bennyhana22

An infrequent visitor to the thread, but philosophically I'm all in! Ben x

They're playing Shambala this year, so very much festival-active. Ben

Who will be the first to suggest that this year's headliner/subs line-up might not be enough to prevent an S-Club Sandwich on Avalon? Not me, guv'nor. Ben

Not that it would interest me especially, but I really like the idea of bigger bands in unexpected slots (noting The Churnups, obviously), and opening a stage could be, for some bands, really exciting, I think. There seems to be, understandably, I accept, a real thing for acts with being given a 'big enough slot'. I get that. But, glancing at the Coachella line up yesterday, I was struck how there really doesn't seem to be nearly as strict a linear hierarchy of prestige from opener to headliner as seems to be mandatory in the U.K. Either that or I'm so out of touch with 'normal' music that my knowledge of who might be bigger than whom is way off. Which is entirely possible/likely! Ben

Well, that's the final Glastonbury training session done. Absolutely blistering all-vinyl 3h b2b2b set from Blasha & Allett and The Lady Machine, with the latter's selections being particularly spectacular. Roll on June. Night night, team. Ben x

Absolutely. I do have one camp mate currently stranded, but once he's done, i am full gas for any E/Ders in need. We need to make sure we sort @Fishmantoo... Ben x

It was a great slot for him. Gorgeous sunset and a perfect set to get us going for the Max Cooper < Helena Hauff > Daniel Avery triple bill that followed. That was one extraordinary run of sets on a single Glastonbury stage... Ben

If they did that around headliner time on Friday or Saturday, that might do me nicely! Ben

Bicep are premiering their Chromavision show in LA on 16 April. Did we think this is something that could be done on IICON? Or would that be too big a crowd? Ben

Did they not do that last year? The Levels was pretty full throughout the day with the yoot, whenever I walked past. And Lonely Hearts was well populated too. I felt there was a significant increase in daytime dancing last year. Ben

So what is going on? I mean, I think we're all sure that, sadly, Williams Green is not going to be back this year, but why are there now multiple listings for that venue? Ben

That date is correct for Alvvays, as they can only be on the Sunday. Just imagine if the WG stage is back and I can see Alvvays twice in one day... *swoons* Ben

Cinerarmageddon - the Glastonbury area with a million different names 🤪. Ben

One of our gang is, genuinely, considering whether this news is the tipping point for him not paying his balance, and buggering off to do something else in Glastonbury week! Does Crumble Shack have any idea what it's done here?! Ben

That's great! They'll be a perfect fit for that stage. Ben

Erm...unless I missed it, I don't think English Teacher are on the line-up. Yet! With their new album out this month and a headline UK tour in the autumn, they may well play - I think they played three sets in 2022 and were fab! Ben

DO IT!! Ben x

Out of upvotes 😂 Ben

Thanks for posting 🙏🏼 Ben

Looking forward to a review. ☺️ Ben

I love how we're all so different. Literally the last thing I want, ever, in a rave is the DJ talking at all! Coxy, DJ Rush - play us your banging tunes. But put the mic down and SHUT UP 😂. Ben

Everyone knows how much I adore the festival, but losing Williams Green still really hurts. There was and is no other venue that had/has that identity and curated line-up. It was like a small version of the 'New Bands Tent' that JPT was once and for many of us was a key part of our daily line-up schedule. Yes, the big bookings, especially on Thursday with so much less on around the site, became untenable. Fine. Stop booking those bands. But, that combination of upcoming bands and also daytime sets by more established artists who were playing elsewhere during the weekend (Everything Everything, Courtney Barnett etc) was unique to Glastonbury, and its passing is one small step towards the Farm feeling more like 'all the other festivals'. And that's a huge shame. With the loss of The Rabbit Hole, the only vaguely comparable daytime venue (though I do understand the reasons for its end), that type of experience at Glastonbury has taken another huge hit for those of us less interested in chart popular stuff and nostalgia acts. I truly hope they knock it out of The Park with a replacement for the ol' Hole. Ben

Love our little community in here, team. Ben x

Firm pencil in the schedule already. Yup. Ben

I'm excited about Alvvays! My No.1 must see at present. Three great albums and they were fab last time in Woodsies. Will be good to see them again in a longer, higher up slot. Ben