A couple of weeks ago Glastonbury announced their complete lineup. Unfortunately this announcement fell over The Great Escape week so rather than just regurgitate news that you’d probably already read, I thought it best to mull it over and compile a list of the things you shouldn’t miss this year.
Bonobo – West Holts
Bonobo is one of those artists who I always seem to be busy for, whenever they visit London. The day after a gig there’s always a feeling of “aw man, why did I miss that?” as people describe, in every positive detail, just how great they were performing live. Friends of mine seem to go on about how great the musicianship was, the way that sections made the hairs on the back of their neck stick up, the way that certain moments made their eyes water up. I certainly won’t be missing my opportunity to enjoy a live set from one of the best artists in the world.
Metallica – The Pyramid Stage
I’m going to be honest here and say I’m not Metallica’s biggest fan. I went through a phase where I listened to them a lot as a teenager, but that passed when I grew up a bit and it’s not something I revisit regularly. That said, if there was one place in the world that I’m willing to free 16 year old Daddsy and allow him to rock out for a bit, Glastonbury would be that place. There’s something different about having a band like Metallica headling the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury and I have a lot of respect for that. It’s hard to tell whether it’ll be as busy as The Rolling Stones were last year (so I’ve heard, I was watching the far superior Public Enemy at the time…) but one thing is for sure: Metallic will definitely put on a lively show.
Mr. B The Gentleman Rhymer – Croissant Neuf
Glastonbury is certainly not closed minded when it comes to genre – if it exists it’s probably there. Chap Hop has to be a bit of a niche one, but a welcome one non the less. Expect to hear witty lyricism, spiffing flow, some exuberant licks on the banjolele and cricket references. Performing on the Thursday at Croissant Neuf, I can’t think of a better way of starting off the festival.
Food
I know what I plan on doing a lot of at Glastonbury; consuming delicious food. As far as festivals go, Glastonbury wipes the floor when it comes to food. Hell, I’ve been to food festivals with less variety, less quality food and higher prices. There really is something for everyone there too. Plenty of delicious curries, traditionally cooked pizzas, pies, ribs, overkill breakfasts, falafel, EVERYTHING. Prepare yourself to come back feeling like you’ve just spent a long weekend in Texas.
Superfood – Williams Green
They were brilliant to listen to when supporting We Are Scientists earlier this year and so I feel I need to recommend them for this year’s festival. Infectious choruses and jangly verses, Superfood will be there to soundtrack the glorious sunshine that’ll definitely be happening because with a lineup like this year the sun won’t want to leave.
Mr Scruff – Arcadia
No one does eclectic like Mr Scruff. His essential mix is still my go to mix whenever I need something funky to listen to, blasting through genre after genre with remarkable track choosing skills. I’m quite aware of my inability to dance, but with the Flying Spaghetti Monster as my witness, I will be down the front dancing around during this set. I’m sorry.
Old Dirty Brasstards – Lots of places
One of those occasions where I’m just going to post a Soundcloud clip, tell you to listen to it, and hopefully it won’t need any explaining as to why you should totally go and catch Old Dirty Brasstards:
Wolf Alice – John Peel Stage
One of the best bands at Y Not Festival last year, Wolf Alice seem to be going from strength to strength. Recent single ‘Moaning Lisa Smile’ is certainly one of the best tracks of the year so far, and with a strong live show to boot, the chances are you’ll be watching them on the Other Stage next year, maybe even the main.
Mogwai – The Park Stage
This is a difficult one because based on the lineup it would appear Mogwai clash with Metallica. If I hadn’t seen Mogwai a dozen times I wouldn’t even be arguing with myself about who to see; Mogwai are one of the best live bands in the world. Moving on record, as a live band they’re something that just has to be experienced. My highlight of any live show has to be part way through their show at Hammersmith Apollo where the bass was so loud and pounding that breathing in actually became a challenge. I find at festivals they can be hit and miss, due to the dynamic of their performance, but hopefully at somewhere as well laid out as Glastonbury this won’t be a problem.
Lucy Rose – The Other Stage
Sunday can be a bit of a struggle, so I can’t help but feel that Lucy Rose will be the best possible way to start the final day of the festival. Her lovely acoustic tracks won’t cause that hangover too much pain and will almost certainly go down well having a nice sit on the grass in the sun (yes, it’s going to be sunny). I think it’ll be one of those summer defining moments where come October we’ll all look back with a tear in our eyes.
We’ll be working on our mixtapes from the mamouth lineup over the coming few weeks so we’ll be back with some more suggestions and a lot of music for you to get your heads around before the end of June. Needless to say, we’re looking forward to being back and we’ll be bringing you live updates from the festival from June 25th on Twitter and Facebook. If you’re going to the festival let us know who you’ll be seeing in the comments!
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