Glastonbury 2022

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263263#Comment_119263263

All other festivals are tiny in comparison to Glastonbury and that can make it scary to think of taking kids to, but I think that Glastonbury is by far the safest and most kid friendly of any festival, other than some particularly family orientated ones.

If you've done Glastonbury before then I think you'd be fine. It has absolutely everything you could possibly need on site, and the medical facilities are excellent if worried about anything that might crop up. I guess having made use of those facilities myself in previous years helped me with convincing the wife that going along with a 4 week old would be fine and any issues that might arise could be dealt with.

More entertainment for all the family than you'll ever find anywhere else.

robinph

Oh, and in relation to taking the kid along, I took the GPS tracker off the dog and stuck that in a bum bag around the kid with strick instructions to never remove it unless we were in our tent. Was very useful in tracking them down in just the Kidz Field as I could narrow it down to if they were on the climbing wall, the face painting, the juggling, the helter-skelter or anything else in there. Hundreds of kids running wild it did get tricky to spot your own overexcited offspring at times.

trashcan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263195#Comment_119263195

We have very different interpretations of stunning. You wouldn’t exactly be humming it in the shower would ya ?. Call me old and cranky but I prefer songs. Perfectly willing to accept that things have moved on, but include me out, thanks.

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263471#Comment_119263471

You're absolutely right on all those points. I was very envious of parents who took their kids as I'd love to have shared this experience with my six-year-old who's already a keen fan of the Beatles, Fontaines and a couple of tunes from Bicep (mainly Apricots) though i'm aware that a solo trip with him would limit the music which is fine. The big issue are travel and walking - the trip there from Galway (with a stay in Dublin with pals) took 25 hours and going direct on the way back was 15 hours. The disorganised understaffed cr*p at both Dublin & Bristol airports would be too much plus add in the daily walks of (even if I limit the movement) circa 12km-16km would be tough on a kid. I'll do it someday, but just need to work out the optimum age. Experiencing that stimulation around every corner as a child must be one of the most astonishingly memorable things you could ever have.

Another observation over the weekend was the sheer amount of very young babies there, many of them under three months. Heartening to see and that adds to the tranquility of the place.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119264057#Comment_119264057

out you go.. so long now..

Seathrun66

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119264057#Comment_119264057

Apricots is exactly what you would be humming in the shower. It was the tune of the first lockdown in my household, first played by my better half and the two youngsters quickly latched onto it. Whenever it's played in the car they go berserk. I'm far from being a Bicep fan but the footage of that set looks great and hopefully they'll be added to the EP lineup.

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119262265#Comment_119262265

love Nile.. have seen him live several times - was suppose to see him in Cork tonight but I have da covid grr..

i'd say even the bitter folk on here would have a good time at one of his gigs.. hard not to..

raclle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119262649#Comment_119262649

Such a childish statement. Do you have to be a certain age to enjoy music? It's all about personal preference at the end of the day

sporina

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119248933#Comment_119248933

yeah i tuned into that alright - twas his daughter who heard of Billy 1st - he eventually got to know her when he saw her at a gig with like 95 others about 5 yrs ago

Bhail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263483#Comment_119263483

What gps do you have for the dog? Looking for one without a subscription

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119264371#Comment_119264371

I couldn't find one without a subscription. To have a useful device it needs the mobile sim, so it needs the subscription. Any of the ones that just show you where the dog has been once they come back to you are relatively pointless. Pawfit is the one I have and has been great.

bodhrandude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263344#Comment_119263344

Taken down already but watched the full thing absolute class and amazing sound, they've come a long way since this from the Little Big Tent at EP in 2014.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lrzsr5Vyn4

ILikeBoats

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263483#Comment_119263483

What did you do while your kid was in the Kidz Field messing? Are you in there with them? Or standing on the outskirts talking to other parents/having a drink?

robinph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119266116#Comment_119266116

You'd need to remain present, but can take in a beer from the Acoustic field bar and sit on the ground and just chill. Depends how independent your kid is, but if they are happy running about on their own then once you make sure they know which bit of the field you are sitting in just leave them to roam. It's virtually impossible to keep up with them anyway with all the excitement on offer.

I'm sure that technically you're meant to supervise them at all times, but it's impossible to follow them. There are a couple of activities where they will get told to find you as they need a permission thing signing, but otherwise just leave them to it and find yourself a nice bit of grass to relax on for a bit.

Getting them back out of the field is the really tricky bit, and best to have some plan on which ice-cream van to aim for, or a story about how the only source of chips/burger/face painting is over in X direction and you have to go now before they shut. ;)

Seathrun66

'Getting them back out of the field is the really tricky bit, and best to have some plan on which ice-cream van to aim for.....'

Brilliant. Sounds like the best summer Camp possible.

WM18

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118724392#Comment_118724392

Hi there, so are campervan tickets sent to overseas goers, but you have to collect festival tickets there?

TenPicnics

This was my first Glastonbury, after 4 decades of vaguely wanting to go, and avidly reading about it here on boards and in the Guardian and seeing snippets on BBC. "For some reason" I think I share a birth year with Seathrun66, am female, and not in any sense physically sturdy or strong, and since being lucky in the October 2019 ticket lottery was a bit worried whether I could hack it...

... And I had 5 of the best days & nights of my life. Unlike the big festivals here I never felt "old", most likely due to the wide age range of the punters and seriously positive energy of the place. I know how lucky we were with the weather, but nothing prepared me for just how incredibly cool and friendly EVERYONE was, not just random strangers but all the staff, stewards and vendors as well. The beautiful vastness of the place in daylight & when it's all lit up at night is breathtaking. And of course then there's the music ...

I feel like a burden that was on me for years lifted at Glastonbury the minute I got the wristband on.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to the Glastonbury veterans on this thread whose advice on tickets and related info got me to what was/is among the best experiences of my life.

TheIrishGrover

Macca and Dave.

sporina

@TenPicnics nice one - thanks for sharing.. savour the love - and I hope it rubs off on some of the bitter lemons on here..

I think my festival days are behind me - well, mayb not.. had a ball at ATN 2019.. but we didn't camp.. stayed with mates near by.. I think my camping days are over though.. but loving watching Glasto on the telly.. we still have loads to get thru..

FAEACA

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119267411#Comment_119267411

Hey! Campervan ticket and festivals tickets sent together via international tracked post so no collection required at the festival. See Tickets were a bit awkward this year about sending them overseas but plenty on here got in touch and insisted they be sent. Thankfully, they arrived a couple of days before we set off.

Toast

I burned an hour and 40 in the collection queue even after they said they'd send it. It pushed my setup into Midday and I was knackered from the heat and wasted half of Wednesday as a result. Super annoyed (people I was with came later and got stuck even longer).

FAEACA

Right, so finally back in the land of the living!!!

What a week!!! Amazing from start to finish.

Fourth time at the festival this year (previous years being 2014, 2017 and 2019) and went via campervan and stayed in CV East 19 which was pretty much perfect. All previous festivals we had been in CV West but more than happy with East this year, even with the slightly longer re-entry queues at Gate C, however, never took us longer than 10/15 minutes any morning.

Weather was perfect, ground conditions excellent and the same pair of trainers did me the whole week which was wonderful. Everyone we met was friendly and just wanted to have a great time. Food was top class as usual and entertainment offered across the site continues to be second to none compared to any other festival I've been too.

Site felt really busy this year compared to previous years, additional tickets, people chasing the "big acts", good weather increasing people's movements, some acts being placed on stages which were too small compared to crowd demand were all factors. You expect "pinch" points across the week at certain points of the site and heavy volumes of people so no major effect caused on our week/weekend.

Tuesday:

Travelled over via ferry, collected campervan, couple of stops along route including a drink/snacks stop in Newport, stopped for dinner in a restaurant in Glastonbury and we were set up on site approx 7.30pm. Cracking neighbours in CV East which really added to the Tuesday night drinks.

Wednesday:

Few morning beverages in CV East before heading on site before lunchtime. Grabbed some grub and cold pints and explored for the day. Met some amazing people, chatted, sang, danced etc for the day and into the evening. Headed up the hill at The Park for the opening fireworks and then off into the night for some entertainment in the bars.

Thursday:

Again, some morning beverages and on site again around lunchtime. Headed to The Park for grub and got into the tent for Baggy Mondays which included a guest appearance from Peter Hooton who blasted out "All Together Now". Then across to Williams Green which was very busy but we managed to get a great spot in the tent for Michael Eavis and Band followed by Bastille. Off then to the SEC for probably the best Thursday night we've had on site. Ended up back at Williams Green in the early hours for the Guilty Pleasures Disco. Wall to wall 90s and 00s pop (and some indie aswell).

Friday:

Packed day of music, all excellent performances;

The Libertines

Blossoms

Inhaler

Supergrass

Robert Plant

Sam Fender

Foals

Finished the night in the Avalon Inn.

Saturday:

Another busy day of music and again all excellent:

Skunk Anansie

Metronomy

Glass Animals

Scouting for Girls (first 20 minutes)

Noel Gallagher

Paul McCartney (ft Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen)

Finished in a couple of bars in WG.

Sunday:

Little less music with some extra time spent in the Green Fields, merch etc;

Diana Ross

Lorde

Pet Shop Boys

Grabbed some food and back to CV.

Monday:

Left site at 5.55am, zero traffic delays, couple of stops along the route to grab the early afternoon ferry. Home on the couch catching up on BBC Monday evening.

rubick

FIELD NOTES 2022

Well folks, that was something else. We arrived at Bristol airport on Tuesday, stayed in the hotel just opposite out of necessity rather than desire thanks to EasyJet's price gouging (£808 return for 2 seats for a 50 min flight to Belfast?!) - but at least we had a clear run to the site on the Tuesday. We'd hoped we could get the taxi driver to run us to Worthy View but it soon became clear that he was all about 'short cuts' and a bit of a rocket, so we ended up at the taxi drop-off point next to Pedestrian Gate A - 10 min walk across and we're in the queue for the WV shuttle. Had a bit of a wait of an hour or so but we arrived at our tent at the earliest time ever of 11am.

WEDNESDAY

Just a bit of site reorientation today, with a good wander around the Park, Glade and up to the sign. Made it up to the Glastonbury sign for the first time in 5 visits, and had a look at the Lotus Burn installation. You're never prepared for the view above The Park. The Worthy View steps have gone, now replaced with an undulating path that cuts back and forth a few times, but it's still rightly steep.

THURSDAY

We very suddenly lost my mother last year, so I brought a Mass Card to place into the Burning Lotus. It was very emotional but lovely - I was in a bit of a state in the queue just about holding it together - when something really quite funny happened. I'm not very religious, but my mum sent me a priest - kind of. Joe Rooney AKA Father Damo from Father Ted walked by and we had a chat. That picked me up no end, what are the chances?! After that it was down to see Mixmaster Morris in Glade Dome for some ambient everything - and the festival was under way. Next up after a bite was System 7 in Glade Stage across the road - belter set of crusty techno and psychedelia. Over to West Holts for a feed then back round for Marshall Jefferson throwing out some loved up house, Alison Limerick's 'Where Love Lives' certainly got my fellow Balearic Silverbacks going. Spent a lot of time in Glade on Thursday afternoon meeting the good people and swapping war stories of festivals past. First clash of the week was a toss up between Sasha or Bristol's Giant Swan - so a trek to the Wow stage in Silver Hayes it was. Ballistic stuff from the lads and what a crowd, friendly and frantic. Just glad to be out of the house lads! I didn't want to peak too soon to after their set I made the trek back to Worthy View via Other Stage and Glade, and got a good few hours kip.

FRIDAY

A busy day from Nubiyan Twist opening West Holts until Primal Scream closing the John Peel Tent. Caught a bit of Kae Tempest on Other Stage, powerful as always but Other Stage will never have the same feel as any other stage. I can't place what it is but there's always something missing. We tried to meet up with @Seathrun66 and his group on Friday afternoon but my god the traffic in around Park Stage for Wet Leg was insane, so we headed back down to Greentea Peng at West Holts until the crowds dwindled. Got back up to Park Stage for a Confidence Man into Dry Cleaning double header, which was glorious - Dry Cleaning in seriously great form and a great reception from the crowd. From there it was over to Pyramid for a breather and Robert Plant & Allison Crauss, which was genuinely lovely. Accidentally ended up in the interstage area behind Pyramid after their set en route to John Peel Tent, not sure how but we didn't see anyone famous anyway. Time for another double header in The Jesus and Mary Chain into Primal Scream, both in great voice. JAMT had a guest vocalist in one Phoebe Bridgers for 'Just Like Honey' which went down a storm. Bobby G was in great voice as were the crowd for Primal Scream, few tracks from Screamadelica towards the end but singing 'Come Together' with 10k heads is something I'll not soon forget. Another great turnout for the Balearic Silverbacks! Once again resisted temptation to head into the Naughty Corner, because I'm mature now. And tired.

SATURDAY

We begin once again (after a duck egg omlette at Worthy View) at West Holts, with Brass Against. Some storming covers of 'Sabotage' and 'Killing In The Name Of' later and we're back in the game after a slow start. Headed over to see a bit of Skunk Anansie but we were very far right near the Glade and it's a bit hot so we head back to catch Black Midi on West Holts and finally have a catch up with Seathrunn. Round to William's Green next for WH Lung, who were unreal - hope they are booked for Stradbally - 'Inspiration' their closing track would tear the roof off Rankin's Wood or Cosby. One of the highlights of our festival. Stayed round at William's Green to hear Jane Weaver who was wonderful, then back round to West Holts for Caribou who we saw in the same timeslot and stage in 2017. Solid set but I think there were technical issues, not that anyone minded. Next up was Roisin Murphy, the undisputed best moment of Glastonbury for us. Never seen West Holts fall in love so quickly and so deeply - what a performance. One for the ages. Can't wait to watch it back. Close proximity to SEC so that's us down for the night to IICON, Shangri-la and Unfairground. Stayed up dancing to a 30 year retrospective of drum 'n bass from Uncle Dugs and Friends until 5am, returned to base via Stone Circle as the sun came up. 10/10 Glastonbury Saturday.

SUNDAY

I've no right to be feeling this good. It's 11.30am and we're at West Holts again watching Emma-Jean Thackray (who started her set with the Fast Show 'Jazz Club' sample - Nice!) Quick hop round to Pyramid for Herbie Hancock who was excellent, had a great few chats with fellow punters and decide not to stay for Diana Ross so wandered a bit round to Glade then Nubya Garcia and Snarky Puppy at West Holts. We couldn't decide on Pet Shop Boys or Bicep so we thought WILDCARD and headed back into the SEC for some ALFOS-style acid house with Dave Harvey, bit of euro-trance with Wilson Phoenix (set only rescued by the inclusion of Underworld's 'Dark and Long') then over to IICON for Giant Swan DJ set followed by our final headliner in Floorplan. Caught a little of Steffi on the same stage but conscious of an early start we call it a night. Very happy with all that.

AFTERMATH

Got off-site (opted for our usual walk from Worthy View - Pedestrian Gate A, bus at 9.30am) and in the hotel for 11am. Flight to Belfast at 7am next morning. Not to sound too much like Michael Eavis but that was the best Glastonbury ever. Roll on ATN.

robinph

I saw the lotus thing at the top of the park area, but couldn't work out what was going on. People seemed to be putting stuff down a chute?

Was watching for a good while and still no idea.

Only bit I could figure out up there on the Thursday afternoon was that every 10 minutes a big cheer would go up as another proposal happened somewhere around.

rubick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119271134#Comment_119271134

People could put anything they want to 'burn' away into the Lotus - it was lit on Sunday night at 12am. In our case it's the red tape surrounding how my mother died - she was too young (65) and we haven't yet had any closure. Can't hurt I guess. 🙂

Stillill42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119271105#Comment_119271105

Quality review as always, Rubick. Sounds like a belter.

bodhrandude

An interesting interview with the lads from Bicep from 2017.

https://mixmag.net/feature/flex-it-bicep-are-the-powerhouse-duo-that-have-had-a-remarkable-ride-to-stardom

Dreamweapon

Nice reviews everyone. @Rubick; System 7, nice one!

Two questions: What size are the Green Fields these days? They got reduced during the 00s much to my disappointment. I wonder has that reduction continued?

Plus, what's the situation with roving chemists? Again, the 00s appeared to curb their numbers and one had to go searching for a longer than reasonable period to find refreshment! Used to be able to just sit at the stones and all your needs were immediately catered to 😉

frosty123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119263214#Comment_119263214

BS !

TheIrishGrover

They make money but not to the amounts of others and the vast majority of it goes to local and international charities. They have been offered in sponsorship deals from diagio and others and have always turned them down.