Glastonbury 2017

robinph

jimmy180sx wrote: »

pjf2013 wrote:

Walked 81km in total, pure madness

I had over 32000 steps on sunday alone and was sober as I left late on sunday night. Huge spikes in steps from 12 midnight until 7am every evening as I made my way from the pyramid to arcadia to silent disco to block9/Shangri la. My feet have only recovered..unbelievable festival

I seem to have done between 10 and 15 miles walking each day which is less than normal, but most of that was pushing a baby buggy around and wasn't inclined to move location once we found something entertaining for the toddler.

I did do 22 miles on the Saturday but that included a run off site first thing in the morning to run Shepton Mallet parkrun.

run_Forrest_run

robinph wrote: »

I did do 22 miles on the Saturday but that included a run off site first thing in the morning to run Shepton Mallet parkrun.

I'm still trying to comprehend this one Robin, absolutely nuts

EDIT: Out of interest, what time did you do???

robinph

18:50 after a 3.5 mile warm up run to get there. 2nd finisher and I was also wearing my fairy wings.

Little disappointed with the time as I'm going only 20 seconds slower pushing the buggy around at the moment.

run_Forrest_run

robinph wrote: »

18:50 after a 3.5 mile warm up run to get there. 2nd finisher and I was also wearing my fairy wings.

Little disappointed with the time as I'm going only 20 seconds slower pushing the buggy around at the moment.

ah stop, you had a few days of Glastonbury on the legs by then, I'd struggle to achieve that time after a few days rest and sleeping in my own bed :eek:

You're still mad however!

BonnieSituation

Back into work today. It will be a while before I'm back to normal.

I've been to a fair few festivals in my time all over the shop and without doubt this knocked everything else into the ha'penny place. Will be back no doubt.

Nothing really prepares you for the sheer scale of the place.

Highlights:

I have loads but these 2 deserve special mention...

Radiohead on Friday were outstanding. You kinda knew it would be good, but nothing prepared me for just how mind-blowing and "I was there..." it felt. "There There" live was my highlight... then they just went and played "Creep" which was an unexpected highlight. It's a gig that will live long in the memory.

Metronomy on Sunday gave a tour-de-force. They're one band I never manage to get to see in Dublin or when I can they do a bloody DJ set. But that performance on Sunday was a thing of beauty. Performing for a solid 20min without stopping and mixing tunes into each other was a testament of just how tight they were. To say I was blown away would be an understatement. Definitely delighted with my choice of them over Justice though reports suggest Justice were whopper. I suppose the memories of the Phoenix Park in 2007(?) will have to do.

Surprises:

Foo Fighters on Saturday. I was a huge fan of Dave and Co as a kid and still adore the first 3 albums (One day I'll hear "Good Grief" live!)

But had no real interest in staying for the full set on Saturday. Was gonna take in a bit and head down to Sasha and Digweed but they were class. Same schtick as always but a lot of fun AND they didn't do any stupid acoustic versions of their tunes. Only thing missing was some tunes from Wasting Light. But alas...

Katy Perry on Saturday. I knew the set was gonna be fun but I didn't think she'd be that good. Defo a highlight.

Lowlights:

Hard to realy pick out any given just how great the whole fest was overall but The National on Saturday really wore me down. I love the band and I love them live, normally (Incidentally today is 3 years since they played in Cork), but they were just devoid of real energy up there. Matt was locked it appears and he got cut off early.

And yet again they failed to play "Mistaken for Strangers". GRRRRRRR!!!

---

Loads missing from this review but I'd be here all day otherwise.

If you've never been, just do your best to go. You will not be disappointing.

The Nal

The National are dreadful.

A Neurotic

The National went way down in my esteem based on their performance. Used to be a huge fan (Alligator and Boxer being two of my favourite albums) but the recent stuff just comes across as so dreary and by-the-numbers live. They picked a truly ****e setlist.

tommythecat

A Neurotic wrote: »

The National went way down in my esteem based on their performance. Used to be a huge fan (Alligator and Boxer being two of my favourite albums) but the recent stuff just comes across as so dreary and by-the-numbers live. They picked a truly ****e setlist.

Exactly this. A terrible set list. But they are not a warm up band on a Main stage. They never will be. They are just not that kind of band. They should have headlined John Peel and you would have had a cracker of a gig.
They really are caught in a weird place as they've gotten more mainstream attention than they had any right too but can't handle a large gig like that. They need to go back to smaller venues where they shine. And I say all this as a massive fan since alligator.

BonnieSituation

tommythecat wrote: »

Exactly this. A terrible set list. But they are not a warm up band on a Main stage. They never will be. They are just not that kind of band. They should have headlined John Peel and you would have had a cracker of a gig.
They really are caught in a weird place as they've gotten more mainstream attention than they had any right too but can't handle a large gig like that. They need to go back to smaller venues where they shine. And I say all this as a massive fan since alligator.

Completely agree with the pair of ye on this. The difference the John Peel made to say, Future Islands set as opposed to them being on a larger stage is quite glaring. No way The National should have been near the Pyramid stage. And yes, the setlist was gash.

MadYaker

georgiecasey made some good points above about the negatives. No matter what way you do it it's a bit of a logistical nightmare. I'm guessing driving over and staying in worthy view would probably be easiest. But the drive home would be a struggle unless you stay somewhere very near the festival on Monday night. Camper van sounds nice but I don't like the fact they are off site and you have to go through security everyday because I always have stuff on me.

ghostdancer

tommythecat wrote: »

Exactly this. A terrible set list. But they are not a warm up band on a Main stage. They never will be. They are just not that kind of band. They should have headlined John Peel and you would have had a cracker of a gig.
They really are caught in a weird place as they've gotten more mainstream attention than they had any right too but can't handle a large gig like that. They need to go back to smaller venues where they shine. And I say all this as a massive fan since alligator.

the setlist wasn't great with 4 completely new unreleased songs, but I think they did pretty well overall. I had a few with me who had never heard their stuff and loved it, particularly Matt's onstage antics. read similar on efestivals.

don't agree about them only playing small gigs though, they can handle big outdoor stages no problem, they headlined Longitude last year and were very good, and did Latitude the same weekend and it was great from what I've read.

no way should they have headlined the John Peel, way too big for that. Pyramid sub is usually similar size to Other headliner, which would have suited them better and allowed for more older songs that the audience knew.

ghostdancer

MadYaker wrote: »

georgiecasey made some good points above about the negatives. No matter what way you do it it's a bit of a logistical nightmare. I'm guessing driving over and staying in worthy view would probably be easiest. But the drive home would be a struggle unless you stay somewhere very near the festival on Monday night. Camper van sounds nice but I don't like the fact they are off site and you have to go through security everyday because I always have stuff on me.

yeah, the ferry times on Monday basically mean the driver has to have an earlyish night on Sunday, or else book in somewhere and stay there that night.
I wouldn't say it's a nightmare at all, but it does take some organising and planning.

robinph

MadYaker wrote: »

georgiecasey made some good points above about the negatives. No matter what way you do it it's a bit of a logistical nightmare. I'm guessing driving over and staying in worthy view would probably be easiest. But the drive home would be a struggle unless you stay somewhere very near the festival on Monday night. Camper van sounds nice but I don't like the fact they are off site and you have to go through security everyday because I always have stuff on me.

The campervan fields are really not that far away, spent a lot of time in the east of the site this year at Kidz Field/ Theatre/ Acoustic area and the campervan fields are a shorter walk back to bed than if you were at the top end of Pennards or even one the further west camping fields.

The security isn't an issue, other than on the first day queue, and if you don't want to take stuff in and out every day then there are lockups right inside the site by the gates.

paddylonglegs

robinph wrote: »

The campervan fields are really not that far away, spent a lot of time in the east of the site this year at Kidz Field/ Theatre/ Acoustic area and the campervan fields are a shorter walk back to bed than if you were at the top end of Pennards or even one the further west camping fields.

The security isn't an issue, other than on the first day queue, and if you don't want to take stuff in and out every day then there are lockups right inside the site by the gates.

Robinph did you go with kids? Would be interested to hear how that went and what ages this suits. I understand you won't be 4 rows back from the front of pyramid stage for 7 hours if you have young uns, but am embarking on the kids at festivals thing in the next few years

S.M.B.

I had to go through security from worthy view and never had to queue and checks were random. I think there was a sizeable queue on Thursday morning but that was it.

I could imagine flying over is a pain. I'm based in London so never had that problem. Again there are ways to overcome the hassle if you have the patience to plan, time off work and a bit of cash to cover the cost.

robinph

paddylonglegs wrote: »

Robinph did you go with kids? Would be interested to hear how that went and what ages this suits. I understand you won't be 4 rows back from the front of pyramid stage for 7 hours if you have young uns, but am embarking on the kids at festivals thing in the next few years

Took the kid aged about 4 weeks a couple of years ago, and now a just turned 2 year old this time. Ticket issues meant I went solo last year. I'm not sure I'd recommend it to people who have not been to festivals before to go with tiny kids, and some festivals wouldn't be suitable, but Glastonbury is about as safe as it gets as far as festivals are concerned and there is plenty to entertain them.

The Kidz Field is fantastic and has loads of things throughout it for different age groups right from places for teeny tiny newborns and mums to hide from the weather and get any services they need, right up to climbing walls for the nearly teens. Once you get out of the Kidz Field there is also loads of the Theatre/ Circus stuff which provides plenty of quieter entertainment.

Making it quickly between stages and to anywhere close to the main stages just isn't going to happen, but once you get further back as long as you are not too bothered about the sound (the wind can cause havoc with the sound on some stages) you can still see the bands and the kids jump around safely. The great thing about Glastonbury is that there are loads of other kids about, and it is not just a bunch of 18-25 year olds getting drunk on lager. Keep away from the Dance tents at all times and the Shangrila late at night and it's a perfectly civilised place to be.

ILikeBoats

Going to try with a kid in 2019, she'll be 2.5 then so will be able to enjoy the kidz field etc

judeboy101

ILikeBoats wrote: »

Going to try with a kid in 2019, she'll be 2.5 then so will be able to enjoy the kidz field etc

Same here, going to try to bring an 8 + 6 year old. Is there a separate ticket for families?

ryaner777

judeboy101 wrote: »

Same here, going to try to bring an 8 + 6 year old. Is there a separate ticket for families?

No kids are free with adult tickets.

Finally starting to come back to life after the madness of last week.

I'll do a summary soon. What a place !

robinph

Kids under 12 are free with an adult.

No special tickets needed, although they did have a new thing with the campervan field this year where they had separate family campervan tickets, previously they just asked on arrival if you wanted the family field or not but I guess people turning up on Thursday had complained that the family fields were already full. Anyway, it makes no difference really in the campervan fields where you actually are except for the family field being a tiny bit closer to the gate.

The 2.5 year old will be fine and plenty to climb on and see in the Kidz Field for them, although ours was most interested in the woman who had the bucket of soapy water and was making big bubbles. Plenty of stuff for the 8 + 6 year olds to be entertained by there as well with various climbing, music, story, face painting, circus skills things for them to get interested in. I'm looking forward to taking ours back again in a couple of years when they will be able to be more involved with the different things, biggest challenge this times was keeping them off the things they couldn't really do yet such as the climbing things.

S.M.B.

I queued to get to Worthy View with a couple and their 10 day old.

Great to see!

Basq

Myself and the rest of our group saw this happen over the weekend..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFOSpYwUifM

All over LadBible this morning...

odonaghue

We had the weekend of our lives last weekend!! Drove from Donegal on the Wed eve, ferry from belfast to liverpool on wed night arrived in liverpool at 6:30am. We were on our first beer with the tent pitched after 2 runs to the car at 1:30PM. Highlights were Royal Blood, climbing to the hill overlooking the site on the thur to watch the sun set, Foos were hands down the best gig i have seen in my life! Up early on Monday morn (5Am) and got the boat back from holyhead to dublin. Wouldnt change much...maybe stay somewhere on Monday and drive back Tue. The level of detail in the place is unbelieveable....feckin obscessed with Jermy Corbin tho!!!!

jimmy180sx

ghostdancer wrote:

yeah, the ferry times on Monday basically mean the driver has to have an earlyish night on Sunday, or else book in somewhere and stay there that night. I wouldn't say it's a nightmare at all, but it does take some organising and planning.

I left the site at 1am Monday morning. Hit the first service station just before m5 near Bristol at around 2.20am. Had a kip until 9am in the car and made the 1.10pm ferry to rosslare..it was hard when your are on your own but all I kept thinking of was that lounge seat and 4hr snooze fest on the ferry home..would I do it again..defo..will carpool next time!!

Really appreciate everyone putting up their honest and detailed reviews.
It's deffo on my list for 2019

Mrs Shuttleworth

The Fishguard-Rosslare overnight ferry and train journey there in itself is a rite of passage.

Single automated carriage from Swansea careering through the mountains at what feels like 500kph.

The terminal at Fishguard waiting for the boat at 1 a.m. of a Sunday night looks like the fallout shelter in The Day After.

dmm82

We got the ferry tuesday night at half 8. Arrived to where we were staying (ashcombe car park) at 7am wed morning so had a few hours sleep before we started drinking
Ashcombe car park was great, flushing toilets, proper showers, 24 hour security and a 24 snack bar. Was a 15 minute walk to gate D then another 15 minutes or so into the main area but it was worth it! £60 to park the camper for the 5 nights.
We had originally booked to come home on the afternoon ferry monday but changed it to the night one. Then changed again to the 2am one so we wouldn't have to go to sleep early Sunday night. Got to sleep all day monday, it was great, there was still people parked in our car park when we left monday night!

Ended up missing the 2am ferry then due to motorways being closed/ diversions/ getting lost but slept in the camper until the 9am ferry tuesday morning. We had paid extra for a flexi ticket so no hassle changing the times thank god!

The festival itself was unlike anything we had ever experienced, we have been going to festivals for the guts of 20 years and Glasto just blew them all away. Im still teary eyed today that its all over Being back in work didnt help i suppose.

The atmosphere, the people,the different areas, the music, the general madness! Everything was perfect. I'd go again tomorrow if I could!

Roll on 2019!!

ILikeBoats

dmm82 wrote: »

Ashcombe car park was great, flushing toilets, proper showers, 24 hour security and a 24 snack bar. Was a 15 minute walk to gate D then another 15 minutes or so into the main area but it was worth it! £60 to park the camper for the 5 nights.

Did you walk to and from ashcombe every day/night?

dmm82

ILikeBoats wrote: »

Did you walk to and from ashcombe every day/night?

Yep... packed a bag each day with our drink, warm clothes for night time etc. Was actually grand. One or two of the nights the walk back was a bit of a struggle but it was worth it to have sonewhere cosy to sleep. We've both said we would stay there again, the walk home is the only downside but the showers, toilets and 24 hour food make up for that.

Our friends camped in pennard hill and thought we were insane when they seen how far we had to walk though, so it might not be for everyone

aka accounts 2010

Finally feeling human again after an incredible week and about time I put a few words in here about our experiences.

Second time at Glastonbury, having went in 2014.

OUTBOUND JOURNEY:
3 of us travelled in a 6 berth campervan which was absolute heaven. Packed all our gear/drink etc into the campervan Monday evening and then headed for Rosslare in the early hours to get the 8.45am Irish Ferries crossing to Pembroke.

Arrived in Pembroke shortly before 1pm and started heading for the M4 motorway (Eastbound) towards Bristol. The weather was great and we were in no rush so stopped near Cadiff for some ice-creams and coffees and then onto the M5 southbound. We stopped about 45 minutes from Pilton for a 3 course meal etc and then made the final trip into Campervan West.

We arrived just after 7pm and got space in the first field near the Pedestrian Gate and experienced absolutely no traffic delays heading in which was great. We cracked into a few cans and got to know our neighbours who ranged from a group of Newcastle lads, to a young couple with a 2 year old to a couple in their 60's so a really diverse group and all really good company.

DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY
Walked the 2 minutes to the gate around 9.45am and only had to queue for 5 minutes to get our wristbands/programmes etc and then headed off for a day of exploring in the sunshine. The site was in fantastic condition.

We did a little bar crawl for the early morning and then headed to William's Green for the afternoon where the 90's Power Ballads were in full flow followed by The Smyths.

We then made our way towards the Park and Stone Circle for the evening where we watched the fireworks and bonfires - excellent.

Down the hill and into the Silent Disco for a couple of hours before hitting the Bimble Inn until the early hours.

Back to the campervan around 4am.

DAY 2 - THURSDAY
The heat of Wednesday had dropped off which meant Thursday was a day for walking. We walked miles in all directions checking out the stalls, food, smaller stages, having beers in all the different bars, listening to some amazing music in the small venues and generally having a blast.

Thursday night was spent in the South East Corner. Had only experienced this area in the daylight in 2014 so this was a new experience. Had an amazing night enjoying the sights and sounds. Spent 2 hours listening to an amazing 10+ piece jazz band and then onto the Unfairground and Block 9 etc.

Left there around 3am got some amazing food and back at the campervan about 4.30am.

DAY 3- FRIDAY
1. The Pretenders - absolutely brilliant. Cracking way to start the festival proper

2. Charli XCX - decided to stay for her to see what she was all about. Not my style of music but top marks to her for putting in a great performance and really getting the crowd going.

3. Blossoms - had seen them support the Stone Roses a few days earlier at Wembley Stadium and enjoyed them so went along again. They were very enjoyable and the crowd where we were standing were really into them.

4. Kris Kristofferson - the poor man hadn't a clue what was going on. Completely forgot verses and even had problems remembering where he was. The crowd, however, helped him along, sang as loud as they could and gave him a fantastic reception throughout. Johnny Depp appearing was a surprise bonus. (Bradley Cooper filmed scenes from his upcoming film on the stage just before Kris came on).

5. Royal Blood - massive highlight. These lads will headline in the next few years. They had the place absolutely jumping for the whole set and put in an amazing performance. Fantastic stage presence.

6. George Ezra - decided to skip the beginning of The XX for George Ezra and we weren't disappointed. He was excellent and really engaged with the audience at The Other Stage. Fantastic set list with all the hits included.

7. The XX - only caught the last 3 songs but they sounded great.

8. Radiohead - again fantastic. We are all Radiohead fans so were into the whole set. I can see why some casual fans may have been disengaged early in the set and the unusual side screen graphics were definitely not beneficial but they absolutely owed the stage Friday night. Excellent.

DAY 4 - SATURDAY
1. Jools Holland - fantastic performance. Some excellent guests and had the crowd dancing early in the day. Get to the 3Arena in October if you can.

2. Craig David - massive crowd and a great set. All the hits were out along with a number of covers. He went down a treat with the crowd.

3. Kaiser Chiefs - you either love or hate them. I actually enjoy them live and the hits allow for a very lively crowd. Ricky is a great frontman.

4. Liam Gallagher - huge expectation and for the most part he delivered. The new material got a warm reception but as the album hasn't been released, it was never going to get the crowd hyped up. Obviously all the Oasis numbers had the place going crazy and the last song was an emotional moment.

5. Katy Perry - caught the last 2 songs and she had a massive crowd. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves and ROAR as the final song had the whole field bouncing.

6. The National - first time seeing them. They had a decent crowd, however, a lot of the crowd took the opportunity to get some food and sit on the grass watching. I enjoyed the set.

7. Foo Fighters - what can you say. Absolute quality from start to finish. I'm a massive Foo's fan so I am biased but they really did knock it out of the park. The TV coverage doesn't even half reflect the atmosphere in the field.

DAY 5 - SUNDAY
1.Deaf Havana - had heard good things so went along. Really enjoyed them. They had a Fall Out Boy sound about them.

2. Dropkick Murphy's - I wouldn't be a fan but I can't deny that they put on a great show , engaged with the crowd and got great feedback in return.

3. Rag n Bone Man - this guy will be massive. He had a huge crowd and is fantastic live.

4. Kodaline - caught the first 20 minutes of Kodaline. They had some sound issue for the first track but cleared up. They didn't pull the same crowd as 2014 but they did clash with Barry Gibb and the upcoming Killers gig. Was really enjoying them until we left to head to The Killers

5. The Killers - massive surprise/massive crowd/massive set. All the hits were out and the crowd went mental.

6. Chic - caught the last 15 minutes of Chic and they were great fun. Nile is a top man and you can't help but fall in love with the Chic show.

7. Biffy Clyro - really brought a lot of energy to the stage. The hits went down great with the crowd. Some tracks fell slightly flat at times but overall a great set.

8. Ed Sheeran - the field was absolutely rammed. We were between the sound decks and it was toe to toe. We all really enjoyed him. I understand the arguments that one man with a guitar shouldn't be closing the festival but there's no denying that he's the biggest thing music wise at the moment and therefore deserves the slot. He really did go down well with the crowd. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and the singalongs were massive.

INBOUND JOURNEY
Left the site at 7am on Monday and was parked up in Pembroke at 10.30am without any delays/traffic etc. It was a dream.

Went for a walk and some lunch before getting the 2.45pm ferry back to Rosslare.

SUMMARY
An incredible week in an incredible place. There really is no place like Glastonbury. It's the sheer scale, variety and friendliness of the people that make it so special. We met some fantastic people over the course of the week, ate some top quality food and had a massive amount of beers/ciders/cocktails.

You could spend a week at Glastonbury and see no music by spending time in the Greenpeace field, Healing Fields, Theatre & Circus Fields, Cinemageddon, Poetry & Spoken Word Tent etc etc etc and still have the time of your life.

The wondering around the site and coming across all different venues, stalls, shops, people etc itsas much fun as anything else you can do. It's the random nature of the festival which is it's main asset.

The security and police (while professional) are not in your face and just leave everyone get on with enjoying themselves.

There's no culture of ripping people off (like Irish events) so you can bring as much food and drink as you like and never spend a penny if you so wish. We did, however, spend quiet a bit but that was down to us wanting some cold pints, eating very well and buying a few t-shirts.

The heat on Wednesday was a challenge for everyone but the festival had tractors driving around handing out iced bottles of water for free (that would never happen here). Plus the security guys at the gate to our campervan field were giving out free ice creams to everyone coming back that evening after a day in the sun!!

Glastonbury - there's nowhere like it.

BonnieSituation

Just listening to Radiohead agian for the first time sinceI got home.

Full on nearly burst into tears listening to Street Spirit. The blues have officially hit.

dmm82

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Just listening to Radiohead agian for the first time sinceI got home.

Full on nearly burst into tears listening to Street Spirit. The blues have officially hit.

I've been crying at the slightest thing the last two days, only starting to feel slightly normal now!!

ghostdancer

loads of single songs gone up on the BBC youtube now too:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bbcintroducing/videos

ILikeBoats

Fair play to the BBC!

A Neurotic

ghostdancer wrote: »

loads of single songs gone up on the BBC youtube now too:
https://www.youtube.com/user/bbcintroducing/videos

My regret at missing the Killers just multiplied tenfold, thank you!

pjf2013

aka accounts 2010 wrote: »

Finally feeling human again after an incredible week and about time I put a few words in here about our experiences.

Second time at Glastonbury, having went in 2014.

OUTBOUND JOURNEY:
3 of us travelled in a 6 berth campervan which was absolute heaven. Packed all our gear/drink etc into the campervan Monday evening and then headed for Rosslare in the early hours to get the 8.45am Irish Ferries crossing to Pembroke.

Arrived in Pembroke shortly before 1pm and started heading for the M4 motorway (Eastbound) towards Bristol. The weather was great and we were in no rush so stopped near Cadiff for some ice-creams and coffees and then onto the M5 southbound. We stopped about 45 minutes from Pilton for a 3 course meal etc and then made the final trip into Campervan West.

We arrived just after 7pm and got space in the first field near the Pedestrian Gate and experienced absolutely no traffic delays heading in which was great. We cracked into a few cans and got to know our neighbours who ranged from a group of Newcastle lads, to a young couple with a 2 year old to a couple in their 60's so a really diverse group and all really good company.

DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY
Walked the 2 minutes to the gate around 9.45am and only had to queue for 5 minutes to get our wristbands/programmes etc and then headed off for a day of exploring in the sunshine. The site was in fantastic condition.

We did a little bar crawl for the early morning and then headed to William's Green for the afternoon where the 90's Power Ballads were in full flow followed by The Smyths.

We then made our way towards the Park and Stone Circle for the evening where we watched the fireworks and bonfires - excellent.

Down the hill and into the Silent Disco for a couple of hours before hitting the Bimble Inn until the early hours.

Back to the campervan around 4am.

DAY 2 - THURSDAY
The heat of Wednesday had dropped off which meant Thursday was a day for walking. We walked miles in all directions checking out the stalls, food, smaller stages, having beers in all the different bars, listening to some amazing music in the small venues and generally having a blast.

Thursday night was spent in the South East Corner. Had only experienced this area in the daylight in 2014 so this was a new experience. Had an amazing night enjoying the sights and sounds. Spent 2 hours listening to an amazing 10+ piece jazz band and then onto the Unfairground and Block 9 etc.

Left there around 3am got some amazing food and back at the campervan about 4.30am.

DAY 3- FRIDAY
1. The Pretenders - absolutely brilliant. Cracking way to start the festival proper

2. Charli XCX - decided to stay for her to see what she was all about. Not my style of music but top marks to her for putting in a great performance and really getting the crowd going.

3. Blossoms - had seen them support the Stone Roses a few days earlier at Wembley Stadium and enjoyed them so went along again. They were very enjoyable and the crowd where we were standing were really into them.

4. Kris Kristofferson - the poor man hadn't a clue what was going on. Completely forgot verses and even had problems remembering where he was. The crowd, however, helped him along, sang as loud as they could and gave him a fantastic reception throughout. Johnny Depp appearing was a surprise bonus. (Bradley Cooper filmed scenes from his upcoming film on the stage just before Kris came on).

5. Royal Blood - massive highlight. These lads will headline in the next few years. They had the place absolutely jumping for the whole set and put in an amazing performance. Fantastic stage presence.

6. George Ezra - decided to skip the beginning of The XX for George Ezra and we weren't disappointed. He was excellent and really engaged with the audience at The Other Stage. Fantastic set list with all the hits included.

7. The XX - only caught the last 3 songs but they sounded great.

8. Radiohead - again fantastic. We are all Radiohead fans so were into the whole set. I can see why some casual fans may have been disengaged early in the set and the unusual side screen graphics were definitely not beneficial but they absolutely owed the stage Friday night. Excellent.

DAY 4 - SATURDAY
1. Jools Holland - fantastic performance. Some excellent guests and had the crowd dancing early in the day. Get to the 3Arena in October if you can.

2. Craig David - massive crowd and a great set. All the hits were out along with a number of covers. He went down a treat with the crowd.

3. Kaiser Chiefs - you either love or hate them. I actually enjoy them live and the hits allow for a very lively crowd. Ricky is a great frontman.

4. Liam Gallagher - huge expectation and for the most part he delivered. The new material got a warm reception but as the album hasn't been released, it was never going to get the crowd hyped up. Obviously all the Oasis numbers had the place going crazy and the last song was an emotional moment.

5. Katy Perry - caught the last 2 songs and she had a massive crowd. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves and ROAR as the final song had the whole field bouncing.

6. The National - first time seeing them. They had a decent crowd, however, a lot of the crowd took the opportunity to get some food and sit on the grass watching. I enjoyed the set.

7. Foo Fighters - what can you say. Absolute quality from start to finish. I'm a massive Foo's fan so I am biased but they really did knock it out of the park. The TV coverage doesn't even half reflect the atmosphere in the field.

DAY 5 - SUNDAY
1.Deaf Havana - had heard good things so went along. Really enjoyed them. They had a Fall Out Boy sound about them.

2. Dropkick Murphy's - I wouldn't be a fan but I can't deny that they put on a great show , engaged with the crowd and got great feedback in return.

3. Rag n Bone Man - this guy will be massive. He had a huge crowd and is fantastic live.

4. Kodaline - caught the first 20 minutes of Kodaline. They had some sound issue for the first track but cleared up. They didn't pull the same crowd as 2014 but they did clash with Barry Gibb and the upcoming Killers gig. Was really enjoying them until we left to head to The Killers

5. The Killers - massive surprise/massive crowd/massive set. All the hits were out and the crowd went mental.

6. Chic - caught the last 15 minutes of Chic and they were great fun. Nile is a top man and you can't help but fall in love with the Chic show.

7. Biffy Clyro - really brought a lot of energy to the stage. The hits went down great with the crowd. Some tracks fell slightly flat at times but overall a great set.

8. Ed Sheeran - the field was absolutely rammed. We were between the sound decks and it was toe to toe. We all really enjoyed him. I understand the arguments that one man with a guitar shouldn't be closing the festival but there's no denying that he's the biggest thing music wise at the moment and therefore deserves the slot. He really did go down well with the crowd. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and the singalongs were massive.

INBOUND JOURNEY
Left the site at 7am on Monday and was parked up in Pembroke at 10.30am without any delays/traffic etc. It was a dream.

Went for a walk and some lunch before getting the 2.45pm ferry back to Rosslare.

SUMMARY
An incredible week in an incredible place. There really is no place like Glastonbury. It's the sheer scale, variety and friendliness of the people that make it so special. We met some fantastic people over the course of the week, ate some top quality food and had a massive amount of beers/ciders/cocktails.

You could spend a week at Glastonbury and see no music by spending time in the Greenpeace field, Healing Fields, Theatre & Circus Fields, Cinemageddon, Poetry & Spoken Word Tent etc etc etc and still have the time of your life.

The wondering around the site and coming across all different venues, stalls, shops, people etc itsas much fun as anything else you can do. It's the random nature of the festival which is it's main asset.

The security and police (while professional) are not in your face and just leave everyone get on with enjoying themselves.

There's no culture of ripping people off (like Irish events) so you can bring as much food and drink as you like and never spend a penny if you so wish. We did, however, spend quiet a bit but that was down to us wanting some cold pints, eating very well and buying a few t-shirts.

The heat on Wednesday was a challenge for everyone but the festival had tractors driving around handing out iced bottles of water for free (that would never happen here). Plus the security guys at the gate to our campervan field were giving out free ice creams to everyone coming back that evening after a day in the sun!!

Glastonbury - there's nowhere like it.

enjoyed that read, cheers.

Just wondering what does the ferry and camper cost you? Even though we didn't mind camping and had our mate who lived close by to get all our gear/drink deliverd too. I defo wanna do the campervan next year, seems like a right little road trip

aka accounts 2010

pjf2013 wrote: »

enjoyed that read, cheers.

Just wondering what does the ferry and camper cost you? Even though we didn't mind camping and had our mate who lived close by to get all our gear/drink deliverd too. I defo wanna do the campervan next year, seems like a right little road trip

The ferry cost €420.00 all in. That's for a campervan & 3 adults and included the flexible option on the homeward journey just in case we missed our scheduled sailing.

The campervan was €1,250.00 for 8 nights/9 days and no hidden extras. It was collected full of diesel and had to be returned full of diesel and clean.

There was 3 of us but obviously, the cost per person would fall if you had a couple more people heading along. You can pitch tents/gazebos next to the campervan also so great option to add some additional space along with the awning which winds out from the campervan itself.

BonnieSituation

aka accounts 2010 wrote: »

The ferry cost €420.00 all in. That's for a campervan & 3 adults and included the flexible option on the homeward journey just in case we missed our scheduled sailing.

The campervan was €1,250.00 for 8 nights/9 days and no hidden extras. It was collected full of diesel and had to be returned full of diesel and clean.

There was 3 of us but obviously, the cost per person would fall if you had a couple more people heading along. You can pitch tents/gazebos next to the campervan also so great option to add some additional space along with the awning which winds out from the campervan itself.

Who'd you get it from?

ryaner777

Finally sitting down with a glass of wine to watch all the BBC recordings. Can anyone recommend any performances they watched on TV last weekend ?

ILikeBoats

ryaner777 wrote: »

Finally sitting down with a glass of wine to watch all the BBC recordings. Can anyone recommend any performances they watched on TV last weekend ?

Elbow

ryaner777

ILikeBoats wrote: »

Elbow

Cheers, spent most of the weekend in the park as we camped beside it but didn't get to see elbow.

paddylonglegs

Some great reading from those reviews, thanks guys. A glasto trip really gone up my list of priorities now.

I can understand that anti-climax that you're all talking about. It's something I haven't felt since I was a teenager after a coming-of-age trip or something, but god it's so powerful.

Right, time to start planning 2019

Bsal

BBC2 are showing 'Best of Glastonbury 2017' tonight at 23:05 for anyone interested.

adrian522

Still working my way through various recordings, just watching Flaming Lips. Just a wonderful band and a great performance but a pity they were up against Radiohead. They might have made more sense to headline somewhere on the Sunday night.

Sam Hain

ILikeBoats wrote: »

Elbow

If you want underwhelming middle of the road dross.

UsedToWait

Rewatching Radiohead.
Unreal.
The bass player, whose name I don't even know, is the engine room behind all that madness..

ryaner777

adrian522 wrote: »

Still working my way through various recordings, just watching Flaming Lips. Just a wonderful band and a great performance but a pity they were up against Radiohead. They might have made more sense to headline somewhere on the Sunday night.

By chance we were near the front for the flaming lips and we loved it. No idea what to expect other than the hits but they were amazing. What a show. All the people around us had made a special effort to be there and the amount of hugging and smiling (not sure if that's how you spell it) was infectious. It was a beautiful 90 minutes

ryaner777

UsedToWait wrote: »

Rewatching Radiohead.
Unreal.
The bass player, whose name I don't even know, is the engine room behind all that madness..

Going through the foo's set at the moment. Tonight will end up being one of those nights that don't finish till 7 in the morning or we'll start all over again tomorrow afternoon and it'll be 2 nights in a row drinking and playing catch up.

Does anyone know if they sell brothers cider in Ireland ? Had a pint of their toffee Apple and their coconut cider and they were both amazing. Only £4 and about 7% each

IamtheWalrus

UsedToWait wrote: »

Rewatching Radiohead.
Unreal.
The bass player, whose name I don't even know, is the engine room behind all that madness..

Colin O'Brien

A Rogue Hobo

IamtheWalrus wrote:

Colin O'Brien

Colin Greenwood, older brother of Jonny Greenwood, the lead guitarist.