Late night cabaret - lost its mojo?

[airwaves]

Hi - Glasto veteran here, 17 straight 1998 to 2017, but ticketless for the last 2. But got back this year. 

In the 17 fest run I spent many a happy and funny late night hour (or two) in the Cabaret tent after headliners, usually having to struggle into a packed tent

But this year.....????  Went in around 11.30pm on Saturday and on Sunday. Barely anyone in either night, and not surprising given that those I saw would barely grace a pub gig let alone a prestigious Glastonbury spot. 

What's happened? New curators/bookers? Money cutbacks? Festival lost interest in Cabaret? 

The site desperately needs late night alternatives to the overwhelming diet of house/techno/d&b/dance.... music that now I fests the fest after hours. 

[Gnomicide]

I think they seem to have moved the bigger names earlier on in the day, possibly because they look to be doing it just to get a ticket.

I went in on Friday night for Frank Sinazi and The Elvis Dead. Both great fun but I've seen them in there before and the tent was relatively quiet.

Andrew O'Neill seems to do it every year now, Tom Ward was also on late Saturday. Going back to say 2014 though, there was Mark Steel, Andrew Maxwell, Craig Campbell, Doc Brown, Lee Nelson & Holly Walsh. It could be the whole 'looking back at past festivals' thing, but they appear like bigger names on the late shift.

[Woody-Club UK]

Anyone remember Woody Bop Muddy (no relation) Funny as f@#k 

(it’s a nailing)🤣

[redpaprika]

RIIIIIIIIIIICE!

[phillyfaddle]

In Cabaret I saw Frank Sanazi (yep, pun) on Sat night and thought he was dire. We stayed less than 30 mins. Apparently Nish Kumar was good on Sunday afternoon. 

[Neil]

9 hours ago, Woody-Club UK said:

Anyone remember Woody Bop Muddy (no relation) Funny as f@#k 

(it’s a nailing)🤣

record graveyard,,..... nail it!!!!

[Drinky]

Could the cabaret go later? Maybe make it a post-headliner last night thing going to 3am? Good alternative to those who don’t like to go dance but don’t want to go to bed

[CaledonianGonzo]

Was Mavericks running this year?

[Gnomicide]

24 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Was Mavericks running this year?

Yep, I didn't go but one of my lads said he was there for some sh*t cabaret on Friday and Saturday. 

[BlueDaze]

59 minutes ago, Drinky said:

Could the cabaret go later? Maybe make it a post-headliner last night thing going to 3am? Good alternative to those who don’t like to go dance but don’t want to go to bed

Doreen Doreen in Astrolabe was on until 02:30... a proper singalong with tributes to Tina Turner and Faithless amongst a whole host of cheesy tunes performed live.. great entertainment.

[clarkete]

4 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Was Mavericks running this year?

It's on clashfinder midnight until 3am Friday and Saturday then midnight until 2am Sunday.

[The Nal]

15 hours ago, phillyfaddle said:

In Cabaret I saw Frank Sanazi (yep, pun) on Sat night and thought he was dire.

The Hitler crooner fella?

[Quark]

I think it's a demand thing as well. Audiences aren't coming for stand ups as much, the cabaret at night is very much a back up option for people if the.music really lets them down. I think that's the case regardless of who gets put on, with maybe one or two exceptions. 

So it's going to be harder to convince bigger names to play to a mostly empty tent..I mean, why would they?

I would guess that the gradual decline in attendances at those shows has gradually impacted the bookings, which further impacts attendances.

FWIW I saw Ivo Graham instead of GnR and it was one of my best decisions of the week!

[CaledonianGonzo]

The BBC did a section on stand up at the fest and nearly every act they interviewed said they were just doing it to get a ticket.

[fat_man_joe]

15 hours ago, phillyfaddle said:

In Cabaret I saw Frank Sanazi (yep, pun) on Sat night and thought he was dire. We stayed less than 30 mins.

I saw this guy a few years ago in the same slot and actually loved it. Partly for the absurdity and love of finding something as bizarre as that at the festival. But I think any more than 20 minutes of it is unnecessary as it's ultimately the same joke.

[fat_man_joe]

I saw Andrew O'Neil (never heard of them before) in there during Elton and it was almost empty. So empty, in fact, that Andrew got all the audience members up on stage and sat us down and then performed to us on the stage. It made it a really special moment for the few of us that were there.

[phillyfaddle]

10 hours ago, The Nal said:

The Hitler crooner fella?

Yep

[phillyfaddle]

10 hours ago, fat_man_joe said:

But I think any more than 20 minutes of it is unnecessary as it's ultimately the same joke.

Exactly this 👆

[kemosabe]

My understanding is there is very little budget (if at all) for stand up, and therefore the bigger names who come essentially for a ticket get to dictate when they play. 

Surely with the budget cuts elsewhere (e.g. no Williams Green) money can be put into stand up. Get some of the bigger names who play other shows on the festival circuit and, as others have said, put them on after the headliners to disperse the crowds a bit. It would also help if the festival really advertised this part of the festival a bit more. 

I love drum and bass, but it is true that alternatives need to be found after the headliners/ main music stops. As SE corner is ridiculous and I know that not everyone enjoys it, they just go because they feel they need to do something for a few hours before bed. 

[essjay2009]

Not just late at night, but in general. I went to Cabaret a few times and it was either absolutely rammed to the point you couldn't even get near the tent (let alone in it) or absolutely dead. Nothing in between. Seems like they have a handful of tent pole acts they splash all the budget on and then just don't bother even promoting the rest.

[clarkete]

13 hours ago, Quark said:

I think it's a demand thing as well. Audiences aren't coming for stand ups as much, the cabaret at night is very much a back up option for people if the.music really lets them down. I think that's the case regardless of who gets put on, with maybe one or two exceptions. 

So it's going to be harder to convince bigger names to play to a mostly empty tent..I mean, why would they?

I would guess that the gradual decline in attendances at those shows has gradually impacted the bookings, which further impacts attendances.

FWIW I saw Ivo Graham instead of GnR and it was one of my best decisions of the week!

I saw Ivo elsewhere earlier this year and he was very funny.

I checked my clashfinder and the last late act i saw in Cabaret was 2016 and it was Joe Lycett, and had a great time (as I recall). 

He did a joke about it next time he was on 8 out of 10 cats "Anytime you find yourself doing a poo on someone else's poo, I think you've got to question your life choices."

[philipsteak]

I'm a big stand up fan. Go to way more stand up gigs than  music. Used to spend a fair bit of time in the Cabaret tent but don't really bother these days. If it's a big name then it'll be rammed. If it's someone I like there's a reasonably good chance I'e already seen them or am going to see them on their current tour. Sets at Glastonbury are usually really short so often end up being just a cut down section of their current set, a 'greatest hits' or a bit of half arsed crowd work. Seen some great stuff in there in the past, but not for a long long time.

Then only time I was in there this year was actually for Frank Sanazi and Elvis Dead. Don't think either worked. Saw Frank a few years ago in the early hours of the morning in Mavericks and he was really good. The cabaret style of that tent really worked with his act. And I could see Elvis Dead working well in a proper venue with an engaged audience but in a sparsely populated cabaret tent at 1am it just got a bit lost

[idb]

On 7/1/2023 at 10:24 PM, CaledonianGonzo said:

Was Mavericks running this year?

I made a couple of visits to Mavericks this year. I do like it, but the majority of the acts are the same every year. 

[gigpusher]

I miss the early morning news round ups that they used to do. A good way to start your day. I can kind of understand any comic not being that keen on the completely mashed after headliner crowd.

[airwaves]

On 7/1/2023 at 12:25 PM, Woody-Club UK said:

Anyone remember Woody Bop Muddy (no relation) Funny as f@#k 

(it’s a nailing)🤣

Ah, yes, yes, yes

I used to take my own 4kg bag of rice to throw back at him

🤣🤣🤣🤣