposed to have a parade on sunday night but it started late and health and safety canceled it due to crowds and mud.

pity.

 

[JTG]

yeah quite possibly, yours looked like much more fun.

i realise that my last 12 hours on site deteriorated rapidly and has left me feeling a bit down on the whole thing, but i didnt particularly enjoy it, it wasnt the punters completely, the staff had enough attitude to put a dampener on it on their own.

we look for different things in a festival and i spent most of this one very lonely. i kept waiting for it to kick in and everything to feel right but actually i spent a lot of time trudging by myself feeling completely disconnected with it all failing to find anybody to talk to. i felt like i had to no down time, no time to relax and piratically nobody to do it with.

at one point i stood with a man looking at the river running through his tent from the water point where people were happily putting the tap on full to wash the mud off their wellies in the driving rain. people just didnt seem to care about anything but themselves.

i'm glad everyone else didnt have the same experience as me but that doesnt make mine any less valid.

pretty much how I felt tbh - maybe there's a case for saying you me and derv had some influence on each other about how we ended up feeling about it but it wasn't fantastic.

spot on about the tap thing, I noticed it a few times, people making a hell of a lot more mess in order to wash their footwear. Why?! They were only going to be trudging through the mud again a minute later.

 

[JTG]

well LV shut down on Wednesday when Roy had a strop with Eavis over precisely fuck all, and from thereon in it was all downhill. Some of the worst mud - not their fault, admittedly, the same stuff as ever but with bigger queues and less chance of getting in. I've got friends involved with LV, indeed i've done stuff with them myself and i love what they are / were about, but it did all seem dead tired this year...

I wasn't a huge fan of LV in 2005 but it bored the shit out of me this time around. bees described it best - 'oh look, another woman in a corset. oh, another bloke in a top hat'

 

[William of Walworth]

spot on about the tap thing, I noticed it a few times, people making a hell of a lot more mess in order to wash their footwear. Why?! They were only going to be trudging through the mud again a minute later.

Some people are really quite stunningly stupid and anti common sensical at times ...

As I didn't tell them at the time

 

[paolo]

More random thoughts...

- Never had to queue for more than a few minutes for loos, and even at the worst of times they were tolerable... for a bloke. My female mate developed new thigh muscles though, from hovering. She ended up favouring the she-pees.

- Bars seemed even quicker to get served in than I remember from before. Top work.

- The Hours playing at Leftfield on Friday were a nice random find. Must buy a CD.

- Lily Allen, with surprise Terry Hall et al, doing Gangsters, was ace. Went right over the heads of the youngsters.

- Seemed like there was ska everywhere this year, in fact?

- The Park was great. A bit of a trek, but it's own fab little world... like you were in on a secret. Shame I didn't see Africa Express... been reading glowing reviews of that.

- Watching the kids do mud diving near the bus... then when they gave up, them throwing it at the braying onlookers. It was sooo deserved.

- One of my mates, a barmaid from my local, somehow being roped in to serve shots at LV. They let her keep some profit in return. Bizarre buswomans holiday activity.

- Being bloody amazed at how many people turned up on Wednesday. Campsite security I chatted to said they were drafting in another 200 staff for the Thursday. Next year I might have to do the "first gate" thing, just to get our usual spot.

- Some very funny guitarist at the Banyan Tree cafe, on, umm, Saturday afternoon... just before their power failed. If anyone knows who that was, please write in.

 

[wiskey]

there was a distinct lack of fairy wings, tutu's and alternative plastic bag and gaffer tape footwear this year.

in fact most peo0ple seemed to be in catherine kidson millets ponchos

 

[docus]

Now that it's all over I seek some advice on which other fest to go to this summer. I can only afford one.

At Glastonbury I rarely venture out of the Greenfields, except for Trash City and the circus/theatre stuff. I like a bit of late night craziness mixed into my hippying. Where can I find the spontaneous creative anarchy I so crave?! (Apart from at a free fest.)

Sunrise Celebration (2008 as this years has already been)
Big Green Gathering
Endorse-It
Secret Garden
Shambala
Other (please specify)

Your input would be gratefully received!

 

[sojourner]

in fact most peo0ple seemed to be in catherine kidson millets ponchos

I had fun just spotting the odd person who had on a proper poncho like wot we had

 

[pagan]

Just got back to Edinburgh now....gonna have a bath then collapse.

 

[sojourner]

Is it me, or is anyone else still feeling like they're on a slope?!

 

[William of Walworth]

>>>docus : ENDORSE IT!!!! Big style hands down vote in favour ...

 

[Dubversion]

my gift to you all

 

[paolo]

there was a distinct lack of... alternative plastic bag and gaffer tape footwear this year.

Yeah...me and my friends reckoned everyone looked alot more prepared. I think I only saw a handful of comedy trainer people.

 

[sojourner]

my gift to you all

You bastard

Who the fuck looks down??!!

 

[paolo]

my gift to you all

Your gift? You mean you did all that? I hope it was more than one sitting.

 

[William of Walworth]

Just got back to Edinburgh now....gonna have a bath then collapse.

We are fated never to meet mr pagan

Unless you have a think aboiut Solfest on Bank Holiday weekend August?

It's sold out, but very near Scotland, and I'm sure you can contrive a way in somehow

 

[gabi]

Now that it's all over I seek some advice on which other fest to go to this summer. I can only afford one.

At Glastonbury I rarely venture out of the Greenfields, except for Trash City and the circus/theatre stuff. I like a bit of late night craziness mixed into my hippying. Where can I find the spontaneous creative anarchy I so crave?! (Apart from at a free fest.)

Sunrise Celebration (2008 as this years has already been)
Big Green Gathering
Endorse-It
Secret Garden
Shambala
Other (please specify)

Your input would be gratefully received!

This might float ya boat.. I'm going with a few mates... tis this w/e though so short notice..

The Beat-Herder Festival is unique to others, evolving from the northern underground party scene it is spiced with artistry. musical madness and theatrical nonesense. It is an event where you see the same face twice and would like to see them a third. It is a festival based on the petite - good things come in small packages as they say. As promoters we are an independently funded group of friends and have no involvement in corporate organisations or receive any sponsorship. Our sole motive is to bring good people together to have a good time in beautiful surroundings.

http://www.beatherder.co.uk/

 

[JTG]

the abandonment levels were the highest I've ever seen. Not just broken stuff either. More a case of "oops I dropped my chairs in the mud. oh well, I'll just go and get some more from the shop in the market area and then I'll leave those behind too."

Twats. I brought home everything I took with me and it wasn't hard.

bang on. My stuff is too precious to me to leave it all behind, I don't have much and can't afford to replace it just like that.

Fucked up society of ours, knows price of everything but the value of nothing and all that.

 

[William of Walworth]

there was a distinct lack ... alternative plastic bag and gaffer tape footwear this year.

A man whose forum name (from elsewhere) would get a lot of attention if you shouted it in a field was doing well on the taped up combat boots thing. He has been to every one since 1982 though ...

 

[wiskey]

i know, actually the time we spent chatting on tues afternoon was lovely - but it was dry then so he hadnt started on the proper footwear

 

[JTG]

my gift to you all

Just looking at that I thought I caught a distinct whiff of it as well

 

[JTG]

Yeah...me and my friends reckoned everyone looked alot more prepared. I think I only saw a handful of comedy trainer people.

there were some fine examples of comedy trainer people going through my gate on Thursday and Friday

I felt soooo smug watching them as I stood ankle deep in mud but perfectly comfortable in my trusty hiking boots. They've seen me over snow storms up mountains in NZ, the Australian Outback, game parks in South Africa and two horrifically muddy Glastonburys. I love my boots, one of my smartest ever investments

 

[William of Walworth]

I love my boots, one of my smartest ever investments

Same for me!

Mr Moose recommended this boot, and they rule ... so dry and comfortable. I actually own a full pair of them also ...

 

[paolo]

Same for me!

Ditto. For some daft reason I tried wellies for about 2 hours and then reverted to the walking boots. Waay better.

 

[sojourner]

Ditto. For some daft reason I tried wellies for about 2 hours and then reverted to the walking boots. Waay better.

I have good (but old) boots, and they had no defence against some of the knee high mud - this was especially bad on the path out to pedestrian gate D, which smelled like shit, and probably contained some. Thank christ I had wellies on

 

[Voley]

Same for me!

Mr Moose recommended this boot, and they rule ... so dry and comfortable. I actually own a full pair of them also ...

Are they waterproof, them, Will?

Or do you spray that stuff on 'em?

I'm thinking about buying a new pair of trekking boots before I go off up the mountains this time ...

 

[Sunray]

All my stuff has loads of mud on it and is still dripping wet. I couldn't even look at it this morning.

Its going to take me fucking ages to sort it all out.

 

[tastebud]

oh man i wanna be back there

*cries*

 

[William of Walworth]

Are they waterproof, them, Will?

Or do you spray that stuff on 'em?

I'm thinking about buying a new pair of trekking boots before I go off up the mountains this time ...

They're waterproofed and with Goretex linings, expensive though!

ETA : Nikwaxed (twice) before the festie too, but for boots, wax that you rub in really thoroughly is better than spray, which is really intended for tents etc.

I avoided sojourner's fate, by looking out for people walking ahead and seeing how deep THEY went ... most times and most places, the mud was either not liquid enough to be a problem, or not deep enough. When I left on Monday afternoonl, most of the route was on solid roads, but there was real craziness at the 'path' leading to and from Ped Gate B. That was insanely slippery (rather than deep) and may have to be paid attention before next year. As further guarentee of Dryness 2008. along the lines of the Pennard Hilll/sub-railway line storm drains ...