My festival

[dirtysteve]

Well, best Glastonbury I've been to (out of 6).

Left Kent at 1am Wednesday, aiming for west entrance/gate D to camp in the Dairy Ground. Parked the car about 200m from gate D at 5.30am. Already a 500m queue.. Thought "sod that" and we sat outside the car, broke open the stash and the beer and waited for the crowd to disperse. Had a couple of tentative attempts to get in but it was bedlam and we couldn't be bothered to shuffle along with ten thousand angry northerners. Back to the car for more booze and stash. Eventually strolled in at around 1pm. By this point, quite pissed and delirious from the sun, took me about 40 minutes to lug the stuff I'd brung from the car about 300m, where we elected to camp just outside Dairy Ground. Turned out to be a great spot, very mellow really. I was probably the loudest person there, but only on the odd occasion I was completely twatted (normally around 6pm every day) and by that point it was getting cool enough to roll around the festival all night.

First couple of days were unbearable with the heat so I elected to do the wisest thing and stay sitting down in the shade of my mate's tent porch, drinking and getting mildly high. I sweat buckets in the sun, but sitting still listening to music and having 4 or 5 hours worth of chatting set me up lovely for the evening. Wednesday evening and Thursday day and evening were probably the funnest times I've had at Glasto.

Music wise I only watched a few acts each day, I've never been one to try and watch everything, certainly not in the sun. But what I saw was excellent. Rolf was the best way possible to start the festival. Massive crowd all singing along and laughing at his jokes. I almost cryed during Two Little Boys, it's a terrific song. I was insistent that I wasn't going to miss Flaming Lips and I was so happy when they had finished, it was a brilliant set. I watched some of the Friday coverage when I got home and was a bit surprised to hear Lauren Laverne and That Whiley going on about the FLips having a small crowd. That's bollocks. Iwas standing 2 or 3 rows from the front and from before they started, everytime I looked back all I saw was a sea of people. By the halfway point the field was rammo! For a band as cult as the Lips, a half full Other field is a good crowd. My brother and I absolutely loved it and, having watched Gorillaz on the telly now (who I thought were good) I know I made the right choice. Pet Shop Boys were excellent, I had been planning to propose to the missus at the right moment and about halfway through their set I did. It was lovely. Ray Davies, Willie Nelson, The National and Stevie Wonder were all excellent, Wonder in particular was in a league of his own. I did miss a few bands I wanted to watch due to being too hot to be bothered to hike to whatever far flung place they were in; Holy f**k (twice), Scroobius Pip, Snoop Dogg, Dizee Rascal, Faithless and Julian Casablancas. Never mind, I'll bit-torrent them all later!

Like I say, we camped by the Northerners entrance so were expecting to be surrounded by scousers (which we were) but I've never heard so many Liverpudlian accents before, they were everywhere! I barely heard a fellow southerner all week! Amazing. Most were obviously just normal people and completely chilled and harmless, but being a soft southern lad surrounded by Scousers, one does get a bit intimidated by the neanderthal looking ones, and there were certainly plenty of meatheads staggering around. One tried to climb on my tent while I was standing outside of it watching him fall out of his. A quick bellow and he mumbled apologies and fell back into his own, so all's well that ends well.

We had tent visitors on the Friday night. I was too high to sleep properly so heard my tent open to see a ratty looking Scot poking his head in. He gave the old "Sorry, wrong tent" line, and I was a little too groggy to kick him in the face. After he'd fecked off I figured I might as well sit up and keep an ear out for me mates tents going up. Within ten minutes I had an even rattier looking scouse lad come in, so he got some abuse before legging it. A little while later I got up and saw me mates tent was open. Woke him up and he had £150 nicked. Bastards. He was cheesed off for 5 minutes but then shrugged his shoulders and said it was his own fault for not throwing it down the bottom of his sleeping bag (first night he hadn't done that in 7 festivals!), he earns good money so he can afford to swallow the loss. At least they left his bank card!

Anyway, all in all it was a terrific time. I camped with a lovely group of mates and we all got along lovely with surprisingly little tension. I think I cheesed off a few that were camping around us as I do talk loud nonsense when I get ripped, but I was always calm and quiet by the time I got back to camp in the early hours each day, so they got their sleep! Very much looking forward to next year now, I feel absolutely knackered but would go back tomorrow if I could!

S

[Rossc88]

being a soft southern lad surrounded by Scousers, one does get a bit intimidated by the neanderthal looking ones

[dirtysteve]

Haha very funny