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I will start by saying that I agree with just about all of your posts on the forum. The above is pretty much spot on, in particular, how easy it was to get free money from the government back in the day. One time, the missus and I went to Neath dole office to make a new claim. Daughter #2 was about 3 months old. We said that we were of no fixed abode and the lovely lady dealing with our claim said that if we were NFA we couldn't possibly be living together if we didn't live anywhere so therefore should make two separate claims. OK, so I made a claim as a single parent for daughter #1 and other half for #2. That meant lots of extra money and double child benefit and crucially didn't have to sign on anymore. Just free money every fortnight, result! That was about the same time that the government came up with The Enterprise Allowance Scheme, a dodge to massage the enormous unemployment figures. If on the dole you'd say that you were setting up a business, submit a business plan and then get financial support for a year or two to get you going. It was more than dole moneyand full rent would be paid as well. I knew loads of people who would set up businesses as songwriters, puppeteers etc and then bugger off to India or Thailand for a year or two and live like kings! One huge positive of this was that genuine applicants of the scheme could form bands, become artists and various other amazing thing nand really focus on it and actually make it work without having to spend most of their time flipping burgers to make ends meet. I bet many reading this will love some of the music that exists now purely because of that government support. As far as dole vans visiting traveller sites..... erm, sorry no. It did happen once and it was clearly a government ploy that would get reported in the media and influence public opinion. Oh boy,and did it work. Arguably the last ever proper |Free Festival was tail end of July '92. Happy Daze Free Festival. The year before it was at Bala and I was somewhat involved in it. Castlemoreton happened in May '92 and there was a huge police crackdown on us lot. I thought that I'd chance my arm and contacted Dyfed Powys Police hoping to negotiate a site for Happy Daze '92 using a false name, Philip Mitchilum. I asked them to get in touch using the small ads in The Shropshire Star newspaper. They didn't, they ran a huge article appealing for Philip Mitchilum to get in touch! Got the press cutting somewhere, will have to dig it out.This resulted in me, the missus and a mate \Stef agreeing to a meeting with them in the Newtown police station. As we were walking up the stairs an obviously undercover copper said "Hi James" . sh*t, the blag name clearly didn't work very well. We all sat down in some conference room and Chief Inspector John LLewellyn Williams asked about Philip Mitchilum. I replied "Fill up my chillum". They really didn't see the funny side of it.Complete sense of humour failure. Anyway, cut a long story short, they agreed to provide us with a site for the festival. We were parked up in some forestry near Meifod called The Dragons Back at the time and the Chief Inspector randomly popped up a couple of times for a chat. He was actually clearly a good bloke. The day before the festival he returned really late at night...we thought it was a wind up and there'd be no site given to us, and told us where we could have the festival. Obviously we had no time to check the location out but it seemed OK. We immediately shot off to the nearest phone box to make some calls to spread the word and next day off we went. The site was kind of OK...except that it was owned by an ancient farmer. Poorly fenced and sheep everywhere. The sheep hadn't been moved away. Loads of sheep killed by travellers dogs which was obviously reported in every newspaper.....and the icing on the cake was, for the first time ever, a dole office was set up on site for EVERYONE to sign on. Didn't matter bwhat name you gave,whether you were entitled to dole or not, you got a Giro on the spot. Completely unheard of. The number of people in the queue to sign on was almost matched by the number of press reporters there. Remember, this was just after Castlemoreton, the largest Free Festival/Rave ever in the UK, the one that caused the Criminal Justice Act to be brought in which ended the travelling scene along with Free Festivals and raves. It was this that created the urban myth that mobile dole offices used to visit New Age Traveller sites.

Out on Jan 26th. You've got to have them this year RW! You HAVE to!!!

We're subbing Avril Lavigne, going into Foo Fighters next year. No stages, just tents, lots of tents. It's all a giant campsite and the bands will play to individual attendees in their tent lobby.

My mate’s dad is the manager of chasing status and he sent me the legit official poster

I dont see Tool as a pure metalband to be honest. Would be great to have them and don't think it will impact the audience that much.

here comes another week of big tent conversation 😂

If you like them on record, then chances are you’ll enjoy them live. If you’re not really into them, or are even just a casual fan, then I don’t think they’d blow you over by them live. They have somewhat of a huge cult following, which makes for fantastic atmospheres at their own gigs - I don’t think they are a great festival band for this reason.

I guess with the recent tour announcement, the national will be at Porto and barca, also in the area Unknown mortal orchestra, this is the kit, bess Atwell and Kevin morby

Tyler doing Yonkers on the Pyramid Stage, the nation's grannies all asking for a copy of Goblin for Christmas.

Would love to see something like Thur - Tool, Queens of the Stone Age, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer Fri - Pearl Jam, The Killers, Liam Gallagher, Pulp Sat - Dua Lipa, The Strokes, Maneskin, Greta Van Fleet Sun - Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Foals

I'd buy it @Skip997😁

hahahaha classic Sunak.

Agree with the guys above regarding Tool. Let's not forget Slayer played. I reckon Tool are more "alternative" than them.

Even Kevin Parker couldn't save that Dua Lipa song.

My bad, I read too much into "guessing" being in italics. I'm probably just too desperate for any leak. Smashing Pumpkins (sadly) won't be there, that's been already confirmed by Gabi. I'd love to have Pearl Jam, but I realize it's not very likely.

Tool announced their Euro tour via social media.

I think is the kind of band Sziget wants, but not for a headliner. They are perfect for a38, but they are too big for that stage. That's a big problem. They could be at Sziget as a co-headline name. Would be great, they are in great shape right now

Starting to think that what actually happened is that in the early 1990s there was a trustafarian fashion trend for middle class students to dress like members of The Levellers - dreads, German Army surplus coat, garish knits, tatty Docs, etc . And that some people thought - and crucially *still* believe - that it represented a genuine counter-cultural underground. When in reality all that happened was that Oasis came along and the same folk started wearing parkas and walking like chimps.

I can't see them going from headlining Bingley live at Bingley Rugby Club, with The Zutons, in 2022 to Headlining Primavera. Why does it always rain on me was alright, but they're a bit bland and Middle of the Road for Primavera, and haven't done anything relevant in well more than 20 years.

Or they could make it so that all the TBA's are Tool playing different parts of their set. TBA would stand for Tool Band Again.

I don't really disagree, but I find it weird that everyone assumes Travis Scott to be likely and The Cure to be unlikely when there is the same evidence for both: none. I think to have a proper discussion, we gotta come back to actual indicators not just "would be a good fit" if we have no idea if they are touring Europe. Right now, PJ Harvey, Pulp, The National and Kali Uchis are the only headline level names there is any proper indication for. Travis Scott, Sza, The Cure, Massive Attack, Tool, The Smile, Bad Bunny, Karol G and so on are all acts that make sense, but none of those could be called a rumour yet

Doesn't seem to make you happy though. Most people would kill for your set-up and yet you still don't seem to like the place that much.

Sounds like the more laid back cousin of Don’t Start Now to me, but I get the criticism - it’s no Physical or Levitating, that’s for sure, and I’m interested to see if it’s gonna be a smash hit or not* *almost a given it’ll be a hit, but at the level of the FN singles I’m not sure

Something boomery.

Tool stage to be installed in Williams Green for them to play one different song every hour on the hour for three days

Subbing for Wide Awake, so I'd doubt it!

Milquetoast is 2023's Cuck Another one to add to the eFests glossary

4am, Hell Stage

The National in Copenhagen, August 6

I got robbed at my first Glastonbury in 1995, whereas this year I lost a wallet full of cash, cards and various other things and it got handed into the lock-up entirely intact without even a finder's fee taken from the contents. Ergo the quality of punters has improved exponentially in the intervening years.

Fair one, this year's Sunday night options we're quite thin. I think QOTSA suffered from a percentage of people wanting to grasp the last (or only) opportunity they had to see Elton. It was funny seeing how many migrated over from the Pyramid to the Other once they'd heard Goodbye Yellow Brick Road though. On a normal night, QOTSA would have 30,000+ in that field. I'm not sure who would have really made a dent in Elton's crowd, tbh. Maybe a big electronic act?

With Dua Lipa releasing new music/album, any chance she’ll be back next year? No tour announcement yet but with the album on the way..

They’re from the north don’t you know? Proper northern lads, love the north they do. It is subtle but they do sometimes bring it up…

Pearl Jam would be amazing and a fair while since I last watched them. I’d be happy with that. Tbh, I just collated the names from obvious tour dates, interviews and the press thus far. I’m hoping System might head over from Graspop. A lot of big names on that line up.

Except for the Saturday, that would have been great!

Remembrance Day is on Sunday and that is the one with politicians and royalty. The Armistice Day event at the Cenotaph is a relatively low key event to commemorate the end of the first world war, organised by the Western Front Association. The organiser Richard Hughes has come out stating that the Palestinian protest should go ahead as he believes that the casualties of WW1 were fighting for democracy and freedom of speech. There have been Pro Palestine demonstrations in London for the last three weekends and these have passed off without any major issues or nothing that has aroused media interest. In reality these two events should pass off without either being aware of the others existence as there locations are a couple of miles apart. The issue caused by Suella intervening is that she has stirred up both the right and left wing activists who have a more anarchic viewpoint, that there may well be a more violent conflict than there has been at the protests over the last three weekends.

Pearl Jam is probably going on tour next year. Think they could play the festival again? Not on your list.

I'm sorry, I meant usual attendance of the smaller Ippodromo - wasn't calling La Maura (the "bigger" place - where you saw RHCP and that has an 80k capacity) that way the "smaller" has an usual attendance of 30/35k but can arrive at 48k - that's why I was mocking the name smaller, since it's not that small at all

The BRIT Awards you say? In all seriousness, you make some great points. I hope Dave gets the nod soon. As an American who moved here a few years ago, “Alex from Glastonbury” was actually my first time ever hearing about the festival. Look at me now.

f**king hell, this thread is poo.

It was a festival for GCSE leavers when I started going in 2010… Leeds was ALWAYS the festival everyone went to with their mates at the end of the summer.

Dodged a bullet there.

yeah I relized BMTH becomes much bigger and headliming now, not much for me but if rest of the day and lineup will be good then I'm ok if headliners are not perfect. Smashing Pumkins are one of my favorites band, saw them 3 times on 2019, they played just before Tool in Rock Im Park and headlined Mad Cool a month later but checked now and they are only available on the 20 as they are playing in Germany on 19, 21 and 22 so guess they won't play 4 days in a row and in another country... still hoping for Mike Patton return to Europe as Mr. Bungle are playing in the US. either them or Faith No More will be amazing but not sure he is ready.

Everyone at the festival is much wealthier these days because the ticket prices are so much higher. The sole exception are those on the organisational side.

Is nobody bored of this debate year in year out yet? Plenty of influencers in general, campers, and official hospitality camping... Plenty of us broke sods scrimping and saving to make our festival a little easier in glamping like Love Fields... It's a stupid debate that makes no sense to anybody who's experienced both sides of festivals.

Why not? The whole boom in glamping in the past 5-10 years hasn't been caused by the festival getting more appealing to the middle class, that all happened 2003-2015. In recent years it's folks getting older and not being able or willing to hack it in general camping so doing glamping or campervans so they can keep going. There are plenty of people who are not disabled in any way defined by law, but are not capable of carrying a tent and supplies for five days a couple of miles, which is the requirement for general camping at Glastonbury these days. Back problems abound which mean people can't sleep on a blow-up mattress but are otherwise physically fit... There's a massive gap between "legally disabled" and "not physically capable of doing Glastonbury" in which an increasing number of people live. I don't really get the idea of excluding one group and not the other.

Headlined Cala Mijas last year and it was incredible. They also done a 2 stop tour before playing Bilbao BBK and Nos Alive (I think?) so they basically tour when they want. If they wanted to come UK, they'd still hold a very healthy crowd.

CMAT has sold out the f**king Batras. Gonna be a ridiculous evening...