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Future of the acoustic field


FuzzyDunlop
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Have been there quite a few times to see people and the Cockmill Bar is a nice place to sit and chill - actually found some shade by the side of it this year! They served San Miguel which was a change from Carlsberg. Didn’t actually go into tent this year though. Only 1 entrance is via Cockmill the other is off the main drag by the kidz field showers and the Bakery.in the recent past have seen Ed Harcourt, and The Shires. 

Looking back at the line ups they have had some bigger names ( Jackson Browne, Ray Davies, Damien Rice, The Waterboys) but also some names that appear every year. It definitely needs a refresh - both the tent and the line up. 

 

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I remember seeing Beth Orton (maybe headline) the Acoustic stage (hope my memory isn’t failing me). Must have been 10+ years ago. The tent was in a much different configuration than now - and had huge beautiful stars on the ceiling - but my memory tells me the stage was on an E-W axis rather than the current N-S.

I also remember the field might have been bigger - might have to trawl through some old programmes to confirm! 

I’m I totally delusional...  

First time I’ve been back to the stage for years - though was to see the Micheal Eavis thing after strolling round the north of the site which I’ve not done for ages either.

Edited by Another eforum account
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29 minutes ago, Another eforum account said:

I remember seeing Beth Orton (maybe headline) the Acoustic stage (hope my memory isn’t failing me). Must have been 10+ years ago. The tent was in a much different configuration than now - and had huge beautiful stars on the ceiling - but my memory tells me the stage was on an E-W axis rather than the current N-S.

I also remember the field might have been bigger - might have to trawl through some old programmes to confirm! 

I’m I totally delusional...  

First time I’ve been back to the stage for years - though was to see the Micheal Eavis thing after strolling round the north of the site which I’ve not done for ages either.

This is one thing that seems to be missing. It did seem to have more contemporary acoustic-type acts at one stage but now it seems almost all are heritage acts. Would be nice to see some modern people who do that style of music get a break by getting to headline a stage and it being a place where you could go for a more chilled out vibe. Didn't Portishead once headline it when they were on the ascendancy as well.  

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3 hours ago, Rose-Colored Boy said:

I’m 6”4 so it’s never an issue for me anywhere except the Acoustic. Such a weird feeling.

The world's tallest man was stood near me at The Cure. It was quite funny when he arrived but some people were genuinely pissed off at him like it was his fault he's taller than them.

He was basketball player height, must've had a great view though him and his mates left before the end.

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36 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

The world's tallest man was stood near me at The Cure. It was quite funny when he arrived but some people were genuinely pissed off at him like it was his fault he's taller than them.

He was basketball player height, must've had a great view though him and his mates left before the end.

Literally had this problem since school assemblies when I was about 10. “Can you stop being so tall I can’t see the words to the hymns” eh, pipe down lad ...

Great for being in the Pyramid Field on your own at headliner time, not much use when you have a 5”1 partner that needs to go towards the back so they can avoid having anyone stand directly in front of them.

Edited by Rose-Colored Boy
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46 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

The world's tallest man was stood near me at The Cure. It was quite funny when he arrived but some people were genuinely pissed off at him like it was his fault he's taller than them.

He was basketball player height, must've had a great view though him and his mates left before the end.

I saw Chris Bosh (NBA Player) at the west holts one year. He was fucking huge. Im 6 foot 4 & he made me feel very short. 

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I used to spend a lot of time at the Acoustic. Not so much now - though went to see Albert Hammond this year and that was a great gig. Missed Grace Petrie but apparently she was great too.

As others have mentioned, sound overspill from the Pyramid is a big problem.

And the bar next to the tent has stopped serving Guinness..... Now that is a real shame.

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20 minutes ago, FuzzyDunlop said:

I saw Chris Bosh (NBA Player) at the west holts one year. He was fucking huge. Im 6 foot 4 & he made me feel very short. 

Had a look at one of my videos and managed to get a screen grad of him. This doesn't really do him justice as his head is bowed and the bloke to his left is also tall but most people didn't come up to his shoulders.

854632308_Screenshot_20190710-223228_VideoPlayer.thumb.jpg.dce3a5ef791fbb8d67e0c371f87f70d1.jpg

Edited by Gnomicide
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I've also seen some great acts in the acoustic field. To mention a few:

Had the best light show/lasers I saw this year at Hawkwind (who didn't have one acoustic instrument). The last few numbers from Keane sounded great from outside. That bloke can hold a vocal. Tommy Emmanuel was a fantastic booking (now that's what I call an acoustic set). Seen Glenn Tilbrooke/Squeeze/The Fluffers there more times than I can remember (again, proper acoustic sets sometimes). Gilbert O'Sullivan. The Beautiful South and yes @gigpusher, Portishead in '95. Still pissed off that I missed Chas 'n' Dave one year.

Sound bleed from the pyramid is always a problem. You can hear the crowd singing from there over the sound in the tent quite often. Not sure how you can stop that.

I honestly can't remember the tent/stage ever having had a different orientation. I may be wrong. If, as people seem to think, it slopes uphill, then surely the obvious solution is to just rotate everything 180? (I'm an annoying, not quite six foot 5,11 and a bit for the record).

The Cake Hole is my goto for a cake. I recommend the ginger and the lemon. They're always really welcoming there. Feels kind of homely. Decent coffee as well. Field could do with a couple more food options other than cake or mac & cheese though.

It's also my favourite spot for a relatively painless (read clean) longdrop experience. Especially late at night when I'm camped outside Gate C and heading home (Shhh).

I wouldn't like to see a stage in the bar. Too many bars with DJs causing sound bleed problems everywhere this year imo. The Village Inn made a huge bit of The Pyramid field untenable to stand in for me this year. Bloody ridiculous.

Oh, and they'd better keep that path clear near the fence and trees that seperate it from Kidz Field. The best place for finding shade this year that wasn't already fully occupied. A whole huge bloody wall of it. (Again. Shhh).

I've previously worked in Cockmills Bar and am sorry to hear tales that it's not got the selection it used to have. Pain in the arse as a barperson. But. What? You can't find Guinness anymore? Anywhere? (I know the bar I was placed in this year didn't do it). Outrageous. It used to have a great reputation for variety drinks wise Cockmills did. But at least the field's got a bar. Croissant Neuf needs a bar.

Apart from Hawkwind the bookings didn't really do anything for me this year. I'm up for the idea of it doing proper names doing proper acoustic, unusual, off beat sets a la MTV's Unplugged. Hey. The BBC might even start covering it properly

In fact, reading that back, I guess it's been a bit of an relatively unchanged refuge for me over the years. Long may it continue.

Sorry to rant on your thread@FuzzyDunlopbut I hardly ever go/get to Silver Hayes or JP, and you did ask :).

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Having never been up that way before, I spent a fair chunk of both Friday and Saturday afternoons at the Acoustic tent this year as they had one act I wanted to see earlier in the day (Lucy Rose on Friday and Catherine McGrath on Sat) and on Friday one a bit later on (Gabrielle Aplin) and just sat back and chilled for the rest of the time as it was shaded and relatively cool, plus they had a stewards coming round and spraying us to cool us down. I thought the area was a good little bit out of the way from everything else and in my experience I didn't get any soundbleed but may just have been lucky or didn't notice it. 

I do agree that they need to alter the stage so it's not uphill though and that the sets should actually be acoustic as well. Also I think that a good idea would be to have a handful of secret sets over the weekend from big names where they only take audience requests, in a relatively similar way to what Vampire Weekend (apparently, as I wasn't there) did on their set on The Park but Unplugged/Acoustically. 

It also may be a good idea to move Pilton Palais (which is a great little tent btw) although I'm not sure where they'd move it to. 

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visited Acoustic for the first time this year, really enjoyed the look of the tent (theater like curtains) and the sound was pretty good. I think it could do with another smaller tent up there with something going on (maybe a comedy tent?) and I also don't get the name to be honest, its not just acoustic acts?  Anyway I enjoyed it and would go back if there was an act on that I wanted to see.

 

The bootleg beatles were great bytheway! 

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I usually drift between Avalon and Acoustic but have been spending much less time at the Acoustic in recent years. Great shame because I've seen some brilliant stuff there and, as has been said, the bar is excellent. I like the peace and tranquillity of early to mid-afternoons in the Acoustic but suspect that is not what the intention should be. It is the haunt of older folk like me although the chair area has gone. Perhaps, as has been suggested, the name is not right -  a bit like the "Jazz" stage was a touch misleading. For the 50th anniversary perhaps it should be the "Stackridge" stage after the first band to play at the festival? I think that's right.

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I love how chilled out it is up there.   The bar is excellent and there's always somewhere to sit unless Chas n Dave are on.

My only quibble recently has been the lineup when there has been very little I've fancied seeing.   In the past I've enjoyed everything from CnD to Love with Arthur Lee.  

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