Glastonbury, mythical home of the Holy Grail in Arthurian myth, in reality home to the holy grail of musical festivals the world over. Music Lovers and self confessed hippies descend on rural Somerset for a long weekend of music, more music and the greatest of atmospheres. I know it sounds trite but there really is an atmosphere surrounding Glastonbury, everyone seems that little bit happier (granted that could be the copious amount of cider floating around) and nobody seems to have the urge to fight with each other.
Officially, the main festival starts on the Friday, however the 177,000 punters can begin to arrive from Wednesday morning, and this year, around 100,000 had arrived by the end of the Wednesday, helped in part by England’s final world cup group match being shown on the Pyramid Stage. The music, however, started on the Thursday, with a number of the smaller stages and bars having musicians playing sets.
Day One – Thursday
I have a self professed love of Jazz and Blues, so rather than throw myself into the indie and pop route right away, I decided that I would spend my Thursday evening at
Bourbon St, Glastonbury’s resident speakeasy, a new stage this year, designed to resemble a New Orleans’s bar. I will admit that the music wasn’t the only draw; they were offering twenty different varieties of bourbon, so it was hard to resist. But more on that in a moment. I decided to wander around the site on the Thursday to try and get my bearings for the inevitable mad rush to small stages that would ensue as the weekend progressed. First thing that hits you is the sheer size of the festival, around 900 acres (or over 3kms). Then what hits you is they have pretty much everything: a cabaret tent, a cinema tent, a circus tent numerous fields of green and eco friendly stalls plus much much more.
Right, onto the music. The first act I saw at Bourbon St was Scott McKeon, another name on the growing list of young blues prodigies; he is full of talent and sits easily alongside the likes of Davy Knowles and Oli Brown (who would also be playing later that weekend), as a young talent infiltrating the blues world with tis music. McKeon was a confident performer, and really is an accomplished lyricist, writing music of a maturity that far exceeds his 23 years. He managed to hold the audience’s attention well, and they certainly seemed to be enjoying it. There were more than a few people up dancing or stomping along to the music. I shall certainly be looking out for
his second album Trouble once it’s released.
The next act on the stage was Jacqui Wicks and Cliff Brown Band. Whereas McKeon was playing a raft of new modern blues, Wicks was sticking to the classics. With a self confessed love for lyrics and their meanings the audience was treated with songs about Love, Sex, Voodoo and flooding. (to name but a few themes) her set was largely a covers affair, playing tracks by the likes of Tom Waits, Screaming Jay Hawkins and Bob Dylan. But she managed to make them her own, largely with the help of her supreme voice. She really does have a great blues voice, full of depth and texture, with a great deal of soul. The audience soaked it all up, dancing along, and joining in with the encore, the very apt “Here Comes the Sun” providing the weather forecast for the weekend.
The third act of the evening were Scottish blues rockers King King, who had the temerity to come on with two of them wearing kilts, and still feel the need to announce they were from Scotland. What followed was a raucous set, with the plenty of dancing, and some great blues riffing. The main highlight of the band for me however would perhaps have to be the keyboardist, who had a whole Jerry Lee Lewis meets Ray Charles thing going on, which was equal parts awesome and unnerving. But there was no denying their talent. Lead singer Alan Nimmo had a great voice, rich and textured, perfect for their brand of blues rock. It was at this point that I decided to call it a night, and mentally prepare myself for the musical onslaught that was sure to come over the weekend.
Elsewhere on Thursday:
At the Queens Head stage, there a number of more indie bands playing, with the likes of the Local Natives, Two Door Cinema Club, My Luminaries, Howl and Egyptian Hip Hop Club all taking to the stage. Whereas elsewhere BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale was hosting the opening party at the Pussy Parlure, whilst in the Dance Village, there were DJ sets from Jamie from the XX and performances for Joy Oribison and Boy George.
Check back soon for more coverage…
Header photo by Jason Bryant – http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/news/thursday-pictures
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