Glastonbury 2007 - second thoughts

Despite the weather, which was awful today too and thus it took twelve hours to get all the vehicles out of the parking areas, it seems that the performances over the long weekend were almost all of the highest standard.

Amy Winehouse was apparently as show-stoppingly good as ever but she looks as though she was unable to find anything to eat!

I can't help but think that she looked better 1n 2005.

Kate Moss was also there and probably not eating either. In fact it was touch and go if she would leave her Winnebago in case she got muddy...

She was probably wondering what to wear too, but whatever she finally decided on it was unlikely to upstage Brazilian band CSS who have been blazing a musical trail across Britain (and increasingly Europe, Japan and Australasia) for the last year or so and a bit of mud wasn't going to stop them.
The band consists of a male drummer and five girls who don' t entirely believe in the 'Size Zero' idiocy, as is the case with Lily Allen too, that much of the music industry does and they are also proud of it.

CSS defiantly mudless on stage at Glastonbury.

Simply defiant: CSS lead singer Lovefoxxx...

on stage at the (indoor) Great Escape Festival in Brighton in early June 2007.

Glorious Glastonbury!

I tried to go to Glastonbury but didn't get a ticket.
So here I am writing from home, a mere ten miles away (as the crow flies), as the action is coming to an end on Sunday evening. Yes it has rained a lot but for the most part the performances have taken place as planned and the crowd had been good humoured despite the rain and the ensuing mud. If you don't like mud, no showers and very dubious toilets then all I can suggest is don't go to festivals and actually go 'wild camping' instead - no mud if you chose a good spot, in fact no anything unless you have your iPod, but that is not however what a festival is about...

Making the most of it on Saturday!

Mud surfing... a London 2012 Olympic sport?

One new feature was 'The Park Stage', brainchild of Emily Eavis, which suffered a last minute setback when the opening artist, MIA, was ill and unable to perform the inaugural set. Into the breach stepped one of the major names of 2006/7, who was performing on the Pyramid Stage later, performing an impromptu 6-track acoustic set.

Lily Allen covers Blondie's Heart of Glass acoustically...

Surprising cover versions are all the rage these days and many of them are very successful. In her performance this evening Dame Shirley Bassey did not perform the 'Bond Theme' Diamonds Are Forever. The Arctic Monkeys however did the honours by covering it on their headline act on Friday evening! That said Bassey did cover The Doors Light My Fire and also Pink's Get The Party Started, a song that she originally covered for a Marks & Spencer advertising campaign!

When Lily Allen appeared again, as billed on the Pyramid Stage, she had new tricks in store - Lynval Golding joined her on stage for a cover of Blank Expression then she introduced Terry Hall on stage and two original members of early 1980 ska legends The Specials played together on stage for the first time in 22 years and they all performed the 1979 hit single Gangsters.

... and again, electro-backed, on the Pyramid Stage.