So messed up I want you here

I'm back.

And what a weird week and a half it has been.

Talk about going from one extreme to the other. Cannes was glorious. The sun shone everyday. The food was delicious. The city clean. Some amazing architecture and a hell of a lot of money on display. Our hotel was great despite suffering from a mish mash of decor ideas. It's themed floors, gaudy colours and strange designs did make it a little odd but it was comfortable beyond compare. Plus there was a rather nice roof top swimming pool with stunning views across the city where we could waste time. What spare time there was of course. For work packed the trip full with an itinerary that barely left time to relax. One night we attended the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival Awards in the same venue that the Cannes Film Festival is held. Then we were wined and dined at the after party on the beach. Another night, we ate at La Colombe D'or restaurant where Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream was sat behind me. And yes, that loud clang you just heard, is the sound of me casually dropping names. To say it was a great four days would be an understatement. To describe it as paradise may be a little over the top but it certainly wouldn't be far off. It's a way of life and a standard of living that I've never really experienced before and having to pack up my clothes and leave was very hard indeed. Especially when you consider what my next five days were to entail.



For I'm sure you've all seen the pictures of Glastonbury Festival and heard the tales of rain and mud. But trust me, you can't begin to get a real idea of the conditions on site unless you live through it. Arriving on site on Thursday, I was pleasantly suprised to see the sun was out and the sky was clear. The ground was dry and firm, green grass visible wherever tents were not. And people were swanning around in shorts, trainers and t-shirts soaking up the relaxed atmosphere. Having pitched our tent up right by the John Peel Stage, we took a wander round the site, attempting to take in everything that was going on. Because everything about Glastonbury is immense. From the number of stages to the number of people camping on site. And the sheer size of the site is unbelievable. We wandered around for about two hours and still didn't cover the entire place. As we climbed into our sleeping bags and zipped the tent closed, music, laughter and good tents lulled us to sleep and I smiled to myself thinking, yes, this is what Glastonbury is about. Little did I know what the following day had in store.

Waking to the sound of heavy rain on tent material, I pulled down the zip and was met with a view that was similar to the previous night. But only just. For where green grass had been, there was now mud. Dirty brown mud. And lots of the stuff. Sticky mud. Gloopy mud. Runny mud. Solid mud. Watery mud. Gloopy mud. Shallow mud. Thick mud. You pick a word and there was a type of mud to match it. And it was everywhere. The site was devastated and resembled some sort of post apocalyptic nightmare village. The next three days were spent wading from stage to stage through mud. Retrieving wellies from mud. Cleaning yourself of mud. And hoping, nay praying, that what was covering the portaloo you'd just stepped into, was mud. For let me say, that in those toilets, I saw things no human should ever have to see. How some people can be so vile and so inconsiderate to the person following after them, is truly unbelievable.

And yet, and yet, we survived. And we had a bloody good time. Because all the mud and the rain is part of what makes the Glastonbury experience. It's a bonding thing and everyone just gets on with it and has the time of their lives. Glastonbury just has that vibe. And the rain wasn't constant. Most days it cleared up and was warm and sunny. So you got dirty. So what?There's so much happening, so much that you want to experience, that you kind of forget about the struggle to pull your foot out of the mud. You forget about the challenge of finding somewhere clean and dry to rest. And you just get on with it. And everyone just gets on with it around you. It truly is a special place. A special festival. And if all goes to plan, I'll be back there next year.

And that, dear readers was just a taster of my Glastonbury and over the next few posts, I'll be bringing you my reviews of each day, of the bands I saw and yes, I'll be posting some of the music that was performed. But you'll have to bear with me as I'm currently knackered and dazed so it may be a few days coming before I can bring myself to recount it all. However, come it will and I hope I'll be able to put across the festival as best I can so you can get a flavour of it. 'Til then, here's a taster of some of the bands that played.

The Kooks - she moves in her own way (live at Glastonbury Festival 2007)

The Killers - enterlude/when you were young (live at Glastonbury Festival 2007)

Iggy & The Stooges - I wanna be your dog (live at Glastonbury Festival 2007)

mp3 / music / glastonbury festival / The Kooks / The Killers / Iggy & The Stooges