The Saturday of Glastonbury was pre-identified as an action packed day. There were a few clashes around, but Ste and I pretty much agreed what we were going to tackle. The day started with some rain and I couldn’t help but hope the Bootleg Beatles would play a cover of Rain. I didn’t happen. Lost opportunity. We headed out with waterproofs on and made the controversial decision not to bother with chairs.
The Bootleg Beatles with the Pepperland Sinfonia
With a cup of tea in hand we headed for the Pyramid stage. The Bootleg Beatles were awesome. Focussing entirely on Sgt Peppers and Magical Mystery Tour era meant a splendid time was guaranteed for all. Hearing A Day In The Life with an orchestra was pretty special and something I won’t forget in a hurry. Paul’s patter was perfect, although his look and singing voice isn’t quite there. John was pretty much spot on. A top start to the day which also ended as the rain ended.
Joseph
Our first and only trip to the Acoustic Stage. We arrived early to hear the sweet sounds of Joseph. White Flag has become my youngest daughters favourite tune and I can’t stop watching the version they did on Jools Holland. We oddly caught the soundcheck which drifted into the main set. I didn’t know everything, but being on the front row meant it was a pretty intimate and special performance. I’ll no doubt invest in the latest album soon.
Wildwood Kin
Keeping with the all girl band theme we sped to the Avalon Stage for the first and only time. We caught Wildwood Kin syupporting The Oh Hellos last year and were pretty impressed, I love a band who really look like they are enjoying themselves on stage. We missed the first song, but the rest of the set was sumptuous. They noted that they had previously been reviewed as being “pleasantly awkward” on stage. There’s something really apt about that description. Their new album is out in August and I’ll certainly be making a purchase.
British Sea Power
It’s a little bit of a cheat to say we saw BSP. We wanted to, but also wanted to cram in other bands. We saw the end of one song on the way round one side of The Other Stage and then caught Keep On Trying (Sechs Freunde) on the way past the other side.
The Amazons
We specifically trekked to the John Peel Stage to see these. We hadn’t been able to make up our minds in advance over whether this was a band for us or not. I think our collective conclusion was “not”. We probably only stayed for 2 or 3 songs, but had time to sneak in two puns. Ste noted that “they never fail to deliver” while I acknowledge that we didn’t have a prime spot.
Wild Beasts
We left The Amazons and headed back to The Other Stage to see Wild Beasts. We arrived during track one, but were quickly able to get to the front. They gave a good performance. I don’t have an extensive knowledge of their stuff, but there was a couple in front who literally song along to every word. I’m always amazed how there are always superfans for every band. We headed back to the tent after this one to deposit the waterproofs and replenish the beers.
Kaiser Chiefs
This was a band we almost couldn’t be bothered for. KT Tunstall was playing the acoustic tent. We’d have both preferred that, but couldn’t bring ourselves to trek from the tent to the Acoustic Stage (probably the longest possible journey). Instead we trudged to watch the Kaisers (after debating whether to skip them and just head to the Park Stage for Temples). They were fine. Nothing more, nothing less. It seemed like Ricky Wilson had snorted a couple of lines of coke before he came on stage as he was a little wired and very up for it. I Predict A Riot was the inevitable highlight.
Liam Gallagher
Following KC was the big man himself, LG as you were. The last time Ste or I saw this man live was at Glastonbury in 2004. Oasis were terrible that night and Liam’s voice really hasn’t been the same for well over a decade. He opened with Rock n Roll Star and transitioned into Morning Glory. He then mentioned new songs, so we headed on our merry way. The crowd was truly huge. Watching back on TV, I don’t feel we missed anything, but the closing Don’t Look Back In Anger was pretty special.
Temples
A quick March to The Park stage for Temples. Nothing stands out about this set. It was good, but wasn’t special or memorable. In fact we had a sit down for the last few songs (a much needed sit down!).
The Avalanches
This was a wildcard. Our first EVER trip to the West Holts stage. What a strange trip it was. It felt like a party stage. No one seems inserted in the band, but everyone was drinking. You couldn’t get anywhere near the from (or at least we couldn’t spy a route), so we watched from a distance. Despite the big screens being available and functional, they were not utilised. Instead you had to try and pick out people on stage from a distance. We decided after a couple of tracks that this wasn’t for us. We probably should have delayed the decision for 5 more minutes as Frontier Psychiatrist started playing as we were well on our way to the Pyramid.
The National
Pretty much caught the whole of this set. I don’t remember a lot about it. I don’t remember being particularly drunk, but memories of this and Father John are certainly Misty. The National were good, if not sparkling. I’m pretty certain Ste enjoyed them a little more than me, but they were certainly good.
Father John Misty
FJM is a bit of an enigma. This was a good set, but he is a strange dude. We had a poor view, but the screens are decent in The John Peel tent. Everything that he played from I Love You, Honeybear (the album) was fantastic. His more pop tendencies have more appeal for me.
∆ alt-j
The Foo Fighters were headlining the Pyramid. This wasn’t a difficult decision for Ste or I. Neither of us owns a Foos album and ∆ are one of the best bands in recent times. We arrived nice an early for this one and got pretty close to the front. The Foos clearly had the lions share of patrons, but this was a pretty iconic performance to be at. The set was little more than an hour, but I’m pretty certain they played everything you’d want to hear at a festival set. They were pretty static for the whole performance and didn’t talk much. That said, despite a lack of engagement through that medium, the songs spoke for themselves. I was mesmerised as was everyone around me. Matilda stood out as a particular highlight, but I don’t think there was a low point. I wasn’t restless for a second. If i was a Kraftwerk fan (own one album that I’ve never got into) then this is probably what watching them would have felt like. Compelling viewing.
Warpaint
The Park usually ends last (although not on Sunday) and when you don’t want the night to end, its worth a hike. I’ve never fully got into Warpaint, but they have some fantastic tunes. I think we caught that last 4 or 5 songs. New Song was fantastic and made me wish I’d seen more.
The highlights of day four, for me, were alt-j, Joseph, Wildwood Kin and Warpaint. We walked 24km on the Saturday, purposely seeing 14 bands across 7 different stages. Our most impressive glastonbury haul ever. It even included some downtime between Wild Beasts and Kaiser Chiefs!
A Gig A Month 2015-2022 