Glastonbury Festival Sunday 28th June 2015

Sunday 28th June 2015

Hozier played the Pyramid stage early afternoon on Sunday. Hozier found fame with “Take Me to Church”, which he closed the set with, but his set saw Hozier cement a positive and hopeful future in terms of the direction he is going in. His set meant that he was able to attract new fans with his calming tones and catchy songs. It was loved by Worthy Farm and very well received by the audience. It proved the complexity of his voice and amazing variation of his songs beyond “that song”. His singing was calming and his voice is powerful. Hozier is one to keep an eye on in the future as his voice is classic and timeless.

Lionel Richie played Worthy Farm for the first time on Sunday 28^th June. He played the legends slot. His voice was virtually pitch perfect and his appreciation for his 100,000+ crowd made the set seem somewhat better and extremely natural. He played a selection of songs including the infamous “Hello” (which its lyrics appeared on many flags seen throughout the weekend), “All Night Long” and “Dancing on the Ceiling”. The crowd enjoyed his set as his voice and extensive song collection appealed to the masses- no matter what generation you are from. It was definitely a special moment for Glastonbury and did what the Glastonbury Legends Slot is meant to do. His set delivered well known songs of loved classics and songs you could dance and sing to.

Alt- J graced the Pyramid Stage early evening on Sunday. The band played a selection of hits from both their albums and closed with arguably their most famous song, “Breezeblocks”. Their set included many upbeat songs and made the audience feel as though they were experiencing the music with them through the occasional electronic beats and large variety of songs. It proved their future headliner potential as it gained a large audience in its own right after having to follow Lionel Richie’s 100,000-120,000 person deep crowd and proved that different types of music can be as popular as the generic ‘pop’ music of today. Subsequently, it’s probable that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Alt-J over the next few years as their conquest into stardom is only just getting started. 

Glastonbury Festival Saturday 27th June 2015

Saturday 27th June 2015

On Saturday afternoon, George Ezra played the Pyramid Stage for the first time. Ezra has a timeless voice which appeals and attracts to an audience of many generations and his Glastonbury audience was no exception to this. His songs are easy to listen to and made the set seem totally seamless whilst also being relaxing. The set was complemented by the dazzling sunshine. Ezra played songs from his debut album “Wanted on Voyage”- which he informed the audience that it was written about a trip around Europe- as well as various song covers including Bob Dylan’s “Girl From the North Country” (which Ezra told the audience that he wished he had written himself) and Macy Gray’s “I Try”. Ezra is an artist who belongs at festivals like Glastonbury (George Ezra played as part of BBC Introducing at Glastonbury) as his music perfectly reflects the mood of the festival itself and drew on a wide range of audience of all ages. Ezra played hits such as “Budapest” and “Cassy ‘O” which made the audience sing with him as the crowd recognized the songs. George Ezra is an artist who is surely going to be around for a long time and I look forward to seeing his future musical endeavours as his Glastonbury set promised a bright musical future.

In preparation for their Sunday Pyramid Stage show, Palma Violets played the William’s Green Stage early Saturday evening. The Lambeth band played an energetic show which saw the audience jumping and singing- and even moshing! The band’s set up was simplistic and the instruments were sound checked by the band which proved that the band weren’t phased by fame. The band played an exhausting set which radiated energy and made the audience buzz. At the end of the set, Chilli Jesson (the bass player) encouraged the audience, and also their own guests, to join them up on stage- much to the security guard’s dismay. It was a spectacular show to witness as it was seen by only a few hundred people, in contrast to the thousands who came out to see the Lambeth band’s set on the Other Stage the following day. The set was entertaining and showcased many tracks from their new album “Danger in the Club”.

Glastonbury Festival’s controversial Saturday headliner Kanye West originally sparked uproar and disgust among the many festival goers and even caused online petitions (one of which reached over 100,000 signatures) to occur and saw death threats for Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis. But Kanye showed Glastonbury’s diversity as well as showcased what makes Glastonbury set out and different from every other festival. Its diversity means that you can enjoy artists including the likes of Florence and the Machine and the Vaccines but also artists like Kanye West- and I personally think we should embrace this culture. The set included many well known songs from Kanye’s collection such as “Gold Digger”, “All Day”, “Ni**as in Paris” and “FourFiveSeconds” as well as controversial covers of songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) which made the audience sing along. Kanye’s set promised memorable Glastonbury moments as well as key moments of the decade which would be talked about for many years to come and made many people question what Kanye could do and whether Kanye was festival headliner worthy- Kanye had already hailed himself as “the greatest living rockstar on the planet”. The audience, who mostly loved Kanye’s songs or were interested in what he would do to either show himself up or just wanted to see the audience reaction, were waiting for what Kanye would do to make his headline set stand out from the rest. Early on in the set, during “Black Skinhead” (the set’s fourth song), Kanye was interrupted by a comedian, later found out to be Lee Nelson, as he ran onto the stage. Kanye demanded the song be restarted and the set continued. West dedicated a song to his wife Kim Kardashian as well which made the audience wonder whether or not Kim K would make an appearance. But the main focal point of the set was Kanye’s disappearance from the stage during “Touch the Sky” in which the audience were left in darkness for about 5 minutes muttering to one another as to what he was doing and why Kanye had shown himself up but no one was expecting Kanye to appear on a cherry picker above the huge crowd in which he demanded the audience to jump. It was difficult to see where the 100,000+ people were who signed the online petition because the Worthy Farm audience seemed to love the performance. Kanye’s set got the people of Glastonbury Festival talking and I’m sure that people will continue to talk about it for a long time and, after all, Kanye is the name on everyone’s lips. He’s popular, current and controversial- everyone’s talking about him and he loves it.

Glastonbury Festival Friday 26th June 2015

Friday 26th June 2015

James Bay took to the Pyramid Stage early on Friday afternoon. He was met by a huge crowd and was accompanied by many famous fans, including One Direction’s Niall Horan. Bay played a selection of songs from his album “Chaos and the Calm” including hits such as “Hold Back the River” and “Let it go”.  Bay’s set featured many melodic tunes and an array of easy to listen to songs which set the audience up for an exciting weekend of live music. His voice possessed a maturity which proved his right to be on the main stage and promised many future Glastonbury sets. James Bay followed his performance on the Pyramid Stage with a short set on the BBC Introducing stage on Saturday.

After an episode of food poisoning, Catfish and the Bottlemen conquered the Other Stage on Friday afternoon. Catfish and the Bottlemen opened with their hit song Kathleen which immediately got the crowd singing. Catfish and the Bottlemen seem to create a buzzing energy full of youthful promise and their crowd was mostly filled with loyal and supportive fans- especially shown in Friday’s pouring rain. It’s my second time seeing Catfish and the Bottlemen (I saw them play Reading Festival last year before the release of their debut album) and it’s amazing to see their popularity flourish after the release of their debut album “The Balcony”. The Welsh band played a set full of upbeat indie tunes which showcased the skills of the band and put them in a perfect position for potential future festival sets. Catfish and the Bottlemen are definitely ones to watch as they could potentially be headliners of the future as a result of their catchy songs and dedicated fan base. Despite the rain (and the weather stricken instruments), the band played a set which got the crowd excited and left the listener with lingering catchy hooks. Van McCann even stopped the set in order to get a fan’s CD which showed not only their care and appreciation of and towards their fan base but also reminded the listener of the band’s journey to where they are now and their support of new music. Catfish and the Bottlemen are definitely not to be missed. They could possibly be the next big thing and they’re most definitely well on their way.

There was much speculation as to what would happen to Florence and the Machine’s early evening  Friday 7:15 set after she was ‘promoted’ to headliner, as a result of Dave Grohl’s (Foo Fighters) broken foot, and the set remained a secret with only a few knowing. I’d heard many potential names floating around the site all day ranging from Ed Sheeran to an acoustic Foo Fighters set. The set was played by The Libertines, who are currently making a comeback after a recent break from music, and they were openly welcomed by thousands of elated fans. Doherty and co delivered a set packed full of hits from the past 18 years and it served as a hint of what fans could expect at other headline events such as Reading and Leeds Festival (August 28^th-30^th). The onstage relationship between Doherty and Barat- proved by their microphone sharing after Doherty’s microphone stopped working- made the audience feel at ease and comforted by their return. Their short notice set was well received and set the audience up for Florence and the Machine.

But overall, Flo stole the show. Florence proved her headliner worthiness by producing a spectacular set mixing songs from her new album “How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful” with classic Florence and the Machine songs such as “Shake it out” and “Spectrum”. The audience particularly enjoyed Florence’s cover of “You’ve got the Love” (The Source featuring Candi Staton) and it was being sung around the festival site over the whole weekend as a result of its catchy tune and lyrics (in which the audience had mostly known prior to her set). Florence possessed an incredible onstage energy and presence which radiated positivity and created a somewhat spiritual feeling in her performance which made the set feel perhaps even magical. The set has launched Florence and the Machine into a new era of performance and set her miles above the other acts at the festival. Florence is of course a worthy headliner of Glastonbury as a result of her constant devotion to the festival over the last few years. The band reminded the audience of the reason that they were able to headline the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury in the first place by paying homage to the Foo Fighters and Dave Grohl with a cover of “Times like These” which got the whole crowd singing. Florence Welch’s onstage energy caused her to put on a spectacular show- worthy of any headline spot- and saw her dancing (despite her recent broken foot) and running around the stage sporadically and at one point even getting into the audience and singing with/to fans. The highlight of the set was “Dog Days are Over” in which Welch encouraged the audience to swing pieces of clothing above their head and temporarily leave their problems behind them whatever they may be. Florence did this also and removed her shirt before exiting the stage to a constant roar of audience applause. Florence is not to be under estimated, as her Glastonbury set proves, and she will undoubtedly be a staple feature in many of the major festivals over the next year or so. 

Glastonbury 2015 26^th June- 28^th June

Highlights- Florence and the Machine, Catfish and the Bottlemen, James Bay, the Libertines, George Ezra

Ones to watch- Catfish and the Bottlemen, Sunset Sons, Hozier, Circa Waves

After 45 years of Glastonbury Festival, Worthy Farm promised nothing but three days of non-stop music and dancing featuring many legendary artists of both today and those of the near future- and it sure did deliver. It was headlined by Florence and the Machine, Kanye West and The Who, with the Sunday afternoon legend slot being deservingly filled by Lionel Richie.

This was my first visit to Worthy Farm and my first taste of Glastonbury Festival and all that it entails- and, of course, it, as tradition, poured with rain (only adding to the experience I feel). Glastonbury festival is a place that accentuates and encourages freedom and the freedom to express yourself in any way that you wish by offering activities such as music and other forms of contemporary arts including through art, fashion and, in some cases, even activities like yoga. It’s so visually stimulating and seems so lovingly put together. It has an incredible night life too- with music continuing beyond the headliners into about 6AM (if you’re not shattered after a full day of dancing and walking). I would definitely, and I can’t stress that enough, recommend Glastonbury Festival (if you can bear the intense ticket buying process- you need lots of patience as it’s just the luck of the draw) to anyone. Glastonbury is a place for people of all ages, whether you’re 3 years old or 83 years old there’s something for everyone! I will most definitely be coming back in the future and I can see it becoming a tradition. Don’t hesitate to register for tickets next year even if you’re unsure of whether or not you want to go. You’ll only regret it if you don’t!

I will be posting reviews of each day separately in order to break down the reading. Overall, I loved my time at Glastonbury festival and I wouldn't hesitate to come back. I strongly recommend that you take time to visit their website and look at their (by far more professional) photos as I think the experience goes beyond the music. It's extremely hard to capture the magic of Glastonbury and do it justice. I hope you enjoy reading my review of the weekend.

Charley

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