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Glastonbury 2024

Alex Petrides' review here is genuinely baffling.... He's usually a very good judge. I must have been watching a different show. The rest of the internet seems to be under the impression it was dire as well. But five fucking stars... :D

 
I started a thread the other night for recommends and must watches so they don’t get lost in the not as good as it used to be merry go rounds.

 
Seen lots of moaning on social media... what was the good the bad and the ugly then Glastoers?

Is it still banging? :thumbs: I was going to try sneaking in but couldn't be bothered in the end.

Personally that was my best Glastonbury since 2010, and it reaffirmed my love for the place, which had been waning over the years. Part of this was being part of a new crew who were random and awesome in equal measure, but there was a lot of great stuff on too, much of which I stumbled on, just like the old days.

One of these was John Cooper Clarke in the Cabaret tent, who was fantastic. Never seen the Cabaret tent have to close most of its doors before due to capacity issues. It really was like watching an old master at work.

I went to see The Orb in the Glade, without realising they'd actually cancelled the day before, but they were replaced by Youth, who started by playing all 19 or so minutes of 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld'. I just stood there in rapture, just awesome.

Another massive highlight was Heilung on West Holts. I'd gone to get my usual duck wrap for dinner, which is always a good option, as you can watch whatever's on West Holts whilst you wait, and at the end of waiting you have a duck wrap. Heilung were on stage, I'd never heard of them before but I just sat there in awe, wondering what the actual fuck was going on. Shamanic drumming and chanting, large bits of trees decorating the stage, topless men with spears and shields chanting. It's here on iPlayer, and it's just magnificent - Glastonbury - Heilung . Found out the next day that West Holts had been courting them for years, flying over to visit them and all sorts, and this year they finally got them.

Oh yes, and the late night Basil Brush show for adults in the Cabaret tent around midnight was also brilliant. It was like he could finally come out and be the sort of fox he'd always wanted to be, but before now he'd always been constrained by being a children's entertainer.

Also came across Emmanuel Sonubi, a comedian in the Cabaret tent who was brilliant as well. Oh yes, and the Andrew O'Neill 'History of Heavy Metal' show, which despite not having the full hour and a half he needed to do the full show, was still properly superb. As a long time Metallica fan, hearing a crowd all shout 'Sit down Lars!' was cathartic.

There's probably more that was great too, but those are the bits that jump to mind straight away. You'll notice that none of my acts were on Pyramid or Other, which is probably why I'm one of the ones saying I had a fantastic time rather than complaining on social media.
 
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One thing I am very impressed with is drum
kit manufacturers, some of those kits sure do take a hammering, e.g. during the IDELS
set I was blown away by what it had to endure.
 
One thing I am very impressed with is drum
kit manufacturers, some of those kits sure do take a hammering, e.g. during the IDELS
set I was blown away by what it had to endure.
The shells last, but skins will be replaced almost every gig, cymbals fairly regularly as well. There will be spare snare drum just behind his riser.
 
Who takes chairs and sits halfway up the hill watching the gig on the big screen?
Might as well stay home and watch on TV.
People with mobility problems perhaps, people who can't dance around or stand for long periods of time? Yes, there's accessibility camping and an accessible viewing platform for those who register for them, but not everyone applies.

Tbh, I could've done with a chair. I had an accident and did my knee in last year, GP's physio told me it would right itself by the end of the year. It didn't. I was recently told I have osteoarthritis in my knee. I got as far as asking GP for steroid injections, had an appointment the Friday before Glastonbury, in which GP said it wouldn't help my knee and gave me prescription for strong antiinflammatory.

Lots of people have reached an age where their joints aren't up for walking miles around site every day and then standing up for an hour, hour and a half through a gig.

Yeah, some folk might've just wanted to bag themselves a prime viewing spot while also making themselves comfortable, without any of those considerations, but sneering is potentially quite ableist when you don't know the reasons.
 
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