Lower standards

[Vanderlyle]

I'm not quite sure what people expect. 170,000 people getting high, trying to find loos, wanting to get through crowds to find friends.

Overall though, I saw no nastiness. Fine, there are a lot of mobiles etc but, you know what, people pay for those mobiles so they can capture some moments. It's not the end of the world, although pretty annoying if people record a whole film.

Likewise, pissing against bushes. It's bad, and should be avoided but, let's be honest, it's not the end of the world.

The one thing I do think needs some action on is litter. It gets pretty gross around main stages. But then the bins are all full etc. Litter around tents wasn't too bad though. If they can sort out the Other Stage/Pyramid litter issue then all will be sweet.

[Spindles]

Anti scouse sentiment pisses me off. To label a group of people and treat them differently on the basis of something as trifling as where they live is bigotry, plain and simple.

As ever I met and chatted with people from everywhere, judging them as individuals.

[coljwood]

I think we have a right to moan about these things. If someone is pissing all over the floor next to or behind you, then you're not going to best pleased.

[Digi]

Anti scouse sentiment pisses me off. To label a group of people and treat them differently on the basis of something as trifling as where they live is bigotry, plain and simple.

As ever I met and chatted with people from everywhere, judging them as individuals.

[Guest]

Everyone I met was lovely. Did not see one act of unkindness all weeked.

Apart from the moaning twats on these boards. YOU ARE THE PROBLEM

[Sofa]

I did some litter picking at Glastonbury back in the 90s, and I came home after said festival somewhat 'better off' than when I arrived .Gleaming gems amonst the shite I tell you.

[ninetyeightytwo]

its you v the world isnt it

[Spindles]

Well said Barry.

[Digi]

Can I just say though...

There was probably lots and lots of younger people none of you noticed because they where being respectful and enjoying the show. I don't think we should make it that all youngsters are rude and selfish.

[pie_and_a_pint]

Couldnt agree more. OLD, BORING, STUCK UP. Being young is not a lowering of standards. Give them a chance.

Edited July 2, 2013 by pie_and_a_pint

[The Nal]

Bunch of moaning b@stards on here. Noticed that it the build up theres almost a 'Ive been going for 15 years' superiority about some people and they seem to be gathering in this thread. So what if someone sits doen in the build up to the band. I get a bad back so have to do this between bands, I generally get there early and find a decent open space usually well away from the front and sit take the weight off. What pisses me off is people turning up just before the band trying to get closer to the stage trying to step over me when Im chilling out. There has ALWAYS been a load of rubbish at the end of the night, thats why a team of volunteers get a free ticket for going collecting it all before the next day, why would that ruin your festval. Stop worring about other people and try and have agood time, if not dont go and someone more deserving will take it.

[thisusernameistaken]

I thought that there was more intolerance this year than in the past, seemed that quite a lot of people were of the I'm all right, sod you attitude, more so than normal?

Litter certainly seemed a lot worse, some people quite happy to sit surrounded by their own dirty rubbish & then just get up a walk off when there was a bin within easy reach

[mail1234]

Has the 2 year gap not made people look back on previous years with a bit of the benefit of the doubt and let them forget that the problems this year are not particularly new I wonder?

Litter seemed better to me this year than 2011 infact, especially when considering that with the weather any litter this year stayed put whereas with the mud last time it got churned up a bit

[Bobs]

There did seem to be way more scousers this year than in the past

[Jeffbain]

Go to v and you will see how good the glasto crowd is.

[neilloggie]

This wouldn't have been just about 50ft to the right of the sound desk would it?

Because if so that group of lairy public schoolboys were the worst behaved people I have seen in six Glastonburys.

I nearly got in a fistfight for the first time. Nearly ruined the festival for my fiancée.

[Popsider75]

My main bugbear is talking and general arsing about during sets....this isn't necessarily a Glastonbury issue happens everywhere.

We were talking about it at the weekend. My take on it is that generally much of the population do not buy albums anymore but maybe download a track or two or hear them on the radio. They go wild with excitement during the set when said track is played but then seem to lose interest for the rest of the performance and continue the talking whilst still whooping and hollering in between songs as if i was the best thing they had ever heard when in truth they were not even listening. I have no idea how you cure this though.

[mrpman]

I've only put this in here to show how even the most innocuous things can cause lots of grief and issues, and it's not always black and white.

My group were involved in something that lead to a heated argument on the Wednesday evening. It ruined two days of the festival for me and meant that I didn't want to go and speak to some of our neighbours who looked like they could have been some of the nicest people you could wish to meet.

I avoided eye contact with most of our neighbours after that, and although I did apologise to some of them on the Sunday, they weren't around at the time of the incident so weren't bothered.

It was over a portable toilet at the West end of the track, behind the medical and lock up tents.

If you were around there, and I'm specifically thinking of Henry, Barry and their partners, or the 3 guys from Barnsley hospital, Will, Pearce and Bastion/an, then please accept my apologies. If anyone knows them then please pass my apologies on.

In all the time I've gone to the festival I've never been so personally mortified by an incident that went on around me.

To anyone else who was annoyed the toilet was out of use, I did speak to the security about how they would empty it and they in the end said it shouldn't be used and taped it up using their own tape.

On the more positive side of things I helped a guy who was unconcious on the Saturday night and am going to do some volunteering for Greenpeace in the future. Karma rebalanced hopefully - apologies to all affected by the incident.

[ghandi]

On the whole i had an excellent festival as usual, i did however notice on Friday night , as i spent four hours there, the amount of younger people pushing through people to get nearer the front especially just as the set was about to start. One of my pet hates is people chatting whilst the band is playing, and people pushing there way through you to get a better spot. This seemed extra prevalent on Friday night as a lot of the acts i saw like Tame Impala and Foals attract a younger crowd. having said that i was a guy in his i would guess middle late twenties that really pissed me off during Portishead . Whilst a song was on he was laughing and talking to his mates! Sometimes i can understand some could be waiting for another band to come on, but at a headliner! If you don't like it then go somewhere else and chat!

[scmusic]

I think we were stood near the same group,one of them even pissed in a bottle and poured it on his mate,while the others stood and guffawed.

[ltfckimbo]

Personally I really felt a difference from 2011. Hard to put my finger on one thing in particular, it just seemed really difficult to enjoy any sort of a chilled out experience around Pyramid, Other and JP. Something which I’ve always been able to do during the day, unlike at the main stages of pretty much any other large UK festival. It just seemed like there was a constant stream of tens of thousands of tourist-like gawpers marching between all of the main areas from lunchtime until 2am, then just standing around and contributing nothing more to the atmosphere than their own conversations.

That said the line ups and general atmosphere at The Park and West Holts stages were top notch (you just need to sit/stand well away from that fizzy pop bar and its noisy herd of yammering pissheads). I thought the common was also a great hangout late at night. And therein lies the beauty of Glasto, no matter how big or popular it becomes there will be something there for everyone.

Can’t say I noticed any more antisocial behaviour than I’ve seen in recent festivals, although stood right in front of me for the Stones were a group of around 10 young lads who spent a disconcerting amount of their night playing with and laughing about their own piss, but each to their own.

I think its worth bearing in mind that its not just the festival and the attendees that will have changed since 2011. Since the last festival I have turned 30, become a father and am now even grown up enough to have started driving a car! I’m bound to want a different experience to the one I’ve looked for in the past.

Not a vintage year for me, but can't wait to be back.

[ninetyeightytwo]

The Portishead crowd were talkative, but ultimately brilliant.

I was surrounded by aged Bristolian stoners, one of whom kept plying me with beer!

[The60ftOctopus]

Also saw a group of 'louts' during The Rolling Stones towards the left of the stage, 5 rows behind the second barrier. They were only there for Satisfaction and were causing arguments and pissing over peoples legs throughout the gig, despite being told off by people nearby. To make it worse they were working at the festival and ruining it for those who paid for the festival.

I managed to see their passes so is there a contact I could report them to so they never work at Glastonbury again?

[elbongo]

I've only put this in here to show how even the most innocuous things can cause lots of grief and issues, and it's not always black and white.

My group were involved in something that lead to a heated argument on the Wednesday evening. It ruined two days of the festival for me and meant that I didn't want to go and speak to some of our neighbours who looked like they could have been some of the nicest people you could wish to meet.

I avoided eye contact with most of our neighbours after that, and although I did apologise to some of them on the Sunday, they weren't around at the time of the incident so weren't bothered.

It was over a portable toilet at the West end of the track, behind the medical and lock up tents.

If you were around there, and I'm specifically thinking of Henry, Barry and their partners, or the 3 guys from Barnsley hospital, Will, Pearce and Bastion/an, then please accept my apologies. If anyone knows them then please pass my apologies on.

In all the time I've gone to the festival I've never been so personally mortified by an incident that went on around me.

To anyone else who was annoyed the toilet was out of use, I did speak to the security about how they would empty it and they in the end said it shouldn't be used and taped it up using their own tape.

On the more positive side of things I helped a guy who was unconcious on the Saturday night and am going to do some volunteering for Greenpeace in the future. Karma rebalanced hopefully - apologies to all affected by the incident.

[frostypaw]

I noticed a change too - it felt like a very city based crowd compared to previous years - maaaaaaaaaaany more girls, many more Class A dance drugs and Ket

It's the image the festival gets now from the BBC coverage. After watching the screens a lot at the Pyramid and Other I noticed just how often the camera found the fashionable sunglassed girls wearing "cool festival gear" and waiting for the camera to find them so they could roar and show their chelsea-inspired buddies how amazing the festival was in their Hunters

It was pretty much a constant stream. The festival is now a cool/fashionable/hip place to be - those who have lived in London and experienced how those people actually are en-masse will know what that entails and that's just what Babylon felt like this year, and then the SE corner as they moved around

Bearable, but a rather different vibe - and then makes a LOT of sense of the current post-festival devastation. We found over a grand's worth of top notch equipment discarded in the area around us on Monday. Makes a total mockery of the folk saying it's too expensive that's for sure. It's almost as if the festival is advertised as so comfortable and easy and hip now it's becoming a rich person's playground for many

Shame really. It used to be the mega-party for those who couldn't afford to leave £500 worth of kit behind.