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Glasto Roundup – part 1

(Also posted here)

Well we played Glastonbury this year and you know what, it wasn’t bad [grin]. We’ve been back to the grindstone at the Crypt since, writing Hope and Social’s second album and 5 songs for Imitating the Dog‘s new Greece/UK project Tales From The Bar Of Lost Souls but, belated as this post is,  we must reflect on the wonder of the beautiful Somerset week and the hallowed turf/mud that is Worthy Farm, and is Glastonbury Festival.

Whenever asked “How was Glastonbury” all I can honestly say is it surpassed all my expectations. To be sure, there was a lot of work that went into the success of the trip, Merlin, thank you for all your wisdom, effort and energy. ’twas a pleasure to have you along. Pete, safe hands and always a joy to be around, it fely so much better to have you at the helm – even if Pete says he didn’t enjoy the festival for one minute (wait ’til Si gets his video of you going berserk at Bruce Springsteen up on YouTube!) To our enthusiastic brass section (The Four Johns – James, Katie, Gaz and our old friend John Wheeler),  to Gary Stewart, and on behalf of my stalwart bandmates and I, an enourmous thanks.

Wednesday saw a 12 hour journey and an inordinate amount of disorganisation, for once, not on our part. The festival is so huge (the largest music festival in the world dontchaknow) that often the hand isn’t talking to the mouth, the foot to the head, or the mouth to the ear even. anyway, after much shuffling of passes, we got in, camped (as far as you can be away from the stages we’re playing) and parked up. This is Ed’s birthday and he’s relentlessly working. Bless. We owe you (yet) another birthday Ted! At 9pm Ed and I go to move the van 200 yards. We get diverted off site and don’t get back on until midnight. This sucks, but the warm cider from the cider bus warms our hearts as well as our lips.

Thursday our first day of work – up and off to get our gear for a laid back acoustic set. After a lengthy conversation with the lovely Sophie of Worthy FM (we all love Sophie by the way)..:

Sophie: “as stripped back as you can make it”

Ed: ” OK, well we can just go with two guitars, can we do the kazoo gag?”

(insert 7 minute conversation here)

Sophie: “Actually, bring everything, just acoustic mind, but bring the brass, we’ll DI the bass and amp the keys, oh, and a stripped down kit!”

… we decide to go pretty much full band and acoustic. A lot of fun, and a LOT of lugging. We have to move the van again, and that means we’ll have to move it in the morning too. Ah well…