50 quid bloke

…now I realise I was scrubing away a potential goldmine…

I can’t claim to have done the full Glastonbury thing: we had to head home on Saturday afternoon to be at a friend’s wedding in the evening. And, as ever, more time was spent either trudging round, waiting and trying to find people than actually seeing or doing anything. But on the whole, it was brilliant. Probably even more so for the fact that we knew we’d be leaving quite early, and therefore could throw ourselves into the proceedings right from the word go.
The football on Thursday night was spectacular - apart from the teeny matter of the result. We were in front of the pyramid stage, quite close to the front watching, completely engrossed. When suddenly, I looked behind me and saw 50,000 others watching it. Incredible. We didn’t win, but it was a great way to get things going.
The first bit of Friday was spent shaking of Thursday’s hangover. Badly Drawn Boy was the only one of the bands I catched during the day that really made an impact: despite his slightly shambling stage presence and a rather peculiar appearance by Bez (yes, Bez). He played my two favourite songs back to back: Have you Fed the Fish and You were right, which is all you can ask for, really.
Heading back to the campervan for an afternoon freshen up, I walked passed Kate Moss. There I was: face beaming red with sun burn, muddy shorts and crappy straw cowboy hat. If I’d known she was coming, I might at least have worn a different hat.
Franz Ferdinand were great, except I was slightly distracted by being re-introduced to someone I went out with 20 years ago, and hadn’t seen since. Kings of Leon were frankly pretty poor. As hard as I try, just can’t quite get to like them.
Then to Oasis, who were excellent entertainment - apart from the mush that followed every time we heard the dread words: ‘This is a new song’. I saw them at Maine Road in 96: and then they were beyond brilliant - absolutely at their peak. Now, all that’s left is their past glories: but frankly, you can’t argue with 60,000 people singing along to Champagne Supernova or Don’t Look Back in Anger.
After that: well, it’s all the stuff you don’t see on the TV. A gang of us shambled off to Lost Vagueness, then another place, then to The Crown (the Budweiser spnsored dance tent).where I experienced one of my greatest ever dancefloor moments: after hours of full on techno with hundreds of sweaty bodies making the same repetitive dance steps, it suddenly went incredibly quiet. Then through the speakers came: ‘Toniii-ght…I’m gonna have my-self a real gooooood time…I feel ali-i-i-ive’ and there you had it in the middle of a dance tent: 300 sweaty ravers going absolutely mental to Queen. Then we had Pulps’s Common People…and finally ending with Hotel California. Not convinced? I guess you really had to be there.
More shambling round through the Green fields. More falafel. Was that Damien Rice playing in that tent? And finally off to the stone circle to watch the sun rise.
And, what a sunrise. Glorious red filled the sky, people sat around campfires or wandered around shouting out the names of lost friends, drummers drummed trying to bring the sun up: and then, as if by magic a perfect rainbow appeared behind us. Suddnly a few hundred people went: ‘wooooh’, before realising that a rainbow normally means that there’s rain around. And sure enough, it started half an hour later. So, the remaining four of us trudged home at around 5.30 ending probably my best ever Glastonbury night.
We awoke around mid-day with a minor problem. Someone’s car had blocked our camper van in and we had to leave. Closer scrutiny revealed it was Vince Power. But he very kindly moved it.
Arrived back in London around 8pm after the drive from hell. Parked up outside my parents (who live in W1, near the wedding), and as I pulled the camper van in, flames erupted out of the passenger side of the van. For the first time in my life, I used a fire extinguisher in anger. Put it out. We showered, got dressed. Jumped into a cab and went and joined the real world at our wedding.
The campervan is now in hospital.

Off to Glastonbury. First time in a campervan, which should be exciting. Don’t expect a full and lucid report back…

I’d normally avoid the circus, but this was recommended by Time Out, and we had nothing planned for the night….so we headed off to Clissold Park to see No Fit State Circus’s immortal >show” href=”http://www.nofitstate.com/immortal/show.html”>Nofit State Circus > immortal >ImMortal show last night.
And and excellent use of £12 it was. This being ‘new circus’ there was a theme, (their promotional material claims it’s a ‘journey into what it means to be human’ which is pushing it somewhat), but basically, it’s a set of spectacular acrobatics accompanied by a band. And it’s quite remarkable what a dozen people can do with some ropes, lights and scaffolding. Oh, and some hula-hoops.
It’s on till 20 June. Much recommended and you can take the kids.