Avalon is dying

[stuie]

53 minutes ago, Dark Star said:

Think the first cheesy novelty act was Will Young in 2009? 

 

It's a stretch to call him a novelty act tbh - even at that point he was a credible artist with UK number 1 albums and singles and has had 2 more number 1 albums since then. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

The Wurzels must have played it prior to that.

[incident]

6 minutes ago, stuie said:

It's a stretch to call him a novelty act tbh - even at that point he was a credible artist with UK number 1 albums and singles and has had 2 more number 1 albums since then. 

 

By Glastonbury standards, at the time, he 100% was a novelty act. No stage was booking him for any other reason.

[Quark]

1 hour ago, stuie said:

yeah every time I see the thread title I think it’s a bit dramatic.   The area always seems busy enough to me. 
 

The original Avalon cafe people parted ways with the festival so things changed, but it’s hardly a tumbleweed farm. 

Yes and no. I'd say that since I started going in 2009 and fell in love with Avalon as my then-favourite area, the character has changed.

 

Calgon says about the helter skelter going, but that is actually a part of it. It previously felt like a little self-contained village fete, somewhere to crash out on the grass as much as in  the cafe or the inn or the stage. But now when I go there it just feels more like a stage that's been plonked somewhere. Almost like Silver Hayes, that feel of a way through to somewhere else with a stage on the way.

 

But maybe just me. Rose tinted glasses and all that

[Gnomicide]

1 minute ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

The Wurzels must have played it prior to that.

 

2010, don't know if they'd done it before that.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Can't be arsed making it, but imagine if you will the Drake meme - but with Michael shunning The Wombles on Avalon and wagging his finger happily at Rolf Harris on the Pyramid.

[tarw]

7 minutes ago, Quark said:

Yes and no. I'd say that since I started going in 2009 and fell in love with Avalon as my then-favourite area, the character has changed.

 

Calgon says about the helter skelter going, but that is actually a part of it. It previously felt like a little self-contained village fete, somewhere to crash out on the grass as much as in  the cafe or the inn or the stage. But now when I go there it just feels more like a stage that's been plonked somewhere. Almost like Silver Hayes, that feel of a way through to somewhere else with a stage on the way.

 

But maybe just me. Rose tinted glasses and all that

This

[CaledonianGonzo]

8 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

 

2010, don't know if they'd done it before that.

 

2000, 2007 and 2010 according to Wurzepedia.

[stuie]

11 minutes ago, incident said:

 

By Glastonbury standards, at the time, he 100% was a novelty act. No stage was booking him for any other reason.

 

He played Bestival and V Festival and released his 4th album the same summer.

[Avalon_Fields]

I hope the Avalon has a strong 2025 to dispel the concerns. It’s given me plenty of great memories over the years, not just contemporary bands…. I’d never have experienced 3 classic 60’s acts otherwise, to be at the front for Lulu (her first show there), The Zombies & PP Arnold was for me just about as good as anything I’ve seen on the farm.

[Crazyfool01]

loss of hobo as my opener is sad though ... bar  steward sons didnt hit the mark last year .... 

[Skip997]

5 hours ago, Quark said:

 It previously felt like a little self-contained village fete, somewhere to crash out on the grass as much as in  the cafe or the inn or the stage. 

That’s exactly what it’s always felt like to me, which apart from having little of interest (for me) acts wise, it’s not what I want from the UK’s largest event. I can get “village fete” style events elsewhere and bands of that level are affordable should I wish to see them. 
 

5 hours ago, Quark said:

But now when I go there it just feels more like a stage that's been plonked somewhere. 

That somewhere is extremely annoying from a personal POV, in the way of my quickest route from WH to Dragon Field 

[balti-pie]

Last two years ive seen Elvana and Skindred on Avalon, and both have been a right bloody laugh. They wouldnt let us in the staff bar, though, thats my only grumble!

I'm happy to dip in and out, wouldnt spend a lot of time there other than to pop into the Avalon Inn for a pint and a look around generally, but i like that its there and doing something quite different to a lot of the other areas around it. Variety 👍

[ProperTea]

The Avalon Inn would be an absolute vibe up at Woodsies.

[giantkatestacks]

30 minutes ago, ProperTea said:

The Avalon Inn would be an absolute vibe up at Woodsies.

It's a vibe where it is.

[Quark]

18 hours ago, Skip997 said:

That’s exactly what it’s always felt like to me, which apart from having little of interest (for me) acts wise, it’s not what I want from the UK’s largest event. I can get “village fete” style events elsewhere and bands of that level are affordable should I wish to see them. 
 

That somewhere is extremely annoying from a personal POV, in the way of my quickest route from WH to Dragon Field 

 

I get that you don't like Avalon for whatever reason Skip, but the first point can be applied to any stage.  You can get the style of a Park or a SH or a Woodsies elsewhere too.  And the bands that play there are probably also affordable, it's not like Avalon are scraping the bargain bin while the other stages are all getting top price acts.  The whole attraction of Glastonbury is that it's got all these different things in one place, and you can move between them as you like.

 

I'm taking the second one as tongue in cheek (please tell me it's tongue in cheek...)

[Johnnyseven]

On 1/26/2025 at 12:31 PM, Dark Star said:

Yeah, was always suited to the folk/punk type thing. Saw some great sets in there from the likes of Peatbog Faeries, Flogging Molly, Show Of Hands, The Damned, Pronghorn, Ozric Tentacles, Levellers, Nik Turner's Space Ritual, Waterboys, King Blues... 

 

Think the first cheesy novelty act was Will Young in 2009? 

 

The first novelty act on Avalon I remember was Rolf Harris in 2000.

Edited January 27, 2025 by Johnnyseven

[CaledonianGonzo]

Just googled it and Rolf apparently played 6 times, working his way up from the smaller stages to El Pointo.

[Colorblindjames]

With the demise of the West Holts they should combine the programming of Avalon with west holts. Also the acoustic tent is under used imo. 

[Johnnyseven]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Just googled it and Rolf apparently played 6 times, working his way up from the smaller stages to El Pointo.

 

He was on the Pyramid the first time he played in 1993.

[CaledonianGonzo]

A decades long love affair.  Played more times than Coldplay.

[stuie]

3 hours ago, Colorblindjames said:

With the demise of the West Holts they should combine the programming of Avalon with west holts. Also the acoustic tent is under used imo. 

 

Please can you summarise the demise of West Holts for me?  I missed that! 

[TheSheriff]

This thread is starting to remind me of this sign 

[Quark]

Just now, TheSheriff said:

This thread is starting to remind me of this sign 

That sign used to be in a better spot

[Quark]

19 minutes ago, stuie said:

 

Please can you summarise the demise of West Holts for me?  I missed that! 

I'm going to take a punt and suggest that @Colorblindjames is being a bit of a scamp and suggesting that they bugger about with Skip's favoured WH stage.