Posts Tagged ‘Glastonbury’
A Happy Easter Glastonbury Mixtape
I never sleep well during a full moon. So if you add that to Tinnitus playing its wicked part in a lack of a peaceful nights sleep regardless of the lunar cycle, this week has been restless. At some point around 4am Wednesday morning I started trying to compile an Easter mixtape but all that kept popping into my head was songs from Jesus Christ Superstar and Blue’s All Rise (blame a catholic upbringing and drinking a lot of cider in a town that loved pop, tacky boy bands and R&B). Despite the fact that the mere mention of these songs runs the risk of creating unwanted earworms to anyone foolish enough to be reading I didn’t want to actually put you through hearing them.
Last night as I was sat sinking pints listening to my male colleagues talk golf and scrolling through my phone the Glastonbury line up was partly announced (I know there’s more to come because Thom Yorke in some guise wasn’t listed so I am still hopeful for John Grant and Yeah Yeah Yeahs in my wildest dreams). So instead of Easter this mixtape is based on those first knee jerk excitements as I glanced through the stages. I can smell the petrichor, sloe gin in hip flasks and the mud already.
You can play this on either YouTube or Spotify. Have a very merry Easter. ♥
- Phoenix – Girlfriend
- Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood
- Solange – Losing You
- Villagers – Becoming A Jackal
- Foals – Milk & Black Spiders
- The Rolling Stones -Ruby Tuesday
- Devendra Banhart – Can’t Help But Smiling
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Nobody’s Baby Now
- Nas – The Message
- The Horrors – Still Life
- Vampire Weekend – Diane Young
- Haim – Falling
- Local Natives – Breakers
- Rodriguez – Inner City Blues
- Peace – Bloodshake
Sunday Swoon. December 9th
All about the tunes…
1. Darwin Deez has returned this week with a track of his forthcoming album The Editorial Me. His videos always somehow strike a beautiful balance between humour and forlorn reality, his video for DNA always inducing a heartfelt sigh from me at the very end. A joyous, bizarre and uplifting Glastonbury highlight in 2011. Can’t wait to see him again in February.
2. Scott Walker has come out of his somewhat reclusive life to release Bish Bosch this week. Irrespective of how accessible some of his albums may be (I had a gloriously bizarre night at the Barbican celebrating his albums Tilt and Drift) he is a rare musical genius. Listen alone with open ears… it made me feel strange, in a way that only Scott Walker can.
3. This somehow escaped me last week. Veronica Falls with Teenage. A sort of upbeat song about giving up, I adore it and they should be in every music lovers record collection.
4. As if Darwin Deez cheering my life wasn’t enough Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds also made a return this week to keep me firmly grounded with We Know Who U R. How this man manages to make dark and menacing sound like the most inviting place in the world I’ll never fathom.
5. No new track to play you but just old-fashioned excitement that Phoenix are set to release a new album in April 2013 as reported by Pitchfork this week. Strangely I had been playing Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix pretty much on repeat this week. Some cosmic sign was telling me they would be back.
What Was & What Will Be. And Artichokes.
Happy New Year my music loving, book nerd, pick and mix addict alcoholics.
I spent a good chunk of yesterday reminiscing about 2011. It was the year I became addicted to Romanesco, Rum & Ginger, and Hackney (inconvenient seeing as I reside in north-west London). The year I met Jarvis Cocker *swoon*. The year I got a tattoo. The year I spoke to Steve Lamacq on BBC6 Music. The year I remained in love. The year I made a wish in a 6th century wishing well, the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul. The year I found community through Riot Clean Up, the most precious days of last year came from destruction, who could have predicted that – amazing!
It was the year I tweeted for The Guardian at Glastonbury and started writing for Flush The Fashion (thanks Pete!). It was the year I started this blog and had Thom Vincent, Dan Thompson, Bob Winckworth, my Dad and Priyam Chovhan guest blog for me (thanks a ton lovely folk). I’ve had a ton of support from friends, family and strangers in my writing which has truly meant the bloody universe to me.
The year I averaged 2.91 books a month and 2.58 gigs a month (festivals not included as some bands at Glastonbury are a bit of a blur) mainly with Lolita who has energetically suffered my stubborn determination to trek around various venues and fields. This was my soundtrack of 2011.
It was also the year I didn’t truly recognise the value of a friend until she was over the other side of the planet (I should have never let her get on that plane) and that is my one regret. It was the year I was made redundant from a job I loathed, only to find another and be told on my first day they were going bust at Christmas (it’s ok, I found another job after a frantic couple of months). The year my parents bailed me out on a number of occasions reminding me how important family are, I am eternally grateful for their love and support, poor sods.
Then I started thinking about 2012. I’ve never been one for resolutions but this year I decided I’d like some aims to plod towards. My list started with “Eat more artichokes”, and then it remained at that one point for the entire day. I also plan to work my way through the awesome books Cocktails with Bompas & Parr and the stunning Vintage Tea Party. Have a dip dye at Bleach, another tattoo, go back to meditation classes, learn how to ride a bike, find some new friends to trot around London with. Keep a journal in a slightly alternative way thanks to Keel’s Simple Diary, join a book club (ticked off the list thanks to The Good Ship, Kilburn). Above all I hope it’s a content year with few dramas and plenty of creativity.
I’ll leave you all with The Maccabees, the first album of 2012 I’ll be buying and the first gig of the year I’ll be heading to. Happy New Year, hope it’s a proper little belter for you all. ♥
Glastonbury, You Were Epic
I wanted to write this the moment I bundled through the flat door, it had priority over showering and changing the knickers I’d been wearing for days. However if I had followed through on this I fear it would have been the ramblings of a woman embarking on a self-inflicted, sleep deprived breakdown, ending with my tears plopping over my Macbook.
I’ve been thinking about what I would write about Glastonbury. How do you avoid sounding annoying to those who missed out or a bore to people who just don’t care? How do you sum up a festival that is going to be so uniquely different to each person who was there. Glastonbury, when embraced, becomes quite a personal experience.
I could tell you how seeing Metronomy on the Pyramid Stage on the Friday was emotional, hearing an album based on an area where I grew up on that historic stage was spine tingling for me. I could tell you I laughed until I cried at my friend’s behaviour (we decided it isn’t twitter safe so it’s definitely not blog safe to reveal details either). That Darwin Deez danced to Enya, The Spice Girls & Willow Smith (but you wouldn’t believe me right?). That despite my hesitations U2 were a festival highlight, that when I didn’t think I could dance anymore The Go! Team got me back up on my feet. That a pizza, lemonade and boy saved me from a bad hangover. That I had my wallet stolen but didn’t care as I was having such an amazing time. That in choosing to see Beyoncé I feel like I witnessed one of those historic musical performances. I could tell you that although the memories are drunkenly hazy I know I smiled like there was no tomorrow, no time constraints, no real life.
None of this really matters except to me, and those who were at my side… 170,000 of you.
We were there. ♥
NB: I was recently criticised for tweeting during a gig, but that led to contributing to The Guardian’s Glastonbury coverage. Tweeting didn’t detract from my experience at all & I just want to say thanks to the staff who gave me the opportunity to do so. Great fun!
Festival Tips
I’ve been reading various guides over the past week, increasingly as the festival to outshine all festivals draws closer. Some have offered great advice, some have offered nothing of substance whatsoever and I suspect villagers have loaned out their idiots to the media.
Below are tips that have been gleaned from personal experience or advice that’s been passed down the line from many experienced or organised festival goers. They’re all practical, if a little gross at times, and you wouldn’t have read them in the papers. Please also check out my previous blog on Festival Fashion. ♥
- For when you need the toilet in the middle of the night invest in a head torch. You’ll appreciate having both hands free, trust me
- When you’re drunk, merry and don’t want the night to end but find yourself heading back to the tent anyway now is the time to run down and fill your water bottles so you don’t waste hours in the rush during the mornings
- Men have the luxury of peeing in a bottle, us ladies get the raw deal? Wrong! An ordinary funnel used for cookery over an empty bottle makes a homemade ShePee for those of you not wanting to expose your bum to all and sundry. Great use for the middle of the night in your tent and it can be disposed of simply after
- Don’t accept medication off strangers, even a friendly nurse could be giving you LSD instead of antihistamines
- For those of you with weak stomachs suck on extra strong mints as you head in to the toilets, all you’ll smell is minty freshness even if you feel like you’re sucking on chalky grit
- Don’t underestimate the £1 shops for camping supplies. Great for batteries, ground mats, billy cans, torches.
- Attempting to remain hygienic, lots of companies will give you samples if you’re friendly enough and it saves a lot of space on packing. Kiehls have been especially generous this year
- Get a First Aid kit together, while it’s true you can buy pretty much all supplies at Festivals, basic paracetamol and plasters will cost four times the price you’ll buy in a local chemist. While hopefully everyone remains injury free hangovers and blisters are inevitable
- For those of you wanting to get some sleep (we all try to fight it but it will need to happen at some point) invest in some decent earplugs
- Line your backpack in the ultra thick bin liners you can pick up in supermarkets (the garden refuse ones are best) to help keep things waterproof. When you leave your tent chuck your sleeping bag in one of them and tie it up tightly. This was a lifesaver at Bestival one year as it was the only thing left dry in my tent after it flooded
- Take moist toilet tissue with you, closer thing to a shower I get at festivals
- A lot of emphasis is placed on taking spare batteries and solar chargers for your phone but don’t forget your cameras! You’ll want to look back at the memories you make
Glastonbury More To Watch
In an effort not to eternally procrastinate I posted Glastonbury One’s To Watch earlier. Had I given it too much thought I would have been still deciding in twenty years time, reminiscing about Glastonbury 2011. Except artists seemed to send me subliminal messages throughout the day via iPod shuffle saying “Err… you forgot about ME!”
I felt like I had to honour them and post a further 5 but I promise I will zip it after I hit publish! ♥
6. Adorable Kitty, Daisy & Lewis. I am so envious when youngsters have such an outstanding talent, this band make manufactured youth artists look like the frauds they are. Hard to think ones so young can have such an authentic vintage sound. In awe.
7. Forgive me for not remembering the name of the 6 Music DJ who said “This is the record I’ve been waiting for Patrick Wolf to make”. I’ve been sold on him since day 1 and have seen him twice. Once with a full orchestra behind him which moved me tears, more recently at The Bloomsbury Ballroom where he showcased songs from Lupercalia in ripped trousers, beating any blues he’s suffered from in the past.
8. Adorable hangover music, Caitlin Rose. I’ve been slow on the uptake here, I hold my hands up that I only recently discovered her but it was perfectly timed. Newest girl crush playing The Park this year.
9. His past two albums have proved he is still as talented as he was when he was sat next to Art. This song is one of my guilty pleasures, oh how my fingers are crossed! Paul Simon has such a huge back catalogue to choose from that spans decades.
10. I think Wild Beasts will potentially provide such magic as they play past midnight, so if you fancy an emotional moment while at Glastonbury I’d suggest seeing them, then head up to the stone circle after to contemplate life.
Glastonbury One’s To Watch
IT’S THIS WEEK! We can say that now. All us smug, lucky folk that got tickets. Wet wipes, wellies and moonshine at the ready. I’ve already blogged about Festival Fashion and Musical Snobbery, I’m stretching out the topic of my favourite festival in excitement and anticipation.
The Guardian published a great article, musicians who are playing have recommended who they think are the ones to watch. so I thought seeing as I will be contributing to The Guardians Glastonbury section via Twitter during the course of the festival I’d also throw in my pennies worth.
Of course Clashfinder is genius, and I’m quite envious of people who go with a rigid plan and stick to it. However that’s not the case with me, I appear with the best intentions but find it’s easier not to plan and see where you find yourself. If I was one of those people then these are the 5 acts I would see and nothing would stand in my way.
For those of you going have an amazing time, for music lovers that aren’t please keep an eye out for me in The Guardian. First one that spots me gets a CD compilation! ♥
1. Metronomy have been heralded across the industry and in the press as THE band of the moment, strange to think they’re on album number 3 and have suddenly been catapulted into the limelight. I’ve caught them twice this year and come hell or high water I will be at The Pyramid Stage on Friday, perfect start to the Friday.
2. Lykke Li is such a little fire cracker, adored her first album but even more in love with the second. Start to finish it’s perfect and I wonder if she realises how much her lyrics sum up a million emotions women feel, listen to Sadness Is A Blessing to sum up that still waters run deep.
3. Emmy The Great makes a perfectly timed return, I’ve been listening to the album at unhealthy times in the mornings (I have cultivated an inconvenient 5am body clock recently). I can’t picture a better song to be sat on a bin liner, cider in hand, sunglasses on, sighing in contentment. I love the lyric “If you’re an Island, I will find some meaning in the waves for you”.
4. Nothing, and I literally mean nothing, makes me happier than dancing in a field spilling drink onto my own feet. Friendly Fires are the type of band you just know will bring the sun out, like a movie moment. I think some people have found their second album less accessible than the first so in that respect I hope they play a few old favourites, like Skeleton Boy and Paris. Either way their energy will captivate, of that I am certain.
5. I recently told someone on Twitter I’d give them the price of their Anna Calvi ticket if they weren’t taken with seeing her live, I’m that confident after seeing her in Camden a few weeks back. I think she’s a rare talent, if I was in my golden years I’m sure I’d be whittling on about how they don’t make them like Dusty anymore. She’s in that vein of female artists, something aged and raw about her.
Down With Music Snobbery
Glastonbury excitement has truly kicked in the past 24 hours, not just because I found a load of Berocca left over from last year so I can make morning Verocca (the liquid element being vodka), and not even because of a very exciting reason I will reveal nearer the time (mysterious moi).
The uncontrollable, hyper, catch your breath excitement kicked in when a *friend, who will be turning 40 at Glastonbury this year, emailed me. I’m paraphrasing, but the basic message was how there wasn’t that many bands he was dying to see so this year was going to be his DJ year. That he was really looking forward to it all no matter who was on and his excitement, as always, shone through.
That, my friends, is the spirit!
One thing that’s truly grated me was the kick against the headliners at Glastonbury this year, the amount of people on social networking sites alone ranting about the line up seemed at an all time high. Here is the deal, you buy a ticket not knowing who the line up is. You have the opportunity to give up your ticket through the deposit scheme once some acts are announced if you’re dead set against them. If you willingly take the risk of paying the balance and you’re then disappointed with the overall line up then there really is only one choice as I see it.
That choice being commit to a ticket, commit to FUN BAGS!!
Musical snobbery is a sad and woeful thing, we should all be able to embrace whatever tickles our ear buds. Equally we should be able to express disgust and disappointment as well, but if you’ve paid up then joy up!!
Honestly, the headliners don’t particularly get me breathless but no one is forcing me to see them. We have free will my friends, and there is more than one field at Glastonbury to express that. You can’t please all of the people all of the time, even with over sixty stages it seems! ♥
*Said friend is Irish and even he’s not bothered by U2 it seems. I have however deliberately chosen this clip from Glastonbury because I suspect a lot of people moaning about U2 were present at this moment last year and will remember it always. I’m not a U2 fan either but don’t tell me you didn’t sing along.
#30 My Favourite Song This Time Last Year. 30 Day iTunes Song Challenge
I am ecstatic that I get to finish on this track, the EP it features on was actually released in February but this song was instantly part of my soundtrack last year and continues to be in 2011 as well.
It’s almost a modern day Beach Boys anthem, calling to arms the smell of summer & what it is to be care free. Also, the lead singer Jonathon Pierce is a front man in the making after seeing them in the John Peel tent at Glastonbury last year. This song was, and remains to be, my anthem.
And so the 30 day iTunes challenge comes to a close. Here it is via spotify which is sightly ironic! ♥
#15 A Song That Describes Me. 30 Day iTunes Challenge
“That girl you found keeps that kind of window closed”
For someone who is outwardly quite loud I don’t like to reveal too much about myself, I’m a secretive/proud/emotionally retarded creature depending on what we’re dealing with. It takes something epically titanic for me to cry fire, & I usually have a delayed reaction even when it gets to that point. So with that element of my personality I guess I end up revealing more than I’d usually wish in choosing this track. They are one of my favourite bands, I’ve not missed a tour since they first arrived on the music scene. This song sums me up perfectly.
For all those people who usually come up against a stubborn & tight lipped me when they know I’m down about something & I refuse to lean on them for support. This track explains it. ♥
