Glastonbury 2017 Review

Between 23rd - 25th June, many musical artists came to entertain the masses of music fans at the most famous musical event of the year: Glastonbury festival. As always, the line up was as varied as ever, particularly with the rise in popularity of grime artists, such as Stormzy and Wiley, and of course, there was the buzz about the three headliners: Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran. In addition, there was the question that gets asked every year: Who is doing a secret set?

The head honchos...any good?

So...the main buzz I think was the headliners. Two legendary bands who were used to the big crowds that come with performing at Glastonbury and a man where the biggest stage he had played so far had been Wembley stadium: yep, Foo Fighters, Radiohead and Ed Sheeran.

Radiohead

Hmmm...how to sum up Radiohead. I thought I would try them for the purpose of this blog but...they're boring. Apologies to Radiohead fans who are probably cursing me now. However, I did know some of their songs so that is something. They started off the set with a song I had never heard (I later found out it was Daydreaming from their recent album A Moonshaped Pool), and continued by performing old fan favourites, including Fake Plastic Trees, Street Spirit and No Surprises. Lyrics from No Surprises, "Bring down the government/ they don't speak for us," were met with big cheers, considering the general election had happened a couple of weeks before. It was finished with Thom Yorke stating "Bye Theresa May. Shut the door on your way out." The biggest surprise came in the form of Creep, which Radiohead themselves admitted that they weren't a big fan of, hence the lack of plays it has on their setlists. The thing I was impressed with was the stunning light show that accompanied the tunes, putting on quite the spectacle, both for those watching it live at Worthy Farm, and for those, like me, watching it on TV.

Foo Fighters

Again...I'm not a massive fan of Foo Fighters but if you compare them to Radiohead...they are a much better headliner. They brought the energy that is expected with a Foo Fighters show, along with hit after hit, including My Hero, The Pretender and Best of You.  They also brought out new material, in the form of Run, ahead of the release of their new album Concrete and Gold in September. Furthermore, the drummer, Taylor Hawkins, also sang Another one Bites the Dust and Under Pressure, with the latter sending Dave Grohl back to his Nirvana days, as he took the role as drummer, while Hawkins sang. For fans, I believe it was worth the two year wait, baring in mind they had to cancel in 2015, after Dave Grohl broke his leg.

Ed Sheeran

I have to be honest...this was the headliner I was looking forward to the most. I was a bit dubious about Ed headlining Glastonbury, considering that his biggest headlining gig before this was Wembley Stadium. Ok...he has played Glastonbury before but not as a headliner. However, he proved he could do it. Armed with a guitar and a loop pedal, he played everything, from irish ditties, such as Galway Girl and Nancy Mulligan, and beautiful ballads, such as the smash hit Thinking Out Loud, to the one that started it all, The A Team. Yes...there was the odd criticism on social media, such as those saying he was boring and thinking he was miming instead of using a loop pedal, but Ed proved them wrong.

Secret sets

It wasn't only the headliners that created a lot of buzz around Worthy Farm...it was also the question that is always asked every year...Who are the secret acts? Well...this year it was Elbow, who were roped in to celebrate 10 years of the Park Stage, and The Killers, whose set was on the John Peel Stage. The latter was particularly met with welcoming arms, considering that they are back, 5 years after the last album release, Battle Born (Yes...they did have a greatest hits collection release in 2013 but in terms of new releases it is 5 years). Putting on a set, which included favourites When You Were Young and Human, they also performed The Man, taken from their upcoming album, Wonderful Wonderful. Of course, no set would be complete without Mr Brightside. No wonder the tent got so full that organisers had to eventually stop people from heading over.

Other highlights

Ok...let me get this out the way...this is the year that politics practically dominated Glastonbury. To be fair...Glastonbury did occur a couple of weeks after a general election. I bet if anyone was there, you would have heard "Oh Jeremy Corbyn," sung to the music of White Stripes' Seven Nation Army, at least once over the weekend. In fact, even Thom Yorke briefly led the crowd into this chant during Radiohead's headline set. To top it all off, Jeremy Corbyn himself turned up to introduce Run the Jewels.

Other highlights include Liam Gallagher, who performed classic Oasis songs, Rock and Roll Star and Morning Glory, among others, as well as his new single Wall of Glass. However, the emotional moment was when he dedicated Don't Look Back in Anger to the victims of the recent terror attacks, as well as the Grenfell Tower fire and literally let everyone sing it back to him. Watching thousands of people singing this song was amazing as a television viewer. I'm sure it was even more amazing for people actually there. Just in case anyone was wondering...Noel did not make an appearance.

I also managed to catch Emeli Sande's set. All I can say is what a voice. She put on an energetic set, playing hit after hit, from Heaven to Read All About It. She also included newish songs, Highs and Lows, and Hurts, off her latest album, Long Live the Angels. I reckon she could be headlining in a couple of years.

Oh...and of course, I couldn't have a highlights section without mentioning my favourite band on the lineup...Blossoms. I am so happy that they got upgraded to the Pyramid Stage as it meant that more people got to see how talented they are.  Performing well known songs among fans, Charlemagne and Blown Rose, they proved that it was worth it to put them on a Pyramid Stage slot. They also performed new song, This Moment, their collaboration with Chase and Status. I maybe biased but I reckon that when the time comes, they would be a great headliner.

So there you go...my highlights of Glastonbury 2017. Unfortunately, the festival is not on next year, due to it being a fallow year for the farm, but it will be back in 2019...hopefully bigger and better.

Bring it on!

Em
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Festivals are coming!

Hi everyone!
It seems like yesterday when, in 2016, to distract us from all the terrible goings on in the world (even before we had those Presidential election results), our beloved festivals were releasing their line ups. Now, we have the full line ups for Radio 1's Big Weekend, V Festival, Reading and Leeds and, of course, Glastonbury. Note that there is no T in the Park this year, due to Ospreys being on the site, as they are a protected bird species whose habitat would be disturbed if the festival went ahead.

So...what do I think of this year's line ups? Well, as you will see...it is mixed.

V Festival: 18th (if you include the Friday dance night)- 20th August.

Ok, so V Festival is more of a family friendly festival so fair enough that it is mainly a pop festival, with little variety. The headliners this year are Pink, who I hear is amazing live, and Jay-Z, and joining them include the likes of Ellie Goulding, James Arthur, Clean Bandit, Sean Paul, Craig David, Rudimental, as well as many others. What is interesting is that Clean Bandit are on the line up along with their collaborators, Jess Glynne and Sean Paul and Anne-Marie. Could they be performing together on Rather Be and Rock a Bye respectively?

However, for those of you who are less into your pop music, there are other acts out there. For those who are into grime, you have Stormzy. For those who like to reminisce with classic songs, you have Busted, Madness and Craig David. Finally, for those who like your dance music, you have Friday night to party with the likes of Annie Mac and Duke Dumont, as well as during the Saturday and Sunday, with Pete Tong and his Ibiza classics, and Sigma.

Overall, the V Festival line up this year is great for those who would want variety and/or looking for a small festival to try, before they go to any of the other festivals.

Radio 1's Big Weekend- 27th-28th May

Last year's line up was really good, as it had something for everyone, whether you were into indie music, pop music, hard core rock or grime. This year is ok. However, I have issues with it. I'm not saying the line up is terrible but it seems to be last year's line up but with a few alterations. Music artists who were there last year, and also this year include Biffy Clyro, Bastille, Stormzy and Blossoms (who to be fair have gone from the BBC Introducing Stage to the newly named Where it Begins stage). However, there are other artists who are going to get the crowds going, in the form of Rag 'n' Bone Man, fresh from his double Brit award win, Emeli Sande and Kings of Leon. There are also some big names who are set for huge comebacks on the bill, including Lana Del Ray, Kasabian and Haim.

Overall, similar to V Festival, the line up has something for everyone. The only thing is tickets have sold out but you will be able to live stream the performances on the Radio 1 website.

Reading and Leeds- 25th 27th August

I like to think that Reading and Leeds is the rock and hip-hop version of Glastonbury. This year's headliners are Kasabian, who are set to release their new album, For Crying Out Loud, on April 28th, Muse, who, if you saw my previous post, could be releasing new music, and...err...Eminem.

Despite the presence of Eminem and Wiley, Reading and Leeds still maintains its reputation as a rock/indie festival, with established acts, such as Two Door Cinema Club, Bastille, Blossoms and The Pretty Reckless, as well as newer bands, such as The Hunna and Cabbage. There is also the Radio 1 dance stage for those who prefer dance music rather than Rock music. This stage will feature the likes of  Fatboy Slim, Charli XCX and Becky Hill, as well as the spoof hip-hop group, Kurupt FM, who recently provided the official Comic Relief single with Ed Sheeran.

If you're looking for a festival full of rock and roll, hip-hop beats and a place to let loose and dance then this is the festival for you. If not...then it is probably best to avoid it.  It has not been confirmed yet but it is likely that the performances will be available to stream on the BBC Reading and Leeds website. Highlights are also likely to be shown on BBC 4.

Glastonbury- 21st- 25th June

Yep...I have saved the best 'til last. We had a few ideas about who would be at the most famous festival ever (apart from Coachella), due to artists confirming themselves, such as London Grammar, Nile Rodgers, with Chic, and Kris Kristofferson. But first, the speculation was focused on those all important headliners.

I have to be honest, apart from Radiohead, the headliners were kind of obvious. After months and months of speculation, the Foo Fighters and Ed Sheeran were finally revealed to be the headliners, with the Foo Fighters receiving the warmest reception, due to the band cancelling in 2015 because Dave Grohl broke his leg. Ed Sheeran...not so much. Don't knock it until you've tried it people! I have heard great things about Ed Sheeran performing live and, after seeing a few bits of his concert documentary, Jumpers for Goalposts, I reckon he is more than capable of performing in front of a massive crowd.

But what about the rest of the line up? Well, it is really varied. Glastonbury has every act that would like. If you're into grime, you've got Stormzy, Dizzy Rascal and Kano. For those into rock, you have the likes of Royal Blood, Biffy Clyro, Kaiser Chiefs and, of course, Foo Fighters. Don't worry pop music fans...there is something for you too! To cater for those who love to bop to pop, we have Katy Perry, Lorde and Clean Bandit. Plus, there is always other types of entertainment that people can explore.

Overall, Glastonbury is always known to be a spectacular event, and whether you like the line up or not, there is always something happening. Unfortunately, like every year, Glastonbury tickets went like gold dust. However, like always, Glastonbury will be live streaming most of its live performances on the BBC Glastonbury website, and on the BBC Red Button.

Here's to a great summer of festivals!
Em
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