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The Official Unofficial Glastonbury 2014 thread.

swannymere

By swannymere,
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pap

pap

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Which campsite? The festival site covers 1200 acres. To go to the campervan area (Outside the main fence, nearest stage is the Acoustic Stage) you probably need a special wristband to get in and out, only backstage and behind vendors setups are off limits everything else is accessible but a bloody long walk if her friends are camped on the other side of the site.

Here's a link to a site map, the E areas on the right hand side of the map is for campervans and caravans whilst all the camping is on the left hand side of the map, as i said a bloody long walk, most of it would be OK but if her friends decide to camp up near The Park its a very long (45mins minimum) walk.

 

Glastonbury 2014 site map

 

Sorry mate, I'm not much help. I've never stayed in or even been to the campervan site so I have absolutely no idea.

 

Cheers, chaps - from the sounds of it, access doesn't seem to be restricted. Their FAQs page implies that people can come and go.

 

http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/campervan-and-caravan-field-faqs/

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swannymere

swannymere

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Been on site the last couple of days, looks lush, green but also dusty on the roads which means they've started watering the roads to keep the dust down. Seems to be more bars (might be just me) and also certain bars have changed their theme. Toilets seem to have been upgraded in places and even more composting ones. Also noticed a few little details like extra steps and stairs off the railway line in a very rustic style.

Also seems to be alot more 'luxury camping' around the rim of the bowl the site is located in. The festival has changed massively in the years i've been going but i'm not sure this is a positive development and it creates a definite us and them vibe.

On a purely selfish note we finally got our caravan fridge working on gas and cold Thatchers Gold in 30 mins was a god send today, our compound also has a shower block which means no need to pay Aggreko £100 for caravan hook-up. Yay!

I'll post some photos tomorrow from various areas backstage between the Pyramid and Other Stage as i thought they might be interest if you've never seen what its like. It's not very glam but it'll serve to cure and curiosity.

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swannymere

swannymere

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Behind the Pyramid - as you look at the stage the marquees on the left are one of the backstage catering units - i think its 'Eat to the Beat'

 

IMG_0024_zpse1bde520.jpg

 

This is the other side of the rear of the Pyramid

 

df87e473-4c36-49cc-a171-13e4060f390a_zpsfdbd0f99.jpg

 

BBC Production area part 1

 

IMG_0022_zpseea45d4f.jpg

 

BBC Production area part 2

 

IMG_0021_zps32cb6f60.jpg

 

BBC Production area part 3 - glass TV studio at the far end of the photo

 

IMG_0019_zps6144d02e.jpg

 

The Press tent part 1

 

IMG_0030_zpsa732a63f.jpg

 

The Press tent part 2

 

IMG_0029_zpse9d0e732.jpg

 

The Press tent part 3 & Edge of backstage 'play' area

 

IMG_0028_zps42cf0f2d.jpg

 

The Press tent & Bar and 'play' area

 

IMG_0026_zps22b09302.jpg

 

Backstage 'Play' Area part 2

 

IMG_0027_zps800f98e5.jpg

 

 

Apologies for the quality but they were taken on a phone whilst on the move, couldn't be arsed to stop.

Edited by swannymere
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dubai_phil

dubai_phil

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Back in Blighty. All went well in Frog land (except watching England). Now organising kit for loading in the Van tonight! New B&Q wellies for £11.98.

 

Getting my mate to download tapatalk 2nite to keep in touch.

Wearing our Saints shirts Saturday.

Tough part is detoxing from a week on great wines direct from Vineyards!

Think we may have a solution:rolleyes:

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pap

pap

Posted
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Get me to that effing farm!

 

Ps are we having a bev chaps(/chapettes)? If so when/where? I'm not taking the iPhone.

 

Pps I really hate packing.

 

tbh, I was kinda counting on Tapatalk.

 

I don't really have any firm plans as of yet. Take your phone.

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pap

pap

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Hmmmm, the iPhone is technically works. Considering I recently had a Macbook & iPad stolen (both works) I don't think it's a great idea.

 

My answer would be "fk it. It belongs to work".

 

If I can survive walking around NYC with a pocket full of cash and constant fear of being mugged, your phone should be alright at a festival.

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KelvinsRightGlove

KelvinsRightGlove

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My answer would be "fk it. It belongs to work".

 

If I can survive walking around NYC with a pocket full of cash and constant fear of being mugged, your phone should be alright at a festival.

 

It's not other people I worry about at glasto. It's me. The state I intend to be in, there's a good chance I will lose it.

 

Plus I just bought a nokia with 35 days battery life. Saves the need to worry about my iPhones 1 Hour battery.

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SuperMikey

SuperMikey

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Won't have my smart-phone with me this year either, so will have to be a matter of texting. Thursday or Saturday would be my preference, as we're leaving about 3am Monday morning and I will be too busy cleaning the j!zz from my keks after watching Arcade Fire.

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dubai_phil

dubai_phil

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Went Warminster - Frome. Now at Strode Arms outside Shelton Mallett with 6X Beer & pub grub ordered.

Barmaid says traffic really shortened down & almost clear to Pilton now

:cool:

She wants to come with us,, considering an intro to Supermikey :)

#cute&fit

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lifeintheslowlane

lifeintheslowlane

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Don’t suppose any of you festival-goers caught Bryan Ferry’s set on the West Holts stage?

 

Jorja Chalmers on saxophone is simply gorgeous imo!

Have that to look forward to...all recorded and ready to watch over the following week.

 

Love the way John Grant's voice cuts through the air...great stuff......

 

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dubai_phil

dubai_phil

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Home at 6:32. Showered, washing machine on, tent drying.

 

Metallica, Elbow, Dolly Patton rapping, Stephen Frost & Phil Jupitus in the Comedy Tent.

Don Cavalli - randomness in the Park and walking out on Alison Moyer for being sooo melancholy.

 

Loved every damned minute & pint of Cider

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DuncanRG

DuncanRG

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Well that was class. James Blake, Arcade Fire, Ben Klock/Marcel Dettmann and Metallica the highlights for me. Regretting the insane amount of clashes on Saturday night meaning I missed John Grant, Anna Calvi, Machinedrum, Jon Hopkins and most of Pixies/Mogwai

 

Also really annoyed that Aphex Twin was over two hours late for his secret set - he was due on at 3am and I had to leave at 5am because I just couldn't bear to stand anymore

Edited by DuncanRG
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sadoldgit

sadoldgit

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Don’t suppose any of you festival-goers caught Bryan Ferry’s set on the West Holts stage?

 

Jorja Chalmers on saxophone is simply gorgeous imo!

 

 

Rule 1!!!

 

I must be getting old. I loved heavy rock (now Metal) back in the last 60's and 70's - Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Groundhogs etc - but was bored stiff with it by 1977 and cant believe it is still going strong all these years later. Page, Blackmore, Iommi etc mined the best riffs all those years ago - anything now is just derivitive. Or maybe I am just getting old?

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pap

pap

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Just back. Was tempted to post an update while there, but didn't really have the tech or the inclination to do it justice.

 

Overall, we think we enjoyed ourselves immensely. There were some lows, for sure. Slipping on my arse three times and losing a coat to the mud wasn't fun, nor was having to use any toilet on site after about 3pm. The worst are probably the "long drops", which are effectively a row of toilets situated over one large bowl, which contains the combined human waste of thousands of people. By evening, the feckers are close to overflowing. Amazingly, people fúck in them late at night :)

 

Saw tons of bands. Caught Kaiser Chiefs unannounced gig on Friday morning, sparing us all the agony of choice later on when they and Arcade Fire were playing at the same time. Took in a bit of Blondie, but didn't really enjoy the sound from where we were. Getting out of the Other Stage at that point was horrendous. The rest of Friday was spent at the Pyramid. Rodrigo y Gabriela were f**king fantastic; most of their stuff didn't feature any lyrics - just some of the most impressive guitar playing I've seen. De La Soul were a real surprise. Loved nearly everything they did, although not quite sure they nailed "Me, Myself and I". Real fun, though. Caught the end of Rudimental before the storms shut everything down. We buggered back off to the camper and returned for the headliner.

 

Arcade Fire deserve their own paragraph, I reckon. I caught them on their Suburbs tour, and they were great then, but due to lack of material, probably picked some relative duffers from their back catalogue. The release of Reflektor changes that. They could never write another song and still have enough material to be an amazing concert band for decades, especially with the dancier (but still congruent) tunes from the latest album.

 

Saturday was about Kodaline, Imagine Dragons and of course, Metallica. Kodaline were the only band I learned for Glasto, and were genuinely moved by playing the festival. Lead singer took his sunglasses off at one point to reveal tears. Imagine Dragons was Juvy Unit #2's recommendation. Great atmosphere, and a nice fusion of rock and dance sensibilities. I went to see Metallica on my own; didn't manage to convince the family to go along. Superb performance from start to end. The cheeky swipe at the "ban Metallica because James Hetfield hunts bears campaign" was both a nice "fúck you" and a small piece of genius. Intense performance, delivered with a lot of charm and humility. The Glastallica tagline was deserved by night's end.

 

Sunday was the Pyramid again, mostly to see stuff my daughter liked, such as The 1975 & Ed Sheeran. Dolly was the standout of the day. Utterly beguiling and charming presence. I'm entirely unsurprised that she's been dubbed Queen of Glastonbury, although let's hope those miming charges are false, eh? Did the cabaret in the evening and skipped Kasabian, a real nice way to wind down.

 

Overall, it was like going on holiday to a different planet, or at least an alternate version of Britain where everyone is buzzing and positive, despite what's being unloaded on them from the heavens. We'll be attempting to get tickets next year; my money is on an AC/DC headliner and a yurt. Campervan was fun and all, but the walk is a bugger, and the stress of looking after a £40K long vehicle when you're used to driving a saloon just ain't worth it.

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DuncanRG

DuncanRG

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Arcade Fire deserve their own paragraph, I reckon. I caught them on their Suburbs tour, and they were great then, but due to lack of material, probably picked some relative duffers from their back catalogue. The release of Reflektor changes that. They could never write another song and still have enough material to be an amazing concert band for decades, especially with the dancier (but still congruent) tunes from the latest album.

 

It's funny that you say that! I agree that their older setlists had a little too much space for lesser album cuts (though almost all of Funeral and The Suburbs are top class) but I think Reflektor's weakened their balance significantly. I was really impressed with how they adapted older songs like Haiti to match the new aesthetic and sound (bongos, disco influence etc) but some of the new songs (Normal Person, Joan of Arc) are far more fillery than anything they were playing on The Suburbs tour. I'd happily drop Normal Person, Joan of Arc and Flashbulb Eyes to have Modern Man, Laika and We Used To Wait back.

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SuperMikey

SuperMikey

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What a weekend! As predicted, Arcade Fire blew me away - although Disclosure and Metallica ran them pretty close in terms of awesome headline sets. Dolly was a bit of an experience, mostly because in all my years of going i've never seen the Pyramid field that busy for a daytime act. Everything else was just Glastonbury - seemed like there was a lot of first-timers there though this year (i'm looking at you Pap) who didn't quite know the Glasto code (no umbrellas in the crowd when it's raining, don't stop in the middle of the f*cking path, don't loudly comment on the people while you walk through the Green Fields etc). Also noticed an inordinate number of twins onsite this year, wondered if Mr Eavis was running some kind of Josef Mengele experiments in the cow sheds..

 

Just can't wait for 2015 now! Can't believe it's a whole year away..ugh.

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SuperMikey

SuperMikey

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It's funny that you say that! I agree that their older setlists had a little too much space for lesser album cuts (though almost all of Funeral and The Suburbs are top class) but I think Reflektor's weakened their balance significantly. I was really impressed with how they adapted older songs like Haiti to match the new aesthetic and sound (bongos, disco influence etc) but some of the new songs (Normal Person, Joan of Arc) are far more fillery than anything they were playing on The Suburbs tour. I'd happily drop Normal Person, Joan of Arc and Flashbulb Eyes to have Modern Man, Laika and We Used To Wait back.

 

I'm a massive fanboy, so I loved everything they played - although it did feel like Haiti and The Suburbs were low points in the set. I want Crown of Love and Intervention back next time I see you guys pls!

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pap

pap

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It's funny that you say that! I agree that their older setlists had a little too much space for lesser album cuts (though almost all of Funeral and The Suburbs are top class) but I think Reflektor's weakened their balance significantly. I was really impressed with how they adapted older songs like Haiti to match the new aesthetic and sound (bongos, disco influence etc) but some of the new songs (Normal Person, Joan of Arc) are far more fillery than anything they were playing on The Suburbs tour. I'd happily drop Normal Person, Joan of Arc and Flashbulb Eyes to have Modern Man, Laika and We Used To Wait back.

 

I've treated each and every Arcade Fire album with suspicion. I was stupid enough to ignore the first one for years, p'raps thinking it too arty for my rock n roll base. Neon Bible was dark and gloomy and I hated it. Suburbs seemed like so much filler. Didn't know if they'd pull off a double album in Reflektor or remain Arcade Fire by stepping onto the dance floor.

 

Think all of their albums are excellent now; Juvy Unit #1 has been playing Reflektor stuff loads in the car and it has all clicked. I think their performance was the highlight for me, mainly because we went down as a family and had a communal bop. They really can do it live, and no direction they went in musically would surprise me anymore.

 

I do love Modern Man and We Used To Wait, tho.

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ericofarabia

ericofarabia

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)

 

Also noticed an inordinate number of twins onsite this year, wondered if Mr Eavis was running some kind of Josef Mengele experiments in the cow sheds..

 

Just can't wait for 2015 now! Can't believe it's a whole year away..ugh.

 

Luke Shaw will be devastated at missing out on that opportunity!! :poundit:

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Tokyo-Saint

Tokyo-Saint

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I cried so much to Arcade Fire. I'm clearly a huge fan, as any reader on this part of the forum could tell.

 

But Haiti, Sprawl II & Wake Up had me in pieces.

 

Just unreal.

 

Watched this on TV and thought it was amazing. I was going nuts just in my living room so I can only imagine what a stalker would have been like in the crowd. Bet you were cranking yourself stupid at the front.

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pap

pap

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First day back at work. Delays on the tube and over 300 emails to get through.

 

How many days til next Glasto?

 

Sonisphere this weekend if you're up for more Metallica, KRG.

 

Airbourne are playing too.

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dubai_phil

dubai_phil

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First day back at work. Delays on the tube and over 300 emails to get through.

 

How many days til next Glasto?

 

More importantly how many days until Ticket Sales start.

 

Liked Pap's comment

 

Overall, it was like going on holiday to a different planet, or at least an alternate version of Britain where everyone is buzzing and positive, despite what's being unloaded on them from the heavens

 

This sums up Glasto for me as well. All my mates do the Oh the loos oh no showers ALL THAT MUD and sh1t. But that misses the point.

 

Coming from the Vacuum of the City with no Soul and it's Bling mentality (Dubai) the 5 days at Glasto are just a joy to the entire soul. It is a detox. We lol'd at some of the yoof passed out comatoze in the fields on WEDNESDAY afternoon - no that ain't what Glasto is about either.

 

We sat at The Village Green for quite a few sets which we were not committed to so we could get the Cider, hear the tunes and chill. Wore my Shirt Saturday & met a Saints fan with an awesome Tattoo

 

I'm describing the weekend as this:

Arcade Fire owned the Stage.

 

Metallica owned the whole damned Pyramid Field

 

Dolly owned the whole farking festival.

 

Simply because I could not pick out a favourite moment or mark the gigs out of 10.

The Flops were

Alison Moyet. What on earth made her think that Glasto Sunday night was the place to make dreary depressing slow re-inventions of alll her greatest hits - Woeful show that we and many more walked out on.

Blondie - The sound was awful. We waited a bit then headed out the field to The Park which looked easier than the route Pap took

The Kooks - a band I wanted to see when they were good, but their surprise set seemed to be just meh ish

 

The surprises?

 

Ed Sheeran with Rudimental - Yo Dancing to Ed seemed so wrong!

Internet - FFS it was a 14 year old Michael Jackson on stage singing in a style like early Stevie Wonder. Big find for a chilling moment

George Ezra

Don Cavall (FFS)

Ed Sheeran (again) and the whole complex instructions to clap on the back 8 beat, only wave clothes for the chorus. And yes damn him I CANNOT get that bloody chorus from Sing out of my head. (I had believed Ed was just a Ginger James Blunt, but he had a tough act to follow Dolly and we all enjoyed it)

Caro Emerald

 

Annoyed? I missed White Lies and bowed to the crowd to watch Robert Plant & Jack White both meh when I wanted to watch Imagine Dragons & Interpol

 

Once I get back to the sandpit it's gonna be all about the Don and THE moment. But borrowing Polish family members laptops it takes me 20 minutes to find where the bloody letter G is on the keyboard :)

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KelvinsRightGlove

KelvinsRightGlove

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Watched this on TV and thought it was amazing. I was going nuts just in my living room so I can only imagine what a stalker would have been like in the crowd. Bet you were cranking yourself stupid at the front.

 

Haha. I was just so unbelievably happy. My favourite band, at my favourite place playing the show of their lives. Like Metallica, seeing how much it meant to them just gave it that little extra edge. You were just rooting for them. As I said, I was just totally overcome by all of it.

 

Sonisphere this weekend if you're up for more Metallica, KRG.

 

Airbourne are playing too.

 

I'm off to The Libertines saturday. I would genuinely considering going out to see them again though. I'm definitely a convert. They smashed it. I watched them & AF back yesterday and was in pieces again.

 

I'm completely broken. Think I've seriously messed with my serotonin levels. Dropped my wallet earlier and just stood there crying.

 

Ps I'm definitely going to last minute a ticket for Arcade Fire in Hyde Park tomorrow, stand at the back on my own and just weep. It's going to be brilliant.

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DuncanRG

DuncanRG

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I'm off to Hyde Park tomorrow as well. Glastonbury was great but I wasn't in a very good spot so I'm gonna get closer to the front. Hope Future Islands and Wild Beasts make up for the pain of having to stand through Jake Bugg for an hour...

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