Glastonbury 2008

[*Bob*]

The fact that the lineup even makes a difference to ticket sales/interest (which it is this year) is another sign of changed times.

[Keef]

Christ *bob* you're not that old, anyone would think you were at Woodstock!

I've always been one to look at a line up before I spend A LOT of money buying a ticket for something.

[*Bob*]

It's true.. I'm not that old.. but (for my sins) I've been there fourteen or fifteen times. I can't quite remember.

Most of the people who used to go never gave a monkeys about the line-up. The fun was in discovering things you never knew you liked, not sulking because ColdHead aren't headlining.. again.

[Asset]

the first time I went, I didn't see any bands

[suzilucy]

I think I'd like to go to Camp Bestival...did Glasters in the year of the mud (which one was that then?!)and kind of a rock chick at heart wanting to get away from the school leavers/ sixth formers in Reading.

Any tips for Bestival goers?

p.s Check out www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk last years was fab. cider. field. gitar. hmmm.....

[buggie]

am off to Latitude in July - really looking forward to it - going to be first festival visit. Don't know much about the music apart from franz ferdinand headlining, but they have a fab comedy line up too.

[Ondine]

I've just booked for latitude too. Going with my kids for the first time, so have booked into Tangerine Fields. Anyone used them before?

[TillieTrotter]

My daughter just phoned to say that so far she and friends have managed to secure 8 tickets. They are aiming for 20!!!

[tinagwee]

ive been going to festivals since I was 17 (loooong time ago) and excitedly went to glast a few years back and I found it to be a very mixed bag. Lots of fab stuff but a helluva lot of bad stuff too. I like to run between stages to catch a mixture of bands but with glasto never mind that you cant run or indeed get anywhere fast in mud up to your knees, but the distances are so huge that I saw the least bands ever in my festival going years and that includes the ones that I spent a helluva lot of time smoking grass in a tent. I also find that everyone just goes to bed at 1am at glasto, I was wandering around looking for people up and partying in the campsite as I couldnt face the 2mile walk to lost vagueness in the mud and it was all quiet and boring.

I am glad I've been but I give it a big cannot be arsed ever again.

I like festivals around the 30,000 people mark as you can bump into the same people again and they tend to be friendlier. Electric picnic although expensive is fab as had lots of random chats and everyone stays up drinking, singing, taking drugs in the campsite all night and you can happily join random groups of people sitting around. zero sleep to be had though.

[*Bob*]

Even though we're not going this year (but were registered) I couldn't help clicking on the 'buy tickets' link, expecting the usual 'sold out' or hanging browser page.

Straight through to 'buy tickets', no problem.

Typical. I bet it's sunny as well this year as well.

[TillieTrotter]

You could still buy tickets at 2.30pm. Bizarre, never heard of that before!

[SeanMacGabhann]

I had a vague idea that this year would be undersubscribed - but never by this much. If the sun is belting down I will be well hacked off! (but pleased for those who made it)

[louisiana]

So far we have tickets for Sunrise (May), Glasto, and Glade (July) and then we'll be going to a small private festival too in late July. Which still leaves August and September...maybe Electric Picnic.

We've been to Bestival:it's a great little festival, but I'm not fond of its more commercial aspects e.g. the constant searches for drink of any kind when moving between the camping and stage areas (to force you to buy).Also came across some quite crazy security people there (as in security people demolishing some other people's tents (with the people inside), just for the hell of it. I think some people made formal complaints. On the Thursday night we had to get a friend to sneak us into band camping area as no public camping allowed though plenty of people around. Also I don't know if they've sorted the public access route from the car park, but it was pretty dreadful the year we went (06):a really steep descent (and ascent on the way back), extemely bad when wet (and you're laden with stuff). There were several broken limbs that year from what I heard on site.

Otherwise great fun!

[giggirl]

Glastonbury is a commercial venture. I don't have a problem with commercial ventures and I don't have a problem with making money. The farmer who runs it is a hypocrite of the first order who makes commercial decisions and cloaks his decisions in altruism. I have a problem with him.

If this year's Glastonbury is under-subscribed then he has finally shot himself in the foot. I hope he still remembers how to milk a cow because he might need to go back to his day job.

[louisiana]

Oh and I should have also said about Bestival: if you like good cakes, track down the WI tent and then go early, go often. The great cakes run out all too soon.

And also on the food front, the Sea Cow were there the year we went: in fact we followed their van down to the ferry by road. Really saved our bacon on the food front - though as I know they've had problems on maintaining quality through being spread thinly, I'm not sure if they are going to continue with the festival circuit.

And on music, my favourite space at Bestival - day and night - was the Blue Pavilion.

Has Bestival changed its 'no Thursday camping policy'? It seemed a really strange decision given the long distances travelled by many to reach the IoW (including ferry trip for practically everyone): there were clearly people turning up on Friday early doors who had been driving all night.

[SeanMacGabhann]

I would also recommend the End of The Road festival in Larmer Tree Gardens in Dorset - it's the last one of the circuit, held in September so potentially chilly but excellent music selection

[louisiana]

giggirl Wrote:

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> Lineup sucks

The line-up is due to be announced 1 May, so still more than three weeks away. But who gives a ff about the line-up at a festival? That's not why most of us go.

[*Bob*]

I hear Bestival has changed it's rule on Thursday camping this year, which is good.

Still no problem in getting tix for Glastonbury this morning.

[louisiana]

We're going to be repeating our local (Somerset/Dorset) cycle trip in the days before/after this year's Somerset festivals (Sunrise, Glastonbury).

Does anybody have any recommendations for must-visit places or wonderful country lanes/villages/pubs? (especially Dorset, which we haven't been to much yet).

[Keef]

louisiana Wrote:

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> But who gives a ff about the line-up at a festival? That's not why most of us go.

I know what you're saying, but if I'm paying ?150 to camp in a smelly field with the worst toilets in the known world, I want to see one or 2 good bands aswell!

I thought a couple of the acts had been announced.

[louisiana]

Keef Wrote:

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> louisiana Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > But who gives a ff about the line-up at a

> festival? That's not why most of us go.

>

>

> I know what you're saying, but if I'm paying ?150

> to camp in a smelly field with the worst toilets

> in the known world, I want to see one or 2 good

> bands aswell!

Well I should have said: who gives a ff about the headliners. That's mostly what's been announced, and what seems to be talked about by those not going.

>

> I thought a couple of the acts had been announced.

A handful out of hundreds. Mainly headliners. There's also a big 'Jay-Z is backing out' rumour doing the rounds right now. But given that - like most others attending - I probably plan to spend a squillionth of a second at the Pyramid stage, if that, to me it's neither here nor there.

[*Bob*]

Yeah.. two acts announced, only several hundred left to go.

[louisiana]

*Bob* Wrote:

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> I hear Bestival has changed it's rule on Thursday

> camping this year, which is good.

>

That's good to hear. The year we went, it was fairly strange - but surprisingly easy - having a band manager friend turn us into fake band members to get us into the VIP area (involved interchange of bracelets, waving arms out of moving vehicles and a range of verbal fobbing off tactics - we deliberately did it at dusk and no earlier). Of course, once you're in, you can't go out and come in again. But it worked to just get camping the first night.

[TillieTrotter]

My daughter managed to get 15 tickets in all for Glasto.....makes me feel abit sad really. Hope they havent f**ked it up so much that I'll never go again:(

[Jah Lush]

15 tickets Tillie! Just who on earth is paying for them all. That comes to a lot of Kylish.