Day 133 – A Bit Of A “Blur”

Blur On The Pyramid Stage

And so we come to the last day of music at glastonbury 2009.  Only getting home after this…

I got up at 9am incredibly tired as usual and bought the most amazing ice cold (ok it was probably as warm as the devils arse but to me it was heaven) bottle of orange juice.  Then Dan suggested a wee morning beer which actually went down suprisingly well!

Made our way round to the pyramid stage for Status Quo where I again fell on the ground and slept whilst chris and luke had arm wrestling and handstand contests that would end up being seen the world over (not really).  Also, luke was having a look (sorry for the pun :S) at my SLR and all of a sudden this couple run up and get him to take their photo!

Comics (Photo courtesy of Luke St. Leger)

They were also so appreciative to him after for taking the pic.  Thats the kind of random, slightly crazy but very down to earth people you find at glastonbury.

Next was to see an artist called Priscilla Ahn that chris had seen supporting ray lamontagne (I always laugh a little to myself about the pronounciation of artists names; it dont matter how you say it as long as the music stays the same :)) who was playing over at the Queens Head Stage.  It was a very short set, around 25mins I think, but it was really good.  Chris had already told me about how she talks at length very humourously about her songs meaning before she plays it and today was no different.  I had crashed again before the gig but she really perked me up for the day.  Great recommendation by Christof!

Priscilla Ahn

Then finally we were making our way back to the other stage to see what I knew (and anybody else who knows me knew) would be one of the defining moments of the weekend;  seeing Yeah Yeah Yeah’s.  Awww man I cant even begin to describe the excitement seeing them live on stage! They played the best setlist possible in my opinion and I went fucking crazy for zero (so did karen O, she released a massive eyeball onto the crowd!)

Your Zero!!

Aww it really made my weekend.  Although I think it would have been so much better if she kept Zero as the setlist finale.  Didnt stop it from being fucking amazing though!

Next on was Bat For Lashes.  Im not a big fan and really wanted to see Ladyhawke on the John Peel stage (I had tickets to see her in Belfast and she cancelled :() but by the time I got there she woulda finished her set.  They were ok but I really dont think the other stage suited them at all. Their songs are too slow.  Somewhere like John Peel would have been better in my opinion.

Bat For Lashes

The same goes for the next act, Bon Iver, who again most people know was definitely in my top five acts I had to see at glasto.  I think if he had played in the JP tent it would have been unbelievable but there was just no atmosphere.  Not to say that I didnt enjoy it but it was a bit of a dissappointment.  I would love to see a small acoustic set in a bar in the near future; it would be spectacular.

Bon Iver

Good thing was that we met the nicest people at the other stage on sunday.  One kid called benjamin who was a semi professional cross country runner and had been to belfast a couple of times

Ben & Me Rocking The Shit Outta Bon Iver

and another guy called graham who stood with us and drank our musical blues away.

Graham & Lucy - Hardcore!

Then we also had a bit of “Other Stage Volleyball” which was honestly the funniest thing ive ever seen:

Dan going in for the kill

The opposing team. No grudges were held.

Other stage volleyball actually allowed us to meet some more really nice people; James, Andy, Izzie, Dave and Mark

Poor Dave got left taking the photo

We all walked down towards the Pyramid stage together but it was only mark who would end up staying with us right till the end of blur.  He also taught me one of glastonburys most invaluable lessons;  how to piss in a bottle in the middle of a crowd without getting noticed.  Now thats skill!

Shit, I forgot to tell him I mixed the bottles up :S...

Blur were suprisingly amazing!  Im not that big of a fan and had debated for weeks about whether to see them or the prodigy.  Whilst id like to see the latter at some point I dont think I could of handled a raveesque gig at that point lol.  Nah blur completely blew me away.  I knew way more songs than I thought (so it was a pretty good setlist)  and Damon Albarn started to cry at one point.  How crazy is that?  There is nothing better than humble bands who appreciate what they have.  Oh, the photo at the top was from blur;  Dan got me on his shoulders and said “Right, get a good photo from there!”.  I was over the moon.

Unfortunately the crowd was really really packed and we had all drank quite a lot.  I myself was very drunk by blur but in a good way.  Poor Luce got too warm and had a bit of a faint.  The next time we would all see her would be back at the tent where she would be completely fine as if nothing had happened.  What a ledge!

Tough As Nails I Tell Ya!

We stopped at the wine bar on the way back for a bit of  a dance as usual and Rachel became the centre of attention with her amazing hula hoop skills!

Multitasking at its best

We got back to the tent and then made our way back out to shangri la and trash city.  We also brought out our next door neighbour Harry who turned 18 at midnight!

Neighbours, Everybody Needs Good Neighbours!

It wasnt as good walking around as it was on friday night cause the muck was up to our ankles and I was probably more tired than the last time, but it was still great craic.  And this time we made our way to stone circle to watch the sun come up (well kinda; the sun was pretty hidden behind the clouds).

Luke watching the sunrise

Made our way home after 5am and stopped at the burger van to get a double cheeseburger (Jesus, no wonder I was so sick when I came back!) and I finally went to bed at 6:20am after drunkenly scrawling in my journal about what we did today.  Dan and Luke also left as soon as we got back cause Dan had to be in for work at 9am!  lol I dunno how the guy does it.

Tomorrow begins the Long Walk Home…

Day 131 – Friday at Glastonbury (w/ Bloc Party!!)

Looking Into The Other Stage

It rained right through the night pretty badly, so when I woke up there was a mouse sized swimming pool waiting for me outside my tent.  Not only that but I already missed my first band, Bjorn Again!  (Ok joking a little but it still woulda been good craic to see them!).

We made our way to the Pyramid Stage to see Regina Spektor start off the day.  Aww she was so so good.  She kept saying how much she has wanted to play glastonbury for years and and she would continually say thank-you to the crowd.  It was also a pretty good setlist with old favourites as well as a few off the new album.  Blue Lips was definitely my favourite.

Regina Spektor

Next on the Pyramid Stage were special guests N.E.R.D. so we decided to wait for them.  Whilst we were waiting though there was some guy from lisburn who was completely passed out in the muck on the ground, so naturally Lucy was offered a permanent black pen so she could leave her mark:

Lucy's Property!

N.E.R.D. came on about 30mins late, telling the crowd that they had been told they had to shorten their set but they were gonna have none of it.  We left after the first couple of songs which were actually really good, but the three of us were pretty sunburnt and didnt have any cream on.  Laura would then go on to tell me later on that glastonbury officials turned the tv screens off on them because they wouldnt stop, then their mics, and finally started playing other music over the system whilst Pharrell kept mouthing to the crowd, them screaming back in rebellion.  Dont fuck with the Eavis!

Pharrell From N.E.R.D.

We made our way round to the other stage (my favourite stage) so that chris and lucy could see Friendly Fires.  I dont particularly like them but they both said they would come to see Metric on Saturday so it was a very happy sacrifice to make.  We actually made it in time for most of White Lies and they were fucking amazing!

White Lies

Ive listen to their album alot but it never really did much for me, although Death is definitely one of my favourite songs of last year.  I rushed to the guy beside me to ask if they already played it, and thankfully he said no.  Aww hearing it was one of my glastonbury moments for sure.  They also ended their set with a cover of Bruce Springsteens Dancing In The Dark which was soo good.  It sounded suprisingly different!

Between White Lies and Friendly Fires, the three of us were dancing like crazy at the other stage:

Even If Were Just Dancing In The Dark

Friendly Fires were good, but im just not sure they are my cuppa tea.  The man can dance (in fact hes very like Paul Smith from Maximo Park) and the saxaphone was pretty sweet.  Just realised that I ended up saying sweet quite a lot!

I said my goodbyes as I was making my way to see Jack Penate at the John Peel stage (I think I would of killed myself before seeing lady gaga!).  I was sitting down when all of a sudden this guy walks past wearing absolutely nothing but a clear poncho!  Twas so so funny.  Then about a third of the way through Jack I got a text from Laura to say that she had lost mum and had been by herself for 5 hours, so I was like “get down to John Peel!”.  Thankfully she found me and arrived just in time for her two favourite penate songs (joke!  She thinks he repeats himself loads so it was funny when he was singing “Todays Tonight, Tonights Today, Todays Tonight” lol!)

We had plenty of time until Bloc Party so we walked about around the Pyramid Stage area where the somerset cider bus is:

Somerset Cider Bus

They do the most amazing hot cider ever.  I swear, it was fucking christmas in a cup.  Although all their other cider tasted like someone pissed in it.  We also got to watch two neil young songs which was pretty good.  There was a real ambient atmosphere; everyone seemed really chilled and relaxed.  Thats the good thing about festivals; when your making your way between stages your always hearing other bands playing.

We got to the other stage for the Ting Tings finale of “Thats Not My Name” and got talking to this lovely family who had been coming for twelve years and they were on their way to take their 9 year old daughter to the dance fields!  Legendary.  Laura stayed for a bit of Bloc Party but then thought she should go meet mum so  she left after the first couple of songs.  Bloc Party just blew me away!  Aww man I still get goosebumps thinking about it.  They rocked the shit outta the other stage.  They opened with One Month Off which I thought was a bit weird but it works as a great opener!  I thought it mighta been a bit lonely being by myself but I ended up singing the night away with some randomers and getting a couple of beers down me.  It was the joint first best gig of the weekend for me.  Another glastonbury moment was also hearing them play signs and properly listening to the lyrics for the first time “At your funeral I was so upset…I see signs now all the time, but your not dead your sleeping…”  I started to get goosebumps.  What a personal song and the death obviously really affected him.  Pretty touching moment.

Bloc Party

I got back to the tents and everyone was back from Neil Young (the general consensus was that he was amazing!).  Also Dan arrived!  We all decided to go to shangri la [aka Shangri bloody la la] and trash city which was unbelievable.  In fact its so hard to describe but basically it is the strangest most amazing place ive ever been:

Shangri Bloody La La or Trash City (Not Sure Which :S)

Made it back to the tent where I finished off the night with a double cheeseburger and a cheesy chip.  Get In!