Glastonbury festival should need little introduction. Since 1971 the festival has been using farmland in a usually sleepy corner of the British countryside to keep the hippy vibe alive, whilst throwing one of the hedonistic (not to mention muddy) parties imaginable. Unlike many festivals, Glastonbury’s music policy is truly all-encompassing: bearded folk singers, ancient jazz players and odd-ball North African troupes all feature alongside some of the biggest bands on the planet.
It’s also Glastonbury’s attention to detail that makes it special. Each year the organizers pock mark the 900 acre site with hugely imaginative, psychotropic, and downright weird areas of interest. Whilst headline shows on Glastonbury’s hulking Pyramid stage are sure to garner the most attention, there’s also a ton of must see bits of the site away from the throng. We’ve counted down some of the most interesting in the below 5 Minute Guide to Glastonbury 2011.
Secret Guests
Glastonbury’s organizers are keeping tight lipped about who this year’s special guest performers are. In a recent interview with NME festival organizer Michael Eavis simply had this to say, “There’s nothing bigger, I can tell you.” 2010’s secret performers were Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood: the driving force behind rock legends Radiohead. If the Glasto crew simply repeats the caliber of last year’s act then festival goers are due for a treat. Rumored guest include The Strokes (Shazam’s prediction for the guest spot), M.I.A. and even Prince.
Arcadia
A giant mechanized, fire breathing spider perched up in the middle of the English countryside should be a memorable site in anyone’s books. But when you combine that with a series of big name DJ performances and thousands of face painted revelers, then you have something really special. Highlights of this year’s Arcadia itinerary include sets from Orbital and SL2 who will be injecting moments of ‘90’s rave nostalgia intro this post apocalyptic, arachnid loving arena.
To celebrate the release of ‘Horse Meat Disco II’ – the follow up to last year’s delectable disco compilation ‘Horse Meat Disco’ – the folks behind the revered club night and burgeoning musical empire are giving away a free mix. Those familiar with Horse Meat Disco will probably be aware of the night’s story. From the humble beginnings running Sunday night parties in China Town and an infamous South London boozer, HMD has gone on to become one world’s most famous and influential club brands. The musical mantra is a staple diet of retro and soul influenced disco but spreads to include everything from house to ultra obscure European pop music. However, as good as the music is, it’s been Horse Meat’s liberal and inclusive attitude to partying that makes the night really unique: billing it’s self as “the queer party for everyone”. Put simply, the Horse Meat Disco crew have been among the biggest catalysts in putting disco music back on the map– although purists would probably argue it’s never been away
The mix from Horse Meat residents Jim Stanton, James Hillard, Luke Howard and Severino is a great snapshot of the compilation. Featuring everything from kitsch string laden numbers to stone cold floor fillers such as Ginno Soccio’s ‘Alright’, the mix is enough to get even the most morose of people jumping out of their chairs and getting down like it was 1979.
1. Eddie Grant – Time Warp 2. Laid Back – White Horse 3. Cyclades – Fire To Desire 4. Two Tons Of Fun – Earth Can Be Like Heaven 5. Alisabeth Jergens – Hungry For Your Love 6. Gino Soccio – Its Alright 7. Disco Circus – You Should Be Dancing 8. Richard Hewson Orchestra – Shark Bite
Look out for the Horse Meat Disco gang playing at Glastonbury and in their Vauxhall home of The Eagle every Sunday. For more info head to Horse Meat Disco’s MySpace.
Last weekend saw the launch party for the latest installment in the, increasingly fantastic, Future Disco series. The event boasted a stellar line up, featuring live sets from Faze Action and Crazy P plus DJ sets from Horse Meat Disco lynchpin Severino and Future Disco’s own Sean Brosnan. While disco for some may have previously only been associated with flares, bad dance routines and Disco Stu – the Simpsons character stuck in a perennial time warp – it has now become the toast of Hoxton’s nightlife.
The party proved a fitting introduction to the album, with Crazy P receiving a particularly rapturous response from the eager crowd, crammed into the sweaty Shoreditch basement. Since Faze Action provide the opening two tracks of the compilation (their edit of Tele Music’s ‘Disco Free’ and original track ‘I Wanna Dancer’) it seemed only right that they should make tonight their own, treating the crowd to a lively energetic set.
More information on forthcoming events and compilations can be found on the Future Disco site.
Synched to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Christopher Street riots in New York and respectfully borrowing its name from Harvey Milk, the gay rights campaigner infamously assassinated in San Francisco in the 70’s, London festival ‘Milk In The Park’ hoped to mix politics and partying whilst delivering music and happy times. Entertainment on the day included everything from the niche, but ever-popular Horse Meat Disco crew to other dance tents playing a range of styles from retro Chicago house to 90’s mainstream hands-in-the-air pop. In the main arena, London’s Deputy Mayor, Richard Barnes, felt it necessary and rightly so, to spell out the significance in gay history of the afore-mentioned events before the performance of top-billed disco queen, Candi Staton – ironically on first, due to her commitments north of the border later that day.
Following a disco set by Horse Meat DJ Severino & a hyped introduction by a resplendent drag queen, Ms. Staton, looking immaculate in an all-black number, arrived delicately on stage to a mainly over-30’s whooping crowd, who courteously gave her a tumultuous welcome in the process. Calm as you like, looking genuinely pleased to sing to her adoring fans, she started with the Bees Gees classic ‘Nights On Broadway’; an impeccable choice for an opening song: vocally perfect, smiling, dancing, waving, every step of the way encouraging participation from the enraptured audience. The middle section of the set included some unusual offerings. From her rendition of Tammy Wynette’s ‘Stand By Your Man’ through to two Elvis’ hits – which she did indeed cover back in the day, but seemed a downbeat choice for such an occasion. Having said that, one of the highlights of the afternoon was seeing the genuine emotion she displayed during her performance of the civil rights song ‘In The Ghetto’. Soon back on track and raising the temperature once again, she stormed through extended versions of her biggest hits: ‘Victim’ nearly brought the tent down and ‘Young Hearts (Run Free)’ & ‘You Got The Love’ were every bit as perfect as the day outside.
Candi delivered many words of wisdom during the show. The ones that probably stuck most with the exiting crowd were that perhaps in this big, bad world we should learn to love each other more! On the basis of her performance & the joy that it was to behold, we’ll give it a real good try!
Driving to the middle of no-where, getting caked in mud and then having to face a soul destroying trip back to the city is for many part and parcel of what makes a festival. However, for some the effort and cost of traipsing across the country is too much, thus the rise of the ‘City Festival’; all the fun of a full day in a field but with the prospect of a shower and warm bed only a bus ride away. One of the more established of these events is ‘Lovebox’, the brainchild of pop and house music impresarios, Groove Armada. After walking away with the ‘Best Medium Sized Festival’ gong at last year’s UK Festival award, Lovebox build on their policy of combining London’s most talked about underground parties with heaps of populist fun. This year’s line-up puts 80’s icons Duran Duran, Gary Numan and New York Dolls alongside current favourites such as N*E*R*D and Florence And The Machine. Meanwhile, über cool parties such as Horse Meat Disco, Secretsundaze and Disco Bloodbath take care of the tents, meaning that London scenesters can have their fill of minimal/ ironic grooves before getting drunk and making a fool of themselves to ‘Rio’ and ‘Hungry Like A Wolf’ on the main stage. As well as an array of musical delights, Lovebox is also unique in the quality of its culinary goods. With an area run by the folks from Borough Market, well know as a foodies heaven, Lovebox’s ‘Sourced Market’ features a number of top quality restaurants and stalls offering organic food from around the world. That means no sloppy burgers or mystery meat kebabs which are the usual festival fare. The event takes place this weekend at London’s Victoria Park and tickets are still available from www.lovebox.net Lovebox 18/19th July Victoria Park London
As is the custom around this time of year, the UK’s music scene’s focus shifts to a farm in Pilton, Somerset. Glastonbury needs no introduction, from a small folk festival that hosted Tyrannosaurus Rex (soon to become T-Rex) Michael Eavis has developed what has become the festival that all other festivals measure themselves against. Whether its Radiohead’s rain soaked headline slot in 1997 or Jay-Z’s “controversial” inclusion last year, everyone has a stand out Glastonbury moment; ensuring the festival has permanently become etched in all music lovers yearly calendar. While no guarantee can be made on the weather, anyone who has been will tell you that rain soaked wellies are a small price to pay for an unforgettable weekend of live music.
After criticisms over the line up last year, Eavis has delivered some huge headline acts. Revered country rocker Neil Young headlines the Friday and the newly reunited Blur will close the festival. The one act that has dominated preview coverage of this year’s festival has to be Saturday night’s headliner, The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen’s set will be the first headline festival set he has performed in the UK. Having never heard of the festival before, Evis coaxed the ‘Born in The USA’ singer into playing by sending his agent a document filled with glowing quotes from musicians who had previously played.
While the sets from the Glastonbury headliners will always be memorable, part of its continued success is that it continues to offer such a varied line up of established and up and coming acts. These are a few of the, slightly less hyped, acts that promise to deliver some festivals highlights:
The Big Pink When Robbie Furse and Milo Cordell formed The Big pink, much was written about the musical past of the two. Furse was previously Alec Empire’s guitar protégé while Cordell’s label, Merok, was the breeding ground for various bands such as Klaxons, Crystal Castles and Pre (singer, Akiko, also plays drums in The Big Pink). With a string of jaw dropping singles and after recently signing to 4AD, the band has clearly proved that there is more to them than an impressive rolodex. The band recalls the feedback and subtle beauty of My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Be sure to catch their intense performance as they play the Queens Head and John Peel stages.
Hypnotic Brass Ensemble Hypnotic Brass Ensemble takes every preconception you’ve ever had about jazz groups and throws them out the window. The eight brass players are all sons of the lauded Chicago trumpeter Phil Conran (the line up is bolstered with drummer Chris Anderson). The band first came to our attention after a mind blowing performance on Jools Holland, however word has been slowly spreading about this band; helped by Damon Albarn who released their first UK album on his label. The bands traditional instruments are merged with their modern hip-hop style. Their set in Club Dada on Saturday would be a good place to head if you’re looking for something off the beaten track.
Marina And The Diamonds While much has been said about the rise of synth pop obsessed ladies such as Little Boots and La Roux, 2009 has also seen the rise of plenty of other female singer songwriters who don’t have an obsession with the Human League. Marina has more in common with Regina Spektor and looks likely to be our next eccentric female star. After gaining hype through several blogs and gaining the support of tastemakers such as Huw Stephens, 2009 looks like a promising year for Marina. If you’re looking to impress your friends by seeing the next big thing then head to the Queens Head Stage on Saturday.
The Virgins While The Strokes lock themselves away recording their new album, a new gang of guys with guitars have appeared from New York. Mixing three minute punk songs with Hall & Oates basslines may sound like a car crash on paper, but somehow The Virgins manage to pull it off. Known for their raucous live shows, The Virgins will be aiming to bring a bit of New York sleaze to the John Peel Stage on Friday.
Another of Glastonbury’s charms is you have the opportunity to get lost in a world of dance tents. One we’re particularly looking forward to is the ever impressive New York Downlow; featuring performances from the always fabulous Horse Meat Disco DJ’s. Check the video above for a glimpse of what they have in store!
