For all the stereotypes of Glastonbury being a muddy bog each year, it’s ever so slightly ironic that most people would have killed for a little of the wet stuff this year. Roasting hot over each of the five days, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was Benicassim rather than the 40th anniversary of the Pilton bash.
Friday is a day of surprises, superstars and stellar performances. The Stranglers may be with a new singer but hearing the likes of ‘Peaches’ and ‘Golden Brown’ in the early afternoon will shake off the most stubborn of hangovers.
They’re still not quite as big a draw as Willie Nelson’s pyramid stage slot in the sun. ‘Crazy’ and ‘You Were Always On My Mind’ with a pint of proper Somerset cider? That’ll do nicely, squire.
After the double whammy of legends, The Park stage out in the very outskirts of the huge festival site shines. Ex Beta Band man Steve Mason performs a charming career spanning set, Local Natives provide the harmonies to match the weather and The Big Pink add a set of teeth to the proceedings.
Nothing can match what comes next. Special guest slots often turn out to be a bit of an anti-climax so when Michael Eavis comes on stage to introduce the special guest, it becomes apparent that this guest is, well, special. Indeed, on strolls Thom Yorke to perform ‘The Eraser’, ‘Harrowdown Hill’, ‘Black Swans’ and ‘Cymbal Rush’ from his solo album.
The surprise doesn’t stop there, Yorke is joined on stage by Jonny Greenwood and all of a sudden it becomes a semi-acoustic Radiohead set. ‘Weird Fishes’, ‘Pyramid Song’, ‘Idioteque’, ‘Karma Police’ and ‘Street Spirit’ are sung along to by the now quite large and very star struck crowd and everyone leaves with a mammoth smile on their faces. An already legendary gig for Glastonbury and one that you absolutely had to be there for.
Leaving a while for the set to sink in, we grab a pint of Glastonbury’s very own ale called ‘Pilton Pop’ from a recreation English pub and get a slot down the front for The Flaming Lips headlining the Other stage.
Nobody puts on a show like Wayne Coyle and through the likes of ‘She Don’t Use Jelly’, a sublime acoustic version of ‘Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots pt.1’, ‘The W.A.N.D.’ and the tear inducing closer of ‘Do You Realise???’ there is no better way to close such a perfect day than these lot who are clearly thrilled to be playing again after seven years away from the fest.
Saturday suffers from a slightly weaker line-up. The Phenomenal Handclap Band are entertaining on the West Holts stage and The National step up to playing to a large Other stage crowd with ease.
Beach House should fit the beauty of the Park stages setting perfectly but completely fail to connect with the crowd, so we and many others head elsewhere. Editors draw a huge crowd and now have the hits to fill the big festival slots, but seeing as how it’s the 40th birthday party to end all birthday parties, we head to see Glastonbury legend Billy Bragg headline the Leftfield stage.
‘The Milkman Of Human Kindness’, ‘There Is Power In A Union’ and ‘Sexuality’ fit alongside a new anti-BNP song called ‘The Battle Of Barking’ and his political fire has the crowd hanging on his every word. A huge singalong ensues for closer ‘A New England’ and yet again 2010 has provided another Glastonbury moment.
Many choose to see Muse headline the pyramid tonight (with special guest The Edge) but I decide to take a gamble on the Avalon stage headliners (not least that the tent is located right next to an excellent real ale bar) and watch The Lightning Seeds draw an impressive crowd of fans.
Ian Broudie has always been an underappreciated songwriter and their hour-long set is filled to the brim with classic pop tunes given a slight makeover in order to keep them fresh. ‘Life Of Riley’ packs a punch, ‘Marvelous’ sounds as great as it did over a decade ago and ‘Pure’ is such a sweet sounding tune that it almost melts the heart.
There’s a cover of ‘Be My Baby’ in which Broudie declares Phil Spector as “being a hero of mine until he shot somebody. But hey, nobody’s perfect”, and it’s all rounded off with an acoustic version of ‘Three Lions’ accompanied by a string section and it’s all enough to forget being Scottish and end up singing “It’s coming home” louder than anyone else. Although that may have been the real ale bar again.
The final day is greeted by more bloody sunshine and Frightened Rabbit playing to an (apparently) impressive sized crowd on the Other stage. I say apparently, we managed to fall asleep in our camping chairs and miss them. Sorry gents.
The disappointment at missing Selkirk’s finest is forgotten after my friends head to see Slash power through the likes of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ and some other songs that aren’t nearly as good on the Pyramid, and I head up to the Park stage again to see the folk stylings of Fionn Regan.
A good choice, an opening gambit of ‘Hey Rabbit’ and ‘Catacombs’ providing more thrills than the other songs that aren’t as good as ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ ever could. He drops ‘Protection Racket’ and it doesn’t matter a jot. Closer ‘Be Good Or Be Gone’ provides an unlikely singalong and everyone leaves a bit happier than before.
This years legends slot is given to Ray Davies and he doesn’t disappoint. He plays every single one of the hits that you’d expect, draws a huge crowd and provides more than a few moments to remember.
I Am Kloot play in the Queens Head tent, play lots of new songs and still have a bucketload of charm and disaster that leaves everyone warm and fuzzy on the inside and bright red and peeling on the outside.
It’s back to the West Holts stage for the evening and the reggae legends Toots & The Maytals and they are indeed a band who know how to entertain, ‘Monkey Man’ being a great moment for the final sunset of Glastonbury 2010.
Stevie Wonder is closing the Pyramid but being a big fan and it being Glastonbury it’s Glade stage straight ahead for me to catch the last half hour of the primal Alabama 3 and the headline set from Levellers. It’s a set that’s not heavy on hits but it provides many of jumping-about moments such as ‘Cholera Well’, ‘World Freak Show’ and sing-songs in the shape of ‘One Way’ and ‘What A Beautiful Day’.
It would have been nice to get the likes of ‘Riverflow’, ‘Liberty Song’ or ’15 Years’ but I guess you can have too much of a good thing. Like the arseholing sun.
Right, I’m off to apply bucketloads of the aftersun, get a shower and sleep. Disturb me at your peril.