Glastonbury Pageant 2023
Worthy Farm, Somerset
Twenty first-Twenty third June 2023

Sure, it has modified over time. Sure, it isn’t the pageant it was earlier than. However Glastonbury stays the definitive pageant occasion on the planet and its 2023 version reveals that it has misplaced none of its magic. Delivered in three components, that is the story of a fairly outstanding weekend of music within the blazing solar, the place Sir Elton John stole the present amongst a plethora of really sensible performances from bands outdated and new…

Regardless of the entire adjustments via the years in profile, demographics and the annual complaints that it has turn into too “center class”, Glastonbury Pageant of Performing Arts nonetheless stays really ubiquitous – not solely when it comes to UK festivals however any out of doors music pageant worldwide. It’s definitely true that it’s a really completely different pageant now to the one it was thirty years in the past, and even since 2007 after I first set foot onto Worthy Farm. However the sheer scale, selection and high quality of the leisure on present stays outstanding, and regardless of the various criticisms levelled on the pageant earlier than it began, there are few who attended these unimaginable few days of music who will bear in mind it with something however absolute pleasure. From the joys of arriving on web site Wednesday to the extraordinary farewell to Sir Elton John, this was a very wonderful weekend, and one which Louder Than Struggle will try and recall via its aching bones and foggy recollections…

Wednesday

Wednesday’s arrival is all about settling in and taking within the sheer dimension of the location. For individuals who have been earlier than this will probably be all too acquainted however to view the location from the highest of the hill by the Park space actually does give the impression of a metropolis rising out of the fields of Avalon. It’s a unprecedented factor to ponder, although the sheer quantity of individuals on the hill viewing the sundown does trigger some preliminary considerations give final 12 months’s overcrowding, because the numbers are so huge that it’s troublesome to discover a vantage level. So, now we have a fast wander via the South East nook to take a look at some DJs earlier than watching the fireworks show after which getting an early night time forward of the weekend to come back.

Thursday

Thursday is the place all of it correctly will get going – although this 12 months we’re considerably hampered by the blazing, unrelenting solar and the 26 diploma temperatures. For a pageant that’s unfairly maligned for its rain and dust, Glastonbury is definitely extra of a difficult beast throughout extraordinarily scorching climate, as there are few locations on web site to cover. We discover shade within the type of the West Holts bar and have the fortune to see Antony Szmierek ship the primary nice set of the weekend. A cross between Loyle Carner, Mike Skinner and a beat poet, he delivers poignant, clever lyrics mixed with rolling beats that preserve everybody transferring regardless of the sweltering warmth. It’s packed to the rafters and he genuinely appears to be delighted to be there. Present single Twist appears to be recognized by everybody, and he and his band throw in a superb cowl of Sugababes’ Overload. He finally ends up working up and down although the gang earlier than ending with heartfelt thanks. Nice enjoyable, a born performer and we will probably be listening to far more from him within the months to come back.

Wandering via Shangri-La searching for an excellent beer, we come throughout Beatles Dub Membership who’ve attracted an enormous crowd. What they do is fairly clear from their identify nevertheless it’s all nice enjoyable and offers an ideal singalong within the method of Straightforward All Stars. Following on are Panic Shack who’re completely wonderful – a Riot grrrl snarl crossed with the pop sensibilities of The Bangles and the sharp musical about-turns of Lifeless Kennedys. They flip this mix into one thing solely their very own, and all through the pageant they play a number of occasions – by the tip we’re listening to many individuals speaking positively about them. One to look at.

The solar is setting by this level (we’re all relieved) however we’ve simply sufficient vitality to go as much as one of many pageant’s greatest stored secrets and techniques – The Crow’s Nest on the high of the Park hill. And although we initially head up for the crew opening social gathering (with Get Collectively Pageant DJs) we’re given a lucky and surprising deal with beforehand with Tyson – a ravishing and multi-layered vocal mix on high of hanging hip-hop influenced electronica. Consider early Lorde combined with Sneaker Pimps and Portishead’s extra relaxed moments. She seems to be genuinely thrilled that individuals have turned out to see her and it’s an effective way to complete the primary day of artists, although we keep round for a few hours of the DJ set earlier than trekking again all the way in which throughout the location to our tent.

Friday

And so we enter the primary full day of the pageant correct, and the solar continues to be blazing. In all my time going to Glastonbury I don’t assume I’ve ever so willed the solar to vanish behind a cloud (it virtually mockingly retains dodging the sporadic few that seem within the sky) however we preserve hydrated, preserve slapping on the sunscreen and there’s a real social gathering ambiance all around the web site – costumes are out (many variations of Elton John particularly). However we’re again on the Park for Adwaith – a band from Cymraeg lastly attracting mainstream consideration with their second album Bato Mato. They sing solely within the stunning Welsh language however that is no barrier to their candy harmonies, dynamic sensibility and their totally charming stage chatter. They’re enjoying throughout the UK all summer season and they’re genuinely value catching for those who can. A terrific begin to proceedings.

The Hives have been doing what they do for twenty years now and little has modified, but they nonetheless stay one of many biggest dwell music experiences on this planet. Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist is on sometimes nice comedian type (standout line being “we need to thank all of the bands who got here earlier than us for warming you up. And we’d additionally prefer to thank all of the bands on after us for cooling you down”) and the gang is genuinely large as they stroll onto the Different Stage. However it’s additionally a taut storage rock set with extraordinary vitality, and any reminder of simply how thrilling tracks akin to Stroll Fool Stroll and Hate to Say I Advised You So are can by no means be a disappointing factor.

The solar is now completely relentless and lots of within the crowd appear to be combating the warmth, which can be why the beginning of The Lightning Seeds doesn’t initially appear to assemble momentum with the massive viewers. The band are wonderful, the setlist is nice and every little thing appears to be in place however for some purpose it doesn’t fairly get going – the applause is well mannered quite than euphoric. Every part adjustments with an excellent Good nonetheless, and the closing 4 songs are a flawless instance of clever, articulate pop music. Fortunate You and The Lifetime of Riley are filled with pleasure, Pure stays one of the stunning pop songs of the previous few a long time and Three Lions stays an anthemic, although bittersweet, pleasure for the gang. By the tip it’s a triumph, albeit one which took considerably longer than regular to disclose itself.

Carly Rae Jepson however, completely crushes this from the primary second. She is clearly delighted to be there, and while not essentially the most choreographed or brash performer, her sheer vitality and enthusiasm is like rocket gasoline to an unlimited crowd of varied ages and backgrounds who’re right here to social gathering. It’s every little thing you need in a pop present – a glittering stage, a way of sheer abandonment and a style of sugar rush, sensible pop songs and a crowd up for every little thing she has to offer them. Name Me Possibly is essentially the most delectable of responsible pleasures, I Actually Like You grows wings dwell and I Didn’t Simply Come Right here To Dance completely stomps. By the closing Minimize To The Feeling, there are smiles of pleasure all through the gang and mirrored on the face of Carly who seems to be awestruck by the reception. Genuinely one of many best pop gigs I’ve seen in years and proof that Glastonbury actually is a broad church nowadays when it comes to music. Precise magic.

Ever because the closing Glastonbury poster announcement was made on 30^th Could, the primary matter of dialog has been the mysterious presence of a band titled The Churnups excessive up on the Pyramid Stage on Friday. Hypothesis has various from Pulp, to Blur, to even The Spice Ladies however as an enormous crowd gathers in expectation, the one actual doubt is whether or not this will probably be a Foo Fighters gig, or a Dave Grohl and mates present in tribute to the late Taylor Hawkins. And because the appointed time arrives, the tangled Churnups emblem on stage rearranges itself to disclose the acquainted emblem of the Foo Fighters.

The Foo Fighters have at all times been a band I’ve admired quite than cherished and on events, I’ve discovered their prolonged reveals to be considerably draining. However given the restricted working time of their set (a mere 75 minutes) that is one thing fully completely different – a modern, lean and brutal beast of a present. And it really works completely. Opener All My Life completely slams into the gang and from that time they by no means let up. Be taught To Fly is a melodic pleasure, The Pretender is bursting with vitality and My Hero carries a real emotion via the gang. Dave Grohl doesn’t say a lot however is filled with his typical bonhomie and the band are on unimaginable type, particularly new drummer Josh Freese who does that outstanding John Bonham factor of enjoying with a outstanding ability and dexterity while hitting ridiculously arduous.

If I used to be being a curmudgeon, one may say that Rescued may have been changed by Monkey Wrench or This Is A Name, and the model of Present Me How along with his daughter Violet is – while candy and transferring – in the end a lesser entity of their canon. However that is irrelevant in comparison with the sheer energy of the remainder of the set and the closing duo of Finest Of You and Everlong is just magnificent, particularly the choking and deeply poignant second when Grohl dedicates the closing tune to Taylor Hawkins. An excellent reminder that beneath all of the stadium frills, Foo Fighters began out as a cathartic outburst of musical vitality, and people core components nonetheless stay. An excellent communal expertise.

From the large to the small, but no drop in high quality as we head over to Leftfield to see Advantages, who play one of many reveals of the pageant. The brand new mission of Kingsley Corridor (previously of sadly missed The Chapman Household), this isn’t about celebration however sheer spit, fury and bile on the ragged, rotten and torn physique of Britain. It’s viscerally punk and totally brutal in its supply, but Corridor’s pleading, cathartic vocals and hypnotic stage strikes make this one thing extra than simply anger. It verges on being efficiency artwork however there may be nothing pretend or false about this. Behind him, a heady mixture of thudding, skittering beats and droning electronica throbs and pulses round and the general expertise is one thing fairly bewitching. There might need been 100 folks within the tent at most, however each particular person there’ll bear in mind this present. Extraordinary.

There may be a lot dialogue about headliners and who to see subsequent given the sheer vastness of the location and the practicalities of getting wherever in first rate time, however all of this makes no distinction to our choice to see Sparks at The Park Stage as sub-headliners. There may be actually no different selection. And as soon as once more we strike gold. Sparks are improbable. That is set of pure arch-pop surprise and the consistency that comes from over fifty years of brilliance. With Russell Mael wearing remarkably eye-catching black and crimson outfit and crimson footwear, and Ron Mael in sometimes deadpan type on the keyboard, they continue to be visually charming (particularly when Ron ventures from his keyboard to carry out his routine weird working dance).

Clearly, we get the hits together with a surprising The Quantity One Track in Heaven, a model of This City Ain’t Massive Sufficient for Each of Us that units the gang into absolute raptures and an exciting When Do I Get to Sing “My Means”, however what’s outstanding is how nicely their new materials matches in amongst these. Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is totally shines via and already sounds prefer it may have been from Kimono My Home. So Could We Begin is an ideal opener and The Lady Is Crying In Her Latte would have been sensible sufficient by itself even earlier than precise Hollywood royalty Cate Blanchett comes out to reprise her dance strikes from the current video. By the point of the closing All That, followers each outdated and new are in absolute raptures. A lady in her late teenagers turns to me and says “that was completely f**king improbable” earlier than professing to purchase all their stuff. I need to warn her that there’s so much there, nevertheless it’ll be value it. Merely sensible.

It’s realistically too late to get throughout to Arctic Monkeys or Scorching Chip so we determine to see The Damned in The Avalon Stage. Which is…superb, nevertheless it by no means fairly appears to catch hearth. The band are on type and Captain Smart is often charismatic and interesting, however there appears to be a scarcity of vitality total and while the hits nonetheless sound iconic, the general set appears to lack that particular magic that Glastonbury headliners sometimes carry. Possibly it’s simply the warmth attending to us, possibly it’s simply that Sparks had been tonight’s true headliners. However we keep for some time earlier than heading over to the IICON multimedia stage at Glastonbury (with the stage like a tilted large head) for an improbable audio-visual show and a few Underground Resistance Presents Mark Flash earlier than we lastly succumb to a full day of nice music and the results of the solar; shuffling our ft dwelling to the welcome embrace of our sleeping bag.

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Phrases by David Edwards. His different Louder than Struggle articles might be discovered right here

Images by Jack Flynn. See extra of his work right here