Close of play
Photograph: Guy Bell/Rex Shutterstock
This liveblog is wrapping up now, but any minute now Michael Hann will be firing up the Friday evening liveblog and taking you through to close of play at Glastonbury tonight, bringing you Motörhead, a band who might be the Libertines, Florence + the Machine and much more.
So far at the festival today we have discovered:
- What it’s like to run around the full festival site
- That the Cribs are capable of making an amazing plasticine Lionel Richie head
- That One Direction turned up to watch James Bay and yawn yawn yawn
- That Pussy Riot did something or other involving Charlotte Church
- And lots of bands played and lots of them were grand
Updated
Kanye sticks up for fans of real music
In some breaking-ish sort of news, Kanye West has told Q magazine that the online petition that has attracted 133,000 signatures calling on him to be replaced by rockier types at the festival is an infringement of his human rights.
Or rather, he’s called it “an insult to music fans all over the world”. The rapper also denied that race would have been a factor in sparking the petition.
Meanwhile, in the latest our “Can ye Kanye?” tributes, here is some video of a festival goer ranting in a Kanye-ish fashion about ... horse congestion.
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Lunch with Tim Burgess
Earlier, our Gwilym Mumford enjoyed a spot of lunch with Tim Burgess of the Charlatans, who were, for the benefit of any latecomers, the surprise opening act on the Other stage this morning. Tim ate a spicy beanburger with salsa and olive tapenade and exclusively revealed that it was: “Super nice. I’m not hugely hungry, but I’m happy to have it.”
Gwilym also peppered him with questions including:
What have you eaten so far at Glasto?
I had a really good tofu and noodle thing with fennel and small tomatoes. Really small tomatoes. And then this burger, of course.
Also:
Generally, how do you find the food at Glasto?
Really good. I think there’s some other festivals that should have a look at Glastonbury and Field Day. Some of them feel stuck in a bygone age.
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Jungle at the Other stage
Tshepo Mokoena caught Jungle’s damp but cheery set:
It’s been a year since we covered Jungle, at this very festival, and they’re sounding just as good. That doesn’t mean they sound incredible, though. Their set of slick, funk-tinged pop still flatlines midway through, but begins and ends with the sort of pumping energy that first helped them slip from obscure and mysterious buzzband to real-deal group.
A tiny B-girl breakdancing during their opener earns cheers as loud as those bellowed for their breakout single Busy Earnin’ – make of that what you will. All band members throw themselves into the set, often looking as serious as a couple of lads performing open-heart surgery, but when they let rip (and smile), the crowd laps it up.
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Mary J Blige
It’s only Mary J Blige
Mark Beaumont has caught some Mary J Blige on the Pyramid.
Better known as “Featuring Mary J Blige”, all those rap ego sessions that hip-hop’s favourite soul sister has wailed along to over the years seem to have rubbed off. “I ain’t saying that I’m the best, but I am the best,” she declares, sassily opening her first ever “Glastonberry” set with The One. But she’s not really. Though undeniably much loved by Pilton’s sizeable Smooth FM set, her brand of innocuous poolside soul, Prada rapping and extended romantic advice lacks the unifying anthems needed to make her this year’s Dolly.
Some tracks from her UK-recorded London Sessions album appear to have absorbed some urgent metropolis beats and Disclosure samples during their stay, but no one wants the four-song, new-album hard sell in a downpour. A cover of U2’s One and an impassioned, fist-pumping No More Drama leaves her in tears and on her knees, though it seems scant pay off.
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Catching raindrops ...
Should this image create the impression that rain is in short supply, learn – anyone enjoying this blog who isn’t at the festival – that it has just returned with a vengeance.
Some people seem to have the right idea:
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Kasai Allstars bring the noise
Caspar Llewellyn Smith has been at West Holts.
With the rain still falling 15 minutes before showtime there was a paltry crowd for the Congolese massive, but by the time it had eased completely the band were in full flow and a rapidly growing audience fell in thrall to them. The 12-piece outfit went hard and they went deep, serving up tunes from their albums In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of his Enemy by Magic, and Beware the Fetish. Even their producer Vincent Kenis fretting at the back couldn’t dispel their ebullience. No doubt the jungle cat sporran on display was also a Glastonbury one-off.
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Guardian gig tombola: Juck Juck Grunzie
Ben Beaumont-Thomas has been out reviewing random acts using the patented Guardian gig tombola system. He ended up picking “female Korean psych-rock band” from the hat and here’s what he thought ...
Plucked by me out of our tote bag of mystery bands were Juck Juck Grunzie, whose name suggested anything from glitchcore insanity to crusty hurdy-gurdy folk – but actually turned out to be a female Korean psych-rock band (with a bloke on skins). The songs could probably have done with more hooks and structure, and were mostly a series of sections shunted together – shouted vocals, wind-tunnel guitar, niftily intricate basslines. But at least they were dressed in very chic get-up. The heavens opened up during their set, but closed again, and thanks in part to the singer yelling “COME OVER HEEEEEEEERE” the audience swelled, with plenty of be-shorted dads air-drumming by the end.
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Glastonbelly: the Friday lunch edition
Rachel Aroesti’s quest to document every morsel that passes her lips continues. Now, for her rather healthy-looking lunch from the Greenpeace farmers’ market, composed of various ingredients that I may not know how to pronounce out loud.
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Kids review bands at Glasto, part 2
Francis Hobson, aged 7, on Bare Knucke Parade in the Field of Avalon
Francis has just hopped off his father Sean’s shoulders in the Field of Avalon tent, having taken in a bit of Bare Knuckle Parade’s self-described celtic rock’n’roll. “It was great, I’d give it four stars,” he says, breathlessly. “It made me feel happy.”
Fresh off a stone-carving session, Francis has been in charge of deciding what Glasto sights his family will take in for the day. “The festival is so different for me now,” Sean says. “I used to come for the music, but now it’s all about seeing what will catch our eye as the day goes by.”
With a quick stop for some chocolate cake and a sit-down, the next steps rest in Francis’s hands.
The Cribs are extremely proud of the Lionel Richie head they just crafted out of plasticine, with the help of Tim Jonze. “A lot of people ask us about our working relationship, being brothers,” they told him. “So it was nice to actually show it in practice.” Check back later for full video.
A “Glastonbury moment”?
Given the slow-burning success of Catfish and the Bottlemen – a top 10 debut album, Radio 1 backing them as the number one band to watch at Glastonbury this year, sold-out shows on both sides of the Atlantic – the only thing that could possibly stop the indie band from having a “Glastonbury moment” would be a severe gastronomical problem or torrential rain. Unfortunately for the lads from Llandudno, both ill-feted events took place, as frontman Van McCann hauled his body on stage after a bout of nasty food poisoning while the heavy rain showers cut their Other stage set short.
However, the rain is firmly on the way out, and the ponchos are coming off.
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Kids review bands at Glasto, part 1
Tamara Tan, aged three and a half, on James Bay at the Pyramid stage
Glastonbury can be challenging enough when you’re just trying to get from the John Peel stage to the Stone Circle without losing your shoes, friends or mind. Add two children below pre-school age and you’re in tougher territory.
Enter Lilly Kha, her husband, Aziz Tan, and their two daughters Tamara, aged three and a half, and one-year old Maecy. Tamara said she was keen to see hat-loving singer-songwriter James Bay play on the Pyramid stage at 1pm, and has a succinct review to give.
“It was good,” she says, adjusting her trendily oversized sunglasses. Beyond that, she’s not that impressed that he hasn’t yet played her favourite song, Hold Back the River.
It’s muted thumbs-up, from a toddler who’s already been to every Glastonbury since she was born. Must try harder in future, Mr Bay.
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Glastonbury gig tombola: The Hessle Audio Boat Party
Mark Beaumont went to a party on a boat, and he wanted to get off:
I appear to have drawn not so much the short straw of Friday’s Band Tombola but the ludicrously long one. The Hessle Audio Boat Party is an outdoor, afternoon-long DJ extravaganza held on the foredeck of HMS Wow, jutting from the side of a tent in Silver Hayes. Sadly the gods of Having to Review Mary J Blige, Looking Like It Might Piss Down and Other Shit to Do Frankly have combined to prevent me staying for the entire four-hour DJ stint from Ben UFO, Pangea, Pearson Sound and Joy Orbison, but the half-hour I do catch is a crowd-drawing throb of glitchy deep dub, space house, crunchy New York krautronica and bits that sound like Chic trapped in a tumble dryer. It is, however, the sort of stuff that’s soundtracked every blanket sale at Glastonbury since 1992, so no points for originality. And my heart goes out to the guy in the Black Flag T-shirt eating celery.
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Rain
It is raining quite heavily at the Glastonbury festival now.
There appear to be some who won’t mind this.
Photograph: guardianphotos/Instagram" width="460" height="460" class="gu-image" /> Likewise these chaps ...
In other news:
- It has been reported that Stephen Hawking cancelled his appearance in the Kidz field this weekend, citing ill health. “He really wanted to be here,” founder of said field Tony Cordy told our reporter Josh Halliday. “Like all the other adults he wanted to rediscover his inner child and as the motto goes it’s never too late to live a happy childhood – or enable someone else’s.”
- It is widely rumoured that the Libertines will be the mystery band who replace Florence + the Machine on the Pyramid stage later today. One clue: the word “Albion” appears in a list taped to a monitor on said stage.
As close to confirmation of @libertines being Glastonbury's secret band as you're gonna get http://t.co/qp12nhEyFU pic.twitter.com/lYTAQrUIYC
— DIY (@diymagazine) June 26, 2015
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Chronixx reviewed in one word
Hats off for James Bay on the Pyramid stage
Harriet Gibsone was in the crowd for James Bay on the main stage. And she was overwhelmed by the music – or at least the fashion.
Glastonbury, a place of enlightenment. A spiritual haven. A platform for career-defining sets. One aspect of the event that is rarely commented on is its amassing of the world’s most eclectic hat collection, however. I stand surrounded by sequined top hats. Beaten up wicker hats. Bucket hats. Sun hats. Cowboy hats. Those pink plastic hats people wear on hen parties. But there’s only one hat people are interested at 1.30pm on the Pyramid stage, and that’s James Bay’s trademark wide-brimmed fedora.
As the rain sporadically falls throughout the Hertfordshire twentysomething singer’s set, he draws a massive crowd for a performance that’s full of conviction and cocksure crooning. A sombre selection of songs fill his set, the kind of sincere, hugely successful guitar-driven pop that’s been peddled by the likes of Ed Sheeran, only dustier and bluesier; and with his chiselled good looks and lank hair he’s almost like a one-man Kings of Leon.
Despite the rapturous singalong that accompanies his cover of Alicia Keys’ If I Ain’t Got You and his biggest hit, Hold Back the River (which he leaves until last), it’s an enormously earnest hour – Bay almost brilliantly uninhibited in his gurny stadium-rock stride. So much so the blokes in the daft hats must feel a little foolish for displaying such frivolity.
Apart from this guy. He was just happy to be in a field surrounded by burger vans.
And Harriet was joined by a couple of famous faces for the James Bay gig ...
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King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard on the Park Stage
Gwilym has been over to the Park to see a band with one of the worst names at Glastonbury:
If Glasto lineups were decided by terrible band names alone, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard would be somewhere near the top of the Pyramid stage bill (though they might be forced to cede the headline slot to the charmingly monikered Fukrag McGinty). As it is, the seven piece have to settle with an early afternoon slot playing to the sore heads and bleary eyes of the Park stage. No matter, their wild stew of psych, drone, motorik and surf rock, all rattled out at breakneck pace and at a punishing volume, is enough to jolt anyone out of their stupor. KGATLW aren’t ashamed about their love of a 10-minute jam, and there are plenty of those here, but it’s all done with such playfulness – flute solos, sweet, childlike melodies – and such power that you can’t fail to be engrossed, and even a mid-set rain shower can’t dampen their fervour, as well as the crowd’s.
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A gig tombola review
Earlier – see the entry for 12:42 – our intrepid reporter Rachel thrust her hand into the festival tote bag we’re using for this purpose and found herself consigned to go and review a band called Bliss Zion on the Blues stage – part of our efforts to not just cover the turns on the main stages. This is what she reckoned:
Bliss Zion were the opening act on the shanty town-styled Blues stage and they turned out to be a prim-looking dub producer (I’m guessing she’s from Bristol, she’ talked about it a lot) who sang over some of the songs she played. This is music to “unwind” to, she said, and – to her credit – her slow, spaced-out dub looked as if it had almost defeated a crowd of people who seemed determined to dance to literally anything.
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One Direction are apparently watching James Bay
Niall and Louis from pop group One Direction are apparently watching popular contemporary performer James Bay from the side of the Pyramid stage.
Harriet Gibsone was lucky enough to be there:
Who will replace the second headliner at tonight’s Pyramid stage? Some say it may be Blur, others Bastille. But here’s a curveball for you: could it be pop megagroup One D? Two members have been spotted at the side of stage during James Bay’s lunchtime set – one of which was Niall and next to him a mass of brown curls, meaning that both Louis and Harry could be nearby too. Not Liam. Unless he was wearing a wig? Who knows, but whatever happens, Glastonbury will be filled with giddy girlish shrieks.
Oh it's gonna be a good day !!!
— Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) June 26, 2015
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The Cribs at the Other stage
Earlier this month, a video appeared online of the Cribs playing their first-ever festival: a charmingly shambolic show that didn’t exactly suggest stages this size would await in the future. Yet here they are, with Ryan Jarman – dressed in stripy leggings and falling apart denim shorts – putting on a mock hair metal voice and shouting: “Do we have any old school Cribs fans in the crowd today? I SAID ... do we have any old school Cribs fans in the crowd?!!”
The reception for old school opener Mirror Kisses and Another Number suggests they do, with drummer Ross standing up on his kit to bash away during the former.
Early morning slots should be unsuited to a band with this much verve – Ryan ends the set by hurling his guitar across the stage. But as Gary says: “We only got three hours sleep last night.” In the Cribs timezone, it’s always appropriate to be this unruly.
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Pussy Riot arrive and say: 'Feminist punk really can drive you crazy!'
It’s been trailed that Nadya Tolokonnikova and Masha Alyokhina of Pussy Riot are on site this weekend, and they’ve just appeared up at the Park, driving out in front of the stage in a Russian military truck. A man dressed in Russian military uniform declared this “the People’s Republic of Glastonbury” and then Nadya and Masha mounted the truck, said “Fuck you!”, put a rainbow coloured balaclava on his head, forced him to his knees and taped him up. Before then reading out the “10 rules of Pussy Riot”, they said:
I have to officially warn you before our event – and it’s not a joke - that feminist punk really can drive you crazy, but it’s worth it. Do not resist it. And you have to sign an official agreement that if you will become crazy because of feminist punk, you will not go to court against us.
The second remark is: Don’t follow our art. It could offend you.
I’m standing on the military vehicle of my country because I believe that we – me and you, the people – have to take back arms from our government ...
Among their 10 rules – “Develop a culture of rebellion”, “Every change begins with a riot” – we particularly liked: “Start your new day with a cup of coffee and a good riot”. To this they added:
There is a one valid question for Pussy Riot. “What the hell you are doing, ladies? Why don’t you just sit on your couch and drink some beer?” What makes us act out? I’m really angry due to the fact that the main political institutions of our country are law enforcement, the army, police, intelligence agencies and prisons – and one insane quasi-superhero half-naked riding on a horse. The man who is not afraid of anyone, except gays. The man who is so good in friendship [that] he just presented half of my country to his closest friends, oligarchs.”
After this, Charlotte Church – no less! – joined them on top of the truck to ask, “Can I join Pussy Riot?” The self-styled “prosecco socialist” then interviewed the pair.
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Missing in action (formerly titled Missing Foo)
We’ve heard reports that one group has gone missing in action, so we went into the crowd armed with images of the band members to see if anyone could identify them.
That’s right! You at home guessed correctly tha this is not (as this man has wrongly thought) silky footballer Robbie Savage but Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel.
Wrong! This is not the “guy from the Kaiser Chiefs” but Foos member Chris Shiflett, doncha know?
Correct! This is a picture of another Foo, Taylor Hawkins. These people know that they are missing the Foos.
We think they mean Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou who set up easyJet, but they are wrong to think this. They are, of course, holding an image of Foo Fighters rhythm guitarist Pat Smear.
Finally, you’d think this would be the easy one, but ...
... that is not an image of TV and radio presenter Jonathan Ross. :(
So in answer to the question “is anyone going to miss the Foo Fighters?”, the answer is
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The Glastonbury gig review tombola
Four Guardian music critics, four randomly chosen Glastonbury acts – watch this space for their reports. And to prove it’s all legit, here’s the moment our Rachel Aroesti dipped into the Glastonbury Sorting Hat Tote Bag and collected her assignment:
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Glastonbury: a day in the life
Our photographers have been busy creating these beautiful looking Glastonbury photo-stories. Basically following revellers/workers/performers for a day and seeing how it pans out for them, from bleary eyed mornings to wide-eyed nights.
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The Charlatans - special guests on the Other stage
Mark Beaumont has been watching them and had this to say (full review to come!) ...
“Surprise, surprise,” mutters the peroxide mopped Tim Burgess as the Charlatans reveal themselves as the now-traditional secret special guests opening the Other stage. They go in all hits blazing, Weirdo, North Country Boy and Just When You’re Thinkin’ Things Over providing the ideal soundtrack to the crack of the day’s first cider. They dare to dot the odd sunnier track from new album Modern Nature – Let The Good Times Be Never Ending, Come Home Baby and So Oh – but crowdpleasers such as One to Another, How High and baggy evergreen The Only One I Know dominate. These good times just last an hour, but they bode well.
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Michael Clark opens up the Pyramid stage
Ben Beaumont-Thomas was there to catch it and had this to say ...
Glastonbury bills itself as a festival of contemporary performing arts, even if it’s 90% music and 10% people doing fire poi. But Michael Clark’s dance company kicked off the Pyramid stage with a highbrow but very witty performance. To a backing of Iggy Pop and David Bowie, the ridiculously lithe dancers dressed in skintight bodysuits went through a whole series of pieces (the crowd realising that they were actually nowhere near summer-body ready). They seemed like perfect replicants from the future trying out the range of human motion: there were graceful arcs, but also malfunctioning wriggles, even at one point a stage-hammering tantrum. But they were human after all, with a trio of them sneaking on stage naked, bottoms winking at the crowd. “Wonderful package”, a plummy woman behind me noted, as if appraising a fine courgette at a Surrey county fair.
And here’s his emoji stick review ...
Meanwhile, we spoke to some early-morning ravers in the crowd.
Dancing in the crowd to The Jean Genie were Thomas Robinson from Manchester and Rose Adams from Somerset. “I saw her throwing some shapes and thought I’d join in. No, we don’t know each other. I’ve never seen these dancers before but they’re fantastic.”
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Weather update
There’s a spot of rain onsite. That’s the bad news. The good news is, according to BBC weather forecast, there’s barely going to be any of it all day.
Production guru Pam Hutchinson has just said that, according to her app, it’s actually going to rain from now until 9pm. But we don’t want to listen to Pam’s app, do we?
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Can Ye Kanye?
This year we’re searching the festival site for rants that Kanye himself would be proud of. Here’s the first one. It’s about yoghurt.
And here’s another one ... about footballers. And tax. And politics. We think ...
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Surprise set update
Liverpool alt-rockers Circa Waves will be playing the BBC Introducing stage at 12pm
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Glastonbelly
Rachel Aroesti has boldly decided to Instagram every single thing she puts in her mouth this weekend – from gourmet to gross. Here’s her first post ...
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Disco disco disco!
Sarah Phillips went to see Cerrone last night …
Why French disco empresario Cerrone has been booked for a Thursday night warmup slot rather than a billing more worthy of a legend is baffling. But those who clocked that he was making an appearance at Block9’s stunning Genosys venue were treated to a stupendous DJ set of his hit-laden back catalogue. Hooked on You sounds better than ever after its recent remix revival. Supernature has even those who’ve never heard of him before, of which there are a few, singing along. The outdoor dancefloor doesn’t offer quite the sound system or vibe of a 1970s disco club but Cerrone still manages to send us off dancing into the night well and truly warmed up.
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Gig of the festival ... and it was only Thursday!
Hello! Tim Jonze here taking over the liveblog for a couple of hours. I arrived on site last night and immediately went to see one of the strangest, funniest and most joyous performances I’ve ever seen at Glastonbury: Lekiddo Lord of the Lobsters at the Rabbit Hole. You can read the full review here, but here’s a little snippet ...
This is undoubtedly one of the daftest performances Glastonbury has ever staged. “Let me see your claws,” Lekiddo tells his cult devotees at one point, before handing out santa hats and launching into, of all things, a Christmas song. But it’s also unrelentingly joyous – all major chords and cheesy sugar rush hooks.
Afterwards, his cult lobster fanbase mobbed him too ...
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News: crime at Glastonbury is down
There have been just over 30 arrests since Glastonbury opened its gates on Wednesday morning, mainly for drugs offences and theft from tents. That’s slightly down on last year but police are urging campers to keep a closer eye on their stuff. “The best advice we’re giving is to make sure people leave their valuables inside their sleeping bag with them when they go to sleep, not in a handbag in their tent,” said a spokesman for Avon & Somerset police.
Here are some pictures!
Andy Hall has been out and about over the past couple of days, photographing the festival as it takes shape …
Newsflash
NEWSFLASH!
Hot from the Glastonbury organisers themselves …
- The Charlatans will open the Other stage this morning (Friday) at 11am as special guests
- Charlotte Church will host Pussy Riot in Conversation on the Park stage at noon
- Azealia Banks has had to pull out of her Saturday Other stage performance. She will be replaced by the Strypes
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Just the facts, ma’am
Peter Robinson has been investigating this year’s Glastonbury lineup and digging up the things you need to know …
At the start of this year Olly from Years & Years declared that the band celebrated winning the BBC Sound of 2105 poll by having what he described as “a circle wank”. Precise details are mercifully scarce but for health and safety reasons if the band’s set goes down well you’d be well advised to avoid the Stone Circle.
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Your lineup today
So after all this foreplay, the action on the main stages gets going at 11am
- The Pyramid: the Michael Clark Company; Chronixx, James Bay; Mary J Blige; Motörhead; the mystery Florence + the Machine replacements; Foo Fighters replacements Florence + the Machine
Read a lovely interview with Florence here.
- The Other stage: Special guests; the Cribs; Everything Everything; Catfish and the Bottlemen; Jungle; the Vaccines; Courteeners; Mark Ronson; Rudimental
- West Holts: the Cambodian Space Project; Dorian Concept; Marcos Valle; Kasai Allstars; the Gaslamp Killer Experience; Run the Jewels; Caribou; Hot Chip
Etc etc etc …
The identity of those mystery Florence replacements hasn’t been announced. Emily Eavis has said it’s a band who have never played the Pyramid and weren’t otherwise due to play here this year.
“There is definitely something filling that gap but under no circumstances will it be announced,” she said. “Luckily it’s been a proper secret, a proper surprise, which actually is quite hard to do now because things get out.
“But there are only about four people other than the band that know about this. Even people that work on the festival don’t know about it.
“They’re coming because they want to play Glastonbury and they’ve never done it before on the Pyramid stage. That’s all I’m saying.”
Place your bets now!
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Glastonbury: the official view
The festival of course has its own artist-in-residence, Kurt Jackson (whose work can be bought here). Earlier this morning, he knocked out this number.
Not really ...
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Zooming in!
And in more detail ... that Area 51-shaped area in the middle between the Pyramid and the Other stage – otherwise known as the interstage area – is where we’re writing from now.
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If you’re lost
Succeeded in getting lost already? Or reading from afar and simply wondering where this festival takes place?
Hello, is it me you’re looking for? No, come back!
David Levene went down to Shangri La yesterday evening, where he discovered preparations for Lionel Richie’s appearance were in full swing.
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Rise and shine!
Some people like to start their festival day by working out exactly what that sharp thing that was digging into their ribs all night was. Others break out a tin of beans and the camping stove. Others just ponder the meaning of life. And then there are those including our Leah Green who go jogging round Glastonbury …
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Welcome to Friday!
Good morning! It’s the day the festivities begin in earnest, with around 3,254 bands and 1,176 DJs appearing on 824 stages. But there was live music last night, with secret shows at William’s Green, and Mark Beaumont was there to catch them …
You hunt around all Thursday for a secret set and then three come along at once. After the sex, drugs and genital discharge-obsessed Rebel Bingo has called its last risqué number (“your mum’s a whore, 34!” is the only remotely printable example) the pot-luck hordes descend for a trio of TBAs listed at William’s Green, which is essentially Glastonbury catnip. There’s no Kitty, Daisy & Lewis-level disappointment either. At 8.30pm, Derbyshire’s Drenge take to a rammed tent with the grunge-Zep onslaught of Running Wild and split the tent. Half the crowd are blown away by their mongrel crossbreed of White Stripes and Nirvana, doused in overdrive that may well be rattling the stone circle to gravel. The other half are blown away by the fact that a band called Drenge don’t sound like a sludge metal dirge fronted by Julian Cope.
Only a bunch of grunge pop maniacs boasting a midweek N0 1 album described as “the debut of the decade” (copyright this writer, in a gibbering fit, elsewhere) could comfortably follow them, so it’s lucky Wolf Alice take the second unannounced slot. Leaping for a high-set bar, they come out scratching and squealing, rampaging through the ferocious Pixies homage You’re a Germ before showcasing the subversive subtleties that make their album My Love Is Cool such a delight. Few bands write songs that, like Your Loves Whore, sound by turns like Haim, Stevie Nicks and L7, or mingle Mazzy Star moments like Blush with sludgy pop stampedes like Moaning Lisa Smile, Drenge’s Eoin Loveless guesting on guitar while singer Ellie Rowsell clambers out over the crowd, yowling its euphoric chorus chant. Prince playing atop the Arcadia spider would have nothing on this.
Expectations pumped, the tent buzzes with anticipation for TBA three. The bar-side bookies close the book on Everything Everything, and the prevalence of bow ties, pork pie hats and trombones trouping onstage for a line-check suggest this would have to mark a fairly drastic shift of style for the heavily rumoured Toy. No, it’s a band called the Ol’ Dirty Brasstards, blasting out brass covers of Uptown Funk and Don’t You Want Me. Crowd-pleasing fun, but secret set storm-chasers like us don’t stick around. Word is there’s a Foo Fighters acoustic set out there somewhere – we’re banking on the Crow’s Nest …
A brief history of Glastonbury
Tim Jonze has got everything you need to know in less than three minutes!
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