Glasto - my son's review (Please read!!!)

OK, a bit of parental pride here (we don't do it often do we though) so please indulge me.

My son Oli is 15 and he was my 'plus one' at Glasto and we had a great time together - and apart (it is THAT safe).

We share a lot of the same tastes - we both love Glasvegas, Gaslight Anthem, The Clash, The Ramones et al - but he is far more hardcore than I am (as he should be). So while I was dancing in the dark with Brucie baby he was off watching a band called The King Blues and while I was loving the Bunnymen (oh Mas, they were amazing) he was bopping to the Prodigy.

Anyway...I told him I wanted him to do a write-up and I know I am amazingly biased but I think he has done a top job for a 15 year old who until recently didn’t even like English much (I am trying to persuade him to do it for A Level) and has no journalistic interest at all.

I think he has written this really well for one so young – and I haven’t edited it at all. At times bizarrely he reminds me of the way I would write - although I never said these things nearly as well at 15 - which is ironic because he makes a point of not reading anything I write! Have a read if you have a mo.
Glasto through the eyes of a 15-year-old first-timer

A few months ago, Glastonbury felt very much like a bad idea.
I had listened to the conventional stereotypes of drugged-up hippies with abysmal and obscure peace-loving music alongside humid temperatures and the ever potent smell of faeces. The idea from my point of view was detestable – up until the point when they released a line-up including the legendary band that is Spinal Tap.

So, off I set to ‘smell the glove’ of Spinal Tap and to try and avoid as many spaced-out hippies as possible, but the first thing I learned from Glastonbury was that spaced out hippies weren’t that bad!

It quickly became apparent that this festival was very much like a small city – without any of the problems. This meant that everyone was chilled out and it didn’t matter if you were a hippie or a human being because Glasto’s community was a very friendly place. It was so friendly in fact that I only met one angry drunk and he was a Nottingham Forest fan, so I suppose the anger was somewhat justified.

The second thing that really stands out at the Glastonbury is the amount of stewardship and security – it’s highly visible and everyone is very helpful, aiding people getting in and parking, and providing great support around the site to give guidance and directions.

So after a very small amount of exploration, I headed for the John Peel Stage for the first band of my weekend F***** Up. Surprisingly, this anarcho-punk group – that seemed very out of place at Glasto – delivered one of my favourite performances of the weekend, which included the very fat and very topless lead front man ‘Father Damien’ running from the stage, through the crowd to the sound-deck at the other side of the tent while still singing through the mic.

It was a very surreal start.

After this I saw standout performances from the Horrors, N.E.R.D, The Dead Weathers and The Specials. Friday ended with Bloc Party, who were outstanding and very well received.

After a great Friday, anticipation for Saturday was high. Not only would I be seeing the ‘Tap’, there were numerous other acts that emphasised the great and diverse line-up this year. First came Spinal Tap who performed a funny and bizarre show with highlights including midgets dressed as druids dancing round an abysmally-made inflatable Stonehenge. Also The Gaslight Anthem delivered an extraordinary set with a guest appearance from Pyramid headliner Bruce Springsteen midway through set.

The high calibre performances carried on through the day with Dizzee Rascal owning the Pyramid and bands such as Kasabian, Pendulum and The King Blues delivering very exciting sets.

Sunday was a day for exploration as the thought of seeing either Status Quo or Tony Christie was – at the least – vomit-inducing. This is when I found the Trash City, Arcadia and Shangri-La venues. These very original spots in Glastonbury seemed to be in a different world to the rest of the festival with their venues and even their burger bars made to a different artistic style set in the future or the past, or both. Most were just brilliantly weird and original.

I finished the weekend with a solid set from Glasvegas and a crazy performance from The Prodigy whose performance left fans with mud on their shoes, sweat on their bodies and unknown liquids involuntarily splashed across their face.

Overall? Yes, there was often a waft of faeces when you passed any toilets in a 10 metre radius, yes there were a lot of drugged-up hippies, but I really didn’t care. It felt like you were in a new city but one with a big welcoming community.

The performances in their various types were outstanding, it was fun and well organised and I don’t even need to consider going again – because I am already sure that I will.

And, I will persuade anyone who hasn’t tried it to go next year too.