Glastonbury’s 40th birthday saw a party like no other. As a very special present we were given legendary acts like Stevie Wonder and Toots and the Maytals (more of which later), with grime, house, rock and dub thrown into the mix.
As expected, Glastonbury 2010 did not disappoint. With a line-up to die for and of course all the extra amusements and late night partying, and the unexpected scorching temperatures (the first time there was no rain for 20 years!) made it one to remember.
Musical highlights for me were innumerable and many difficult to recall through the drunken haziness of the weekend! That said, Bonobo (down-tempo electronica ) performed a provoking set on the West Holts stage. With a full live band the songs exploded onto the stage and the fantastically talented Andreya Triana whipped up the crowd with exquisite vocals. Playing the same stage but with an altogether different vibe were Toots and the Maytals. They absolutely stormed it with a massively uplifting early evening set. As the sun set the crowd were gently sweating away, mostly barefoot, to the pure and joyous reggae sounds.
The hugely varied Dance Village hosted a plethora of electronica, grindcore, house and techno: Alex Metric, Aeroplane, Dubfire and Breakage to name but a few. Joy Orbison played a dirty collision of UK future garage and house and Chromeo, arguably the king of 2-Step, played a quirkily enjoyable electrofunk set with their front-man Dave-1 commanding the crowd.
Something to note about Glastonbury is its numerous and varying stages. Cube Henge is a new dance area with glowing cube recreations of the ancient stones; a spooky set up and a perfect background for some very un-prehistoric tunes. The Park stage is also worth mentioning. Designed by Emma Eavis (Michael Eavis’ daughter , soon to take over the Glastonbury family empire) it is a trek to be sure (at least half an hour from the most of the fest) but is worth it. The open air stage was the perfect setting for the phenomenal phenomenon that are The XX. The eery lighting complimented the natural intimacy of the smoky duets. A definite highlight.
For the all-night festival goer the after burner Arcadia stage lights up the sky with acrobats swinging from a flame-emitting platform where DJs such as Kissy Sell Out play to the buzzing crowds. Shangri-La (previously called Trash City) is a dystopian vision inspired by fantasies such as Blade Runner and District 9. It’s a dreamy hedonistic world best seen after dark and is filled with aging hippies and hard-core rinsers. An awe-inspiring experience.
Its ties with its associating charities (Oxfam, Greenpeace and Water Aid) were ever present, with an even bigger focus on keeping the festival as green as possible. The main stage screen played host to several environmental infomercials about taking your tents and rubbish home, whether this was followed or not was hard to tell. Festivals tend to equal a lot of waste, but the mantra Love The Farm, Leave No Trace was certainly drummed into our heads.
Its size (it’s big as the city of Bath) means that seeing (and enjoying) all of the festival would take at least a fortnight. Meaning the best way to enjoy Glastonbury is not to mission it from stage to stage determined to see every act on your check-list, but to wander and get drawn in by the tantalising food stalls, interactive art tents and of course any music that’s drifting your way that seems worth checking out.
Alex Genova, August 2010
