A local's Glastonbury, from Sunday ticket to Kidzfield.

0:00Miguel Hello and welcome to GlastoCast, the unofficial Glastonbury Festival podcast. It's finally June and Glastonbury 2024 is only 2 weeks away, so Jessi and I are getting back together to talk about the festival we love so much.

0:21Jessi Hello, we are back. I know it's been a long We're really excited and, uh, it's wonderful to be chatting to you, Miguel, again. And the festival is just around the corner. How exciting! We are going to be having a quick chat just to let you know what we've been up to, um, and what we're excited for in 2024. But we want to get straight to it and we don't want to bore you for too long. So we have got another guest joining us. His name is Joey. He's a Glastonbury veteran. He's been over, I think, almost 20 years. He's got many stories and he's gonna be touching on some bits that I know people have wanted us to speak about, but we haven't been able to cuz it's not what me and Miguel have experienced. So he's gonna be talking about attending Glastonbury as a parent. So this will just be a starter and we'll get some info from him. But if any parents are out there and wanna come on and talk to us as well, we'd love to do a whole episode on this at some point. So that's what's coming up. We'll be chatting to Joey shortly. So Miguel, it's June, it's 2024. Um, we haven't done one of these podcasts since, well, after the festival in 2023. Um, so what's new with you? What have you been up to?

1:36Miguel Yes. Hi, hi, Jessi. Good to talk to you again. And yeah, it's been some crazy 6 months. I was away from UK for most of the year. I went back home. Tickets. Oh, well, it's worth noting. I did try for tickets for Glastonbury for this year. For the last edition, we've talked about on the podcast, I made a conscious decision to sort of skip it, give it my first break since I started going. But for this year, I was actually hoping to go, but the last sale was a bit brutal. I think it was only the second time I didn't get a sniff of the ticket selling page. And then life went on and it just happened. I went back home, back— that's Brazil. I spent there most of the first bit of 2024. Uh, I was away for 7 years, so it was very interesting to be back. Uh, very exciting live music scene going on in my hometown. That was good to see. A lot of live venues, new venues, a lot of bars with live music. So, uh, it certainly developed a lot since I was last there. I also had the chance to do some traveling, so I went to the seaside and I was able to It was the anniversary of one of the beach towns I was visiting and they were doing a lot of free events and they have a stage. I want to say as big as the Other Stage.

2:57Jessi Amazing.

2:58Miguel And there was like a mini festival, mostly Brazilian artists, very good ones, and 40,000 people, I think, and it's all free. And the main thing is the sound quality was astonishing. To be honest, I was like, I feel like this is the best sound quality I've seen in a live event in my life.

3:17Jessi Amazing.

3:17Miguel I'm just saying all that because previous, last experience in London parks have been a little bit disappointing, you know, because of all the trouble with neighbors and sounds, etc. When you go to some All Points East or things like that, depending where you are, the sound might not be great. So it was interesting to be back home and just find this very exciting live music scene and see that it's being well produced as well, I think I would say. But, but yeah, I'm back, back to UK now. I got back in May and only a few days after that I was already working at some— in a festival. So that was very good to be back in— well, not in the fields, but in the park. But I, I did some of the fests. I was working on the festival that happened in Brockwell Park. And I must say, uh, well, it's been a bit— I wasn't here, so you know, you know better than I do, but it's been a bit Spring and summer, it was still waiting to fully start. So—

4:15Jessi Oh yeah.

4:16Miguel When it got to Monday of the bank holiday, I must say there was some Glastonbury 2016 vibes there. It was a mud fest. Of course, not as— cannot compare because it's just a smaller park, but there was no sign of green and you could step in some areas of the ground and the ground would just move with the amount of water that was under it. I think that— I think you might remember that there was this very famous video back in 2016 during the building phase.

4:42Joe Yes.

4:42Miguel Where someone did a state of the ground and he's stepping on, on the ground and just moves like a, like a water mattress or something. I saw that in London, which was crazy. But I, I think you went the week after for Mighty Hoopla. So maybe you saw everything they did to try to, to make it easier and to allow Mighty Hoopla to happen. Were you there? Or am I wrong?

5:04Jessi Yeah, yeah, I was at Mighty Hoopla on the Sunday. Um, I think we were all preparing for the worst because, you know, there was all this news during the week that, yeah, the, the site had been ruined and it was, you know, mudfest, this, that, and the other. But, you know, shout out to Brockwell Live and Mighty Hoopla because fair play. I know I came on the Sunday, but my friend said it was the same on the Saturday. They really sorted it out. They had some sort of matting down and then also wood chips on top, so After my friends kind of reported back to me, I was planning on wearing wellies and, you know, everything else. And on the Sunday I just wore trainers and yeah, okay. They were a little bit dirty at the end from, you know, tiny patches of mud, but it was great. They did really well.

5:44Miguel And they also did a very nice last minute social media campaign tied up to the, all the identity of the festival on how to prepare, what to wear, which I thought it was really a very quick effort by them. So yeah, as you say, very well done to them. Uh, but just to sort of conclude, I, I wasn't sure if I will be back to UK in time for the summer, so I didn't try for the resale. But when I finally found out I was gonna come, I was coming back to UK, I did try to, I did send some cheeky emails here and there, and maybe let's say some cold calling, try to say, hey, if you have any position at Glastonbury or things like that, maybe I, I was hoping to find some last minute. Work or position. I had to skip volunteering because I was coming from far away again, so financials were a bit of a concern. So I was trying to maybe find a pay position. But now that I'm here and I'm sort of settling down again, potentially I could have tried volunteering as well. But wow, the sad story is it looks like unless there's a last-minute miracle, I won't be at Glastonbury for the second time in a row, which is a bit sad. And because I feel like Again, I'm happy I skipped it one year, and I think maybe it was a good year to, to do that. But now this year is sort of exciting again. You had an amazing last year, uh, and I feel like there's some changes happening with the festival, some new areas that are consolidating and other areas that are being sort of growing. So I was looking forward to go, but well, oh well, we're still gonna be here talking about it.

7:19Jessi Well, Miguel, I will be on site early, and if I hear that, I don't know, someone's broken their leg and they need a last-minute replacement, I will, I'll be putting you forward.

7:29Miguel I mean, let's find another motive other than someone breaking their leg.

7:33Jessi No, no, sorry, that was awful. But, you know, if, if someone, you know, last minute something happens and they can't be there, I'll see what I can do.

7:40Miguel What about you, Jess?

7:41Jessi Um, yeah, I mean, as always, my life has been pretty crazy. Um, Lots gone on since last year. Uh, you know, still with Ben, still got a dog, uh, still in South London, but I have changed job to a different agency. Uh, and I think I said this on a previous, like, I changed about 2 years ago as well. And this one is even like slightly more intense again. So, which is fine. Like, obviously, you know, I'm all for it. It's great. It's really making my brain work. But, uh, it does mean that the number of festivals I can do is probably reduced a bit this year. They seem pretty flexible, but Especially as I'm so new in role, I don't really want to be like, hi, can I have every Friday off and half of Monday off? So we'll see how many I actually get to, to be honest. Um, but yeah, I'm super excited, uh, for Glastonbury coming up. I was gonna, you know, I didn't want to interrupt you, um, but I was going to agree with you that tickets this year were abysmal, like really, really hard. And I know we say that every year, but You know, everybody knows I have this, uh, if you listen to this podcast, I mean, everybody knows that I have a large group of friends that all try. We actually had less of us this year that were trying, not by many, but it was smaller than usual. And after the first sale, we got 2 or 3 groups in the coach sale. So we were feeling pretty confident. And then the Sunday came and we got zero. We got no groups on the Sunday. And then the resale, sort of similar vibes. We got a few in the coach, um, and we managed to get, I think, one or maybe two in the mainsail. But yeah, it— the, the main point to make is that I was anxiety up to 100 because, you know, I always try— I know that obviously the last couple of years I've been with Ben, um, and last year I was his plus one. But, and this year Ben kept trying to reassure me, it'll be totally fine, you'll, you'll have my plus one. But I like to have a ticket. as the fallback because I'm always worried that, you know, whoever's arranging it, Ben's work, will say we can only give you 2 tickets this year, uh, for him and his boss, but we'll pay you extra or something like that. Like, because they always, every year it feels like they're squeezing the tickets available, right? So I was just saying to Ben, can you please contact them and just confirm that you'll get the tickets? And he was like, no, I can't do that. I just have to wait. And it was my group. Uh, in both the main sale and the resale, that was the final one that didn't get tickets. So I wouldn't be going if it wasn't for, you know, it was only, I think about 3 days after the resale, I got the email from Greenpeace, you know, that I had to fill in the form. And I was like, oh, like the relief when I got that email, the, you know, I've got something tangible in my inbox that means I'm going, you know.

10:25Miguel Well, you was, was the first, right? It was the first time that you couldn't get tickets.

10:31Jessi It was the first time that my group didn't. Yeah, because, because obviously I organized the, uh, spreadsheet. Normally, you know, people prioritize helping me or my group after they've got their own, but this year people only managed to get their own. We didn't have anyone that got in a second time for someone else.

10:47Miguel Yeah, no, similar experience with my, my whole big group as well.

10:51Jessi Nice. Yeah, it was, it was really, really hard. Um, and just as a result of that, just as a little update, we did have a few people that didn't get them. But so we've got, I've got one friend this year that managed to snag an Oxfam place in like early May or late April. So we've got one friend who's volunteering. And then one of my friends, people may have seen that because I was, I was a bit social media commenting mad at the time. One of my friends won the WaterAid competition.

11:19Miguel Oh, really?

11:19Jessi Uh, he's an amazing graphic designer and he was in my group. and didn't have a ticket, and he was so, so sad about it. And there's a few others that sadly haven't got tickets in that group as well, which is a bit of a downer for all of us. But Dan, uh, when I saw that competition come up, I immediately sent it to him, and I was like, if any— if this— if anyone's going to get this, it's got to be you. Because he's a— he loves tattoos. He's covered in tattoos, quite a few of which he's designed himself. He is a graphic designer for— I don't know if I can say this, I won't, but a very big toy company, let's say, that everybody knows and everybody had in their house as a child that involves bricks. And yeah, I was like, if anyone's gonna, you know, have a really good chance at this, it's you. And bless him, he submitted, uh, he was sending me all his designs that he was sketching out in his book, and he submitted, I think, 38 entries. And each one he'd drawn out first, then, uh, did on his— I don't know if it's an iPad or whatever, you know, did it digitally on top.

12:20Miguel Mm-hmm.

12:20Jessi Submitted them all. Uh, then he got an email saying that he'd been selected for the shortlist, but it didn't say which one. So we were all guessing like, which one is it? And then it was only when we saw the website which one it was. And then, yeah, so he went on to win that, which is amazing. So him and his lovely lady, uh, managed to get in. But, uh, the final point I was gonna say is that with my big group this year, we, I think the percentage of coach tickets to normal sale tickets was something like 80%. We got mostly coach tickets. And therefore, when we sat down to have a little— I say sat down, the WhatsApp group kicked off, um, talking about logistics and, you know, setting up our big ground camp. We realized that including me, who would have already been on site, we only had, uh, 6 humans to actually carry all the tents in. So we realized that this is not gonna happen. Like, 20 tents, 6 people, not gonna happen. Um, so my friends Between themselves have all decided to go and stay in one of the, you know, paid— I don't know if it's glamping, but it's a new one this year that you may have seen. It's called Holt Farm, um, and it's just by Gate D. And you can basically buy a pre-pitched 5-meter by 5-meter area. And then I think— I don't know how many pitches they bought in the end, but we bought a number to cover everyone, and then we emailed them to ask for them to be together. So Because that means people can arrive when they want, carry their tents on the coach, and they know that their pitch is going to be there, you know. So it takes the stress out of it and means that the logistics are a lot easier. So they're having a— they're on the complete opposite side of site to normal, by Gate D rather than up by the Pyramid. But they're all excited about having showers. I think they even have like, I don't know if it's saunas or hot tubs or both, but they've, yeah, they've got some pretty bougie stuff there.

14:06Miguel So you, you, well, you say it is glamping then.

14:08Jessi Well, yeah, actually, yeah, I guess it is, but they don't have, they're bringing their own stuff. They don't have a tent put up for them. They're not, you know, there's no bedding or anything like that.

14:16Miguel Jessi, you also expanded on the podcasting world, I think. Can you talk about that?

14:22Jessi Yeah. Um, I was actually a guest on a podcast. How exciting. I didn't think I was guest worthy, but here we are. Yeah. The lovely guys at Festival Sounds contacted me and just said if I wanted to come on and have a chat and I was very flattered and it was lovely. Um, and they were so sweet. And, you know, they were telling me that GlastoCast was like what inspired them to start a podcast about kind of the wider UK festival scene, which was lovely. And, uh, yeah, we had a good chat about it, you know, about GlastoCast, a little bit about Where's My Tent, um, and then just talking about how, you know, more people should be chatting about festivals and doing podcasts and stuff. So it was really, really lovely. Shout out to those guys. And, um, if you enjoy GlastoCast, honestly, you will Love Festival Sounds. Uh, it's Bilal and Tilly, and they're both lovely, um, really great voices for podcasts as well. Uh, we had a chat about that. They were very flattering about my voice. Um, but yeah, it was really, really good fun. So check them out if you haven't, uh, already.

15:20Miguel Fantastic. Well, Jessi, do you wanna have a quick conversation about Glastonbury Festival 2024? If you're just looking at the main poster, we're not gonna dive deep into the lineup, uh, when you saw the first poster, what was your— tell me your reaction to the first poster drop.

15:37Jessi Yeah, I mean, it was great. Um, it was, you know, poster came and there's lots of artists that I was like, ooh, ooh, ooh, on there. But as I think seems to have been a trend the last couple of years, I would say since about 2019, there wasn't really anyone that was a surprise. Like, the headliners were all the ones that people had rumored them to be. There wasn't like that big like, ooh, who— I didn't have no— I had no idea they were going to be on there. And look, that's so exciting. Um, but obviously there's some great, you know, like LCD Soundsystem, so excited for that. Like Avril Lavigne, I mean, why wouldn't you want some emo in the afternoon? I'm so excited for that. 13-year-old me would be very excited. Shania Twain as well will be hilarious. I could just imagine that in the sun. It'll be very Dolly Parton vibes, you know, very lots of dancing and stuff. That'd be good fun. But yeah, I mean, I was happy with it. I'm all— I'm always happy with it. And it's, you know, I, as we both know, I will have a good time whatever, and there's always something to see. But I do understand why people were a tiny bit disappointed because there wasn't really that surprise-ness about it. Obviously it's very hard to keep surprises in the music industry, isn't it? I think it's getting harder and harder. Someone will leak it.

16:52Miguel Yeah.

16:52Jessi But, um, yeah, the headliners, like, I might see a bit of Dua Lipa. Coldplay, of course, I am not bothered about, and I feel like, how many times are they gonna headline? Really? Come on. But, you know, I'm sure people will enjoy it. And SZA, like, I've actually started listening to SZA and I'm quite into it. It's sort of some modern R&B and it's actually really nice. But will I go and see her? I don't know. So I get the disappointment some people may have had. Um, but for me, there's still enough on there and I know I'm gonna have a fabulous time.

17:24Miguel Amazing.

17:25Jessi Yeah.

17:25Miguel I mean, for me, I think I mentioned before, I always get excited when there's a band I really like and they're playing like a top spot at the festival, like the year we had The Cure and then we have Radiohead. And this year for me will be LCD Soundsystem, which, so, uh, but at the same time, it sounds a bit crazy. They're sub-headlining the Pyramid. I'm not sure how it's going to be received, but I would have a fantastic time there. But I think my main thoughts, if I look back at the poster, is less distinction between the stages. If you just look at the headliners, if at the Other Stage you have IDLES, Disclosure, and The National, and West Holts you have Jungle, Jessi Ware, and Justice, if you change the name of the stages, it would also work.

18:08Jessi Yeah.

18:09Miguel Do you understand what I'm trying to say? Then you look at Woodseats, Jamie XS, Gossip, and James Blake. if I would say it was actually the Other Stage headliner, uh, you would have like, oh, that sounds weird. So I think looking at the lineup, how it's spread out in the poster, it feels like there's less distinction between the stages. So you got a little bit more that idea that every stage is sort of like a mini festival, uh, on their own. It's like it's a little bit lost this year, if you know what I'm trying to say.

18:36Jessi Yeah.

18:36Miguel The Park, for instance, you got Fontaines DC headlining the Park, easily be at the Other Stage.

18:41Jessi Yeah.

18:41Miguel And Jungle, who is in West Holts, just did Alpine Feast last year. Again, you would accept them on Woodseas or Other Stage as well. So, uh, if— when I just put my eyes at the poster, I have the poster open here in front of me, I think that's what kind of— that's the thought that came to me really. It feels like a sort of indie alternative pop rock, everything sort of like— I don't want to say too vanilla, but it feels like you can change If you change the name on top of each of the stages there, if you just switch them around, it works as well. And then I don't know, I don't know what I, what that means.

19:17Jessi Yeah, I mean, I agree. I'm, I, I like that in that respect, in a way it's spread out and therefore, well, I guess it's always Clash City, but, um, you know, uh, people who have a certain music taste might be more likely to move around the site, I guess, which is one maybe mini bonus, but I do agree. I do agree. I do like the, uh, lots of females dotted about as well, like Peggy Gou. I would love to go to that, but I feel I have— I was about to say a love-hate, but it's kind of a hate-hate relationship with the park. I've never had a good time there because I— even when I try and get there early, it's never early enough to be able to hear it well. So I don't know if I'll go to that. But Jessi Ware as well, I saw her at Hootland. She was amazing. I also saw her at Alexandra Palace, uh, I think it was November last year, but She will be phenomenal. Um, got The Gossip, as you mentioned, as well. Like, incredible. So happy with the number of females. I hate the term females, why am I saying that? Happy with the number of women. But yeah, I do agree that it feels a little bit more blended, let's say, but less distinction.

20:19Miguel Yeah. Uh, but now that you mentioned the name of women, definitely was a year with less drama lineup-wise. Yeah, the way it was released. Uh, although it felt like it took a long time. I don't know why this year felt like, well, why is the full lineup, where the main poster? Feel like people were more anxious, but, but it finally came and, and here and, and hashtag lineup don't matter.

20:42Jessi Yeah. I mean, just on that, like the rumors that the reason it took so long is because Madonna was on it originally and then pulled out. So yeah, yeah, yeah. Just going to put that out there. You know, it's a rumor, who knows, but yeah.

20:54Miguel Yeah, you did mention there wasn't much in terms of surprises, but yeah, at one point Madonna was, was around the rumor mills. I think Stevie Wonder name was, was being thrown around. So yeah, maybe that is some behind-the-scenes drama that we don't fully know, but at least there was no one complaining about where their name is on the poster.

21:15Jessi Exactly.

21:16Miguel Which again, actually speaking of that, uh, they, they didn't use the alphabetical order, which is quite interesting.

21:22Joe Speaking of—

21:22Jessi Yeah, I did notice that. I thought you would I knew you'd pick that up as well. I was like, yeah, we all thought that.

21:27Miguel So to be honest, maybe that's why it felt like it took ages, because they had to— they gave themselves this trouble of how do we— what's the order of importance here? So it brings out this sort of discussions or decisions on how do you order artists. Uh, the alphabetic is just much easier, but I do appreciate a poster where they give me some order of importance.

21:49Joe I don't know.

21:51Miguel It's ups and downs, ups and downs on both approaches.

21:53Jessi For sure. So it's amazing to be back, and thank you for listening again. I know that we are not very regular with these podcasts. We've said it before, it's all around our— well, firstly, if we've got something to say, but then also around our very busy schedules. But we are hoping to get at least one more episode out before the festival, and I really want to do one or two after as well. We'll obviously see how it goes. I know we always do this call out, but we really, really would love to have stories from you guys. Um, me and Miguel could talk for hours, but most of the things, uh, we say you've heard before, and we don't want to repeat ourselves. So it would be wonderful to get some more voices on the podcast. So even if you have just a little story of something happened to you last year, or maybe in the run-up to this year's festival, maybe your ticket buying story, maybe you've never been before, um, we do have a voice note submission area on the website. I will tweet a link to it, but if you go on glastocast.co.uk and then look on our menu, you'll be able to see the voice note submission, and you can click on that from your phone, press record, uh, and then when you're happy with it, you can send it through. So you do get more than one chance, um, and we'd love to hear your stories and put them in the podcast. So Please do send them in, uh, before, during, or after the festival. Why not? So who's our guest for this episode? We are joined by Joey, who's a Glasto veteran, and we're just going to be chatting stories. We wanted to have another voice as our kind of, you know, return to 2024 episode, and Joey has been going to Glastonbury for many, many years. We're just gonna be talking about some of their experiences, any funny stories they might have to say. And also he's gonna be talking about going to the festival as a parent, which is pretty cool. So let's get Joey on. Joe, do you wanna say hi?

23:57Joe Yeah. Hello everybody. Um, thank you for having me, Miguel, uh, and Jessi. It's, yeah, it's really exciting to be here.

24:05Jessi Amazing. Well, we've got a bit of a, you know, we'll just see how this conversation goes, but the first question we always ask everyone is, You know, what is your connection to Glastonbury? Like, how did it all start?

24:18Joe So for me, I grew up a little over 10 miles from the site, so about 25 minutes from the site. Um, I had a set of parents that weren't overly sort of festival orientated, so I guess my first, my first memories of Glastonbury and the festival being on was when there would be, uh, There would be, um, there would be people that would obviously post-festival— this was, I wouldn't actually know the festival was going on— then post-festival I would see, uh, all manner of, uh, of people who were holding cardboard, uh, with writing on asking to go to certain places because the festival had finished and they didn't have a lift home. So they'd be thumbing lifts in our local area. So that was sort of my first memory. And then I can't really remember much until about possibly 2004. And I can remember quite vividly back in the days when you used to have to record things on your TV using a VHS tape, recording some Glastonbury highlights. And I distinctly remember seeing or recording and then watching it the next day, at least, that The Killers in the— I think it was then maybe the New Bands tent, which then went on to from John Peel. Um, and yeah, just seeing them perform Mr. Brightside, and I was like, well, I've got to get there. And that was when I was 15. And then I attended my first festival the following year. And obviously we're going to touch upon me being— living quite local and sort of the benefits that has. But, um, I went on the Sunday, and yeah, I have— it's grown ever since then for me.

25:54Jessi Love that. Uh, what did your parents used to say when they saw all the people with bits of cardboard? Because I know my parents would be like, Oh, there's those scruffy hippies that have been at that festival, is the sort of thing my parents would say.

26:09Joe It was very much that, to be honest. Yeah. Amazing. I certainly don't come from a background whereby, yeah, my parents had ever gone to the festival and wouldn't, in comparison to me, who's really into music and festivals and what have you. They were sort of the complete opposite. So yeah, and it's quite a middle-class part of England that I guess we grew up in. Seeing, uh, seeing sort of, you know, the origins of the people that would go to Glastonbury, uh, sort of the traveling community, etc., is a bit like, yeah, Glastonbury's been on when I was asking questions.

26:42Jessi Amazing. And my parents would be totally the same, to be honest.

26:45Miguel What age were you back in 2005?

26:48Joe So 2005, when I first went, I was 16.

26:51Miguel And so you— what your motivation was then from seeing it on TV and then realizing, hey, This is just around the corner. I need to be there. Would you get some friends to go with you?

27:02Joe Funnily enough, one of the benefits of living local is the fact that you get the option to buy a Sunday day ticket. And yeah, my parents were sort of only comfortable with me doing that initially on the sort of proviso that they joined me, albeit I didn't have to spend the time with them. So a friend did come with me as well. But they just wanted to be on site, Jess, I guess, from, you know, all of what they'd heard goes on at Glastonbury around those sort of early days. So yeah, they were on site. We didn't spend any time with them. But yeah, that was one of the— that was the first time that I went when I was 16.

27:41Jessi I love the, like, parent logic of, like, I'm on site, everything will be fine. But the site even then was so huge that you're just like, yeah, see ya at the end of the day.

27:50Joe I know, and they almost fell in love with it as much as me. They, I think they spent a lot of the day in the, uh, sort of the green fields and in the, uh, I think it's the sauna, uh, where you don't have to wear very many clothes. So they sort of fully embraced the hippie element of the festival as soon as they got there.

28:08Jessi Brilliant. I was gonna say, actually, it was funny, like last year my mum said to me, she was like, do you know what, actually, I feel like I would like to do Glastonbury, if I could just go for the day. And then I was telling her about the Sunday locals tickets and she was thinking about it and I was like, there is no way that my— but maybe they would enjoy being those classic Sunday, you know, get a chair, sit at the pyramid and not move. But they definitely would be going to the sauna and stuff. Fair play to your parents. Yeah.

28:35Miguel So very, very quickly they went, go on, Joey, go find something for you to do.

28:39Joe Yeah, it was very much a, we're here if we're here, if you, uh, if you need us, you go off. But, uh, okay, cool. Yeah, it's, uh, I think at 16 and given sort of, you know, the, I guess what a lot of people associate with Glastonbury, it was probably quite a sensible idea from a parental point of view.

28:55Jessi Well, that's a bit— so I was gonna say, uh, also, you know, my, my boyfriend lives in the area, so I've heard a bit about this and his mum has been on a Sunday, um, just the day tickets. But can you just talk a little bit about what that looks like? Uh, you know, maybe the ticket buying process, but then also like on the day, what, what happens?

29:14Joe Yeah, so the ticket buying process, I do have a friend that lives what I would call really local. I think his children may even go to the same school as Emily Eavis's children, but he doesn't, and he has security at the end of his road, but even he doesn't get free tickets. So the free ticket catchment area, if you like, which I think is quite a common misconception that all local tickets are free or nigh on, but yeah, that Simply isn't the case. And you could almost cast a net over the amount of houses and the amount of people that actually fall within the free ticket area. And then outside of that, the locals— I say us locals, but I don't live that close— but the local tickets are tiered. So you've got a tier 1 and a tier 2, and tier 1 being the villages that sit directly outside of the radius that get free tickets. They get about, I think it's about half an hour or an hour. on the sort of nominated local ticket day to purchase their tickets, which obviously gives them a better chance. And then the sort of the net widens to Tier 2, which obviously are just outside of Tier 1. And then obviously it's a paid-for ticket. You, I don't want to say you're more or less guaranteed a ticket because I do know of people that have missed out in the local ticket sales, but obviously it gives you that sort of second chance, if you like, if you're also going to try and the normal ticket sale to get a ticket. And then sort of following on from that, you have the Sunday tickets, which I think is a sale that perhaps follows the sort of the tier 2 sale immediately after that. And yeah, I think this year they're about £130 for the day. It's gone up significantly since I think it was about £25 when I first attended. And then with your Sunday ticket, from the local area, the festival put on coaches. So you get the option to obviously get a coach down. And obviously, if you've got friends down there, you can choose to stay for the night, because obviously, being the last day, it doesn't matter if you're going to go into the Monday. And yeah, so you get your free coach travel within that. And yeah, the buses, I think the last bus back is sort of about 20 minutes after the headliners finish on the Sunday. So it is quite a quick run or jog back to the bus if you want to catch the last one back.

31:30Miguel I'm not sure if I'm changing the subject, but, uh, wasn't 2005 one of the famous years with a lot of rain? I think 2005 and then 2007, usually they are kind of paired together with 2016, if I'm not mistaken, as one of the worst, uh, weather-wise, uh, years.

31:46Joe It was indeed. And obviously being a Sunday ticket holder on that year was actually a benefit because By the time Sunday rolled around, all of the rain had gone. Because I think in 2005, most of the rain fell. I think there was about 2 months, 3 months worth of rain in about 2 or 3 hours on the Friday night, which is what did the damage to the site in 2005. So by the time I rocked up on the Sunday, I was well prepared. I knew I needed wellies, which obviously the same can't be said for, I guess, some of the people down there. But although I think one chap was so prepared, he had a canoe. Um, but, um, yeah, it's, uh, yeah, I was— and then obviously 2007, I think, from what I— it gets a bit hazy, I must admit. I'm only 35, but I do feel like Glastonbury's given me memory of a 65-year-old. But, um, the, uh, yeah, I've got a feeling 2007 might have been a bit wetter in the evening. But again, because I've been to quite a few now, the weather, the sort of the the weather between each does fade into each other.

32:49Miguel So you, since then, you've been to every edition of the festival, or?

32:54Joe Yeah, so from the first, so from 2005, I've been to every festival. I did the, the Sunday only in 2005 and 2007 because I couldn't get a week— I didn't, I wasn't lucky enough to get a weekend ticket in 2007, so I had to settle for the Sunday again. But then since then, I've done every festival for the full week.

33:13Jessi Amazing.

33:14Joe 5 days.

33:14Jessi And as a ticket holder each time, or any working or volunteering or anything?

33:18Joe I, I, as a ticket holder each time, although last year I did do, uh, volunteer through Oxfam. So I did, uh, volunteer through Oxfam last year. Um, I wasn't sure if I was gonna go, and then I sort of got the FOMO and thought, oh, I will. And I got a last sort of Last-minute Oxfam place, and I think it's only about 2 or 3 weeks before, uh, the festival last year. But it was quite nice because I've— I know it's gonna sound insane to a lot of the people that are listening to this, but because I've done so many, it got a bit repetitive in a way. So it was— and I'd always wanted to sort of give something back, I guess, and do the festival differently.

34:00Miguel Well, I, I 100% relate to that, and, uh, I did skip last year's edition. And since then I've been saying, I think next time I go, I want to be involved again somehow, like I did in 2014, because I always say that was my first, my best year at Glastonbury and it's the year I volunteered because I completely relate to what you're saying and I kind of want to try that again.

34:23Jessi Yeah. And we've talked about it on the podcast before. We said, like, I don't agree with the bit that it gets repetitive. That's the one that I don't. But that's only because I'm really obsessive and I'm sure you are as well. But, um, I know what you mean, as in every year you sort of do the same thing and it, it's nice to change it up. And we've talked about it, as I said, like that participating in it and like being crew is a whole other, you know, ball game. And I say that as someone who has a crew wristband but actually doesn't have to do— I mean, doesn't have to do much work. I shouldn't really say that, but even then, you know, I try and pitch in and, and do what I can and it just feels so great to be a part of it, to see it all come together. And then feel like even, you know, it's only 0.00001%, but you're like, I contributed to this. It's a really nice feeling.

35:10Joe Yeah, absolutely. And I must admit, I, I was very fortunate with the shifts I got given. In fact, I think I only missed sort of 2 hours of music and I didn't have any night shifts. And that was pure luck of the draw. It was just, you know, the shift gods sort of shining or smiling down on me. And it did the sort of the one reason I wanted to go because I wanted to take my daughter, which I know we're going to talk about a bit later on. But, and my shifts, thankfully, obviously, you don't pick your shifts, but they allowed me to bring her down on the Thursday. And obviously, that's another sort of benefit to living local in that, you know, you can be quite flexible in the amount of time that if you wanted to spend at the festival, or if you've got children, and you want to sort of have a couple of days with those guys, you know, down there enjoying everything that it has to offer. And then also being able to have— I'll put this in inverted commas— but, uh, adult playtime once they, uh, they go home to their grandparents.

36:07Jessi Amazing.

36:08Miguel How, how— so from going the first time with your parents, how did it progress throughout the years? So you have your Glasto crew now?

36:15Joe Yeah, so we've got— we've got sort of a core Glastonbury group. And over the years, we've had, you know, people come for a couple of years, then not for, you know, whatever reasons, carry on, and vice versa. And we're all sort of, you know, 30 to 40. And we've even got a 60-year-old as part of our group who comes down. And yeah, so we sort of, like I said, we've got a core group. And then depending on people's circumstances that given year, they might choose to come down, they might buy a ticket or not pay it off. Um, and so yeah, we've got a good group. Um, and like I say, it's gone from a sort of when we were all younger to hammering our bodies in all senses, uh, for 5 days to being a bit more, uh, I guess level-headed about the way that we, uh, approach the festival now.

37:04Miguel More like an Avalon acoustic stage type of guy now.

37:08Joe Miguel, you, you've hit the nail on the head.

37:10Jessi Amazing.

37:12Joe Yeah, I would probably say that I spend most of my time in the Avalon Inn these days.

37:16Jessi Oh, it is good in there, to be fair. I mean, me and Miguel are similar age to you, and, uh, we are— well, because probably because we're childless, we are still hammering our bodies, unfortunately, when we go. Uh, I don't know how many years of that I've got left in me, but we'll see. Um, I was going to ask you, Joe, like, before we get into, you know, more recent times, but like, are there any stories that stand out from kind of the middle years? I'm the same as you in that Things get hazy. I can't remember exactly which year things were and, you know, what the weather was like. But, you know, from that kind of 2011, 2013 sort of era, were there any, like, I don't know, bands that stood out or stories that you've got?

37:52Joe Yeah, and I, I will apologize before I delve into it in case there are any people that are sat in their cars traveling and listening to this and sort of fact-checking me as I go along. But, um, yeah, so I, I think obviously Metallica stands out for me. Obviously, that was Glastonbury's first sort of foray into a heavier style of rock music. So that was amazing. Around that time, I guess we had the Rolling Stones as well, which again, I think you've mentioned on the podcast before, Jessi, was one of your favorites. And so yeah, that was amazing to see. But I mean, going slightly earlier from 2011, 2010 is probably my most In terms of the festivals, I think because the weather in the festivals in the lead-up to that one was so bad, or had been bad, and you'd always needed wellies at some point. 2010, I just remember the sort of the vibes in the field prior to Stevie Wonder coming on. And it was that Sunday headliner, sort of perfect sunset. We'd had 5 days of blistering hot sunshine. And just that sort of vibe where people were like, oh my God, we've got through an entire Glastonbury wearing trainers and the weather's been amazing. And then of course Stevie Wonder came out and smashed it out of the park. I think that, in terms of all the festivals I've gone to, I think that that performance and sort of the lead-up to it when they're playing the songs even beforehand, there was something magical in the air that night. So that would be my sort of standout. And then I guess, I'm trying to think who's been on in between times. Kanye West. That was an interesting performance for reasons. Um, I can't really remember who we— you might need to remind me who we've had in between times.

39:35Jessi No, no, that's good. I was gonna say that 2010 year was amazing. And like, that's one of the hazy ones for me just because it was— I was only there with a couple of friends and it was still in my early days of Glastonbury. But I totally remember that Pyramid Stage. It like, it almost vibrates, you know. You're sort of stood there and it's like Anticipation but joy. And I was going to liken it to Elton John, was probably the similar sort of in my mind in that just that build-up to it and then the perfect sunset behind the Pyramid Stage. And, you know, then this like incredible, well, piano musician turns out there, but, you know, obviously the likeness is obviously quite obvious. But, um, yeah, I, I do remember that same feeling and it was, yeah, similar for me at Elton.

40:20Miguel And do you have any, any Glastonbury rituals that you like to follow every year or something that you haven't done so far until then, until now?

40:29Joe Um, I mean, it's, I guess the first Glastonbury ritual, which probably I could go into that takes place most years is, uh, we all tend, I actually take my tent down, but camp in the, the campervan fields. 'Cause a lot of my friends have got caravans and campervans and what have you. And we'll always meet in a cafe. a local cafe outside and convoy down. So I guess our first ritual is to have a big breakfast on, I guess, what you could class as our final piece of proper crockery before we go into the festival and we're eating from cardboard for the rest, for the next 5 days. So that's probably our first ritual. And then I guess, see it watching the sunset on that Tuesday evening from the top of what's known as Cardiac Hill and watching the sunset. And then I guess on Wednesday that we We've always previously gone to watch Mick Artistic in, I think it's the Croissant Neuf bandstand area, and that's sort of the official almost sort of kickoff, and then wander down to the original furrow and sort of start dancing the night away. But yeah, I must admit, in terms of rituals, aside from that, I guess the only other one is everyone brings their kids down on a Thursday. Thursday is— we've always sort of designated as Children's day, and then they generally go home and get dropped off back to the grandparents of the Thursday evening, ready for, as I mentioned before, that's the adult playtime.

41:52Jessi Amazing. So, so they just do the Thursday, so they come, someone drops them off Thursday morning, you have a big day in the Kidzfield, and then you're like, cool, you can go back to Grandma's or whoever's there.

42:01Joe Yeah, it depends. So sometimes they— sometimes my friends will take their children down, they'll come down with us on the Tuesday. And they'll have the Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with us. Obviously, the Kidzfield isn't open on a Wednesday, so they stay until Thursday, have this. But there's enough going on around the festival to keep an adult's mind busy, let alone a child's. So yeah, and then on the Thursday, they go into the Kidzfield for a bit. And yeah, then someone will sort of almost minibus them out and drop everyone's children off at their relevant grandparents. And they have Free days. I love that.

42:41Jessi It sounds like you've got— you know, they say it raises— you know, needs— was it you need a village to raise a child? It sounds like you've got the village sorted, you guys.

42:49Joe Yeah. Yeah.

42:51Jessi So what's it like? Uh, let's dive into the parent thing then. And I know you've got a couple of, you know, maybe only a year or two experience with this, but you're friends with kids as well. Uh, you said you're in the camper vans and things. Do you think it would be possible in a tent as a family? Without the campervan, you know, nearby?

43:07Joe I, I think so. I think so, yeah. I mean, kids are pretty resilient, and yeah, providing you, you know, you've got every— you take everything you need. And even if you don't, the festival's incredible for the amount of sort of wraparound care for children that it can give. There's designated areas for breastfeeding if you've got You know, younger children, and obviously changing areas and sensory areas, and that's scattered across the site. And I think a lot of people will think that everything's in the Kidzfield, but obviously Green Fields has quite a lot for kids going on. And the Glastonbury-on-Sea is, I mean, as an adult, you could spend half a day there. So yeah, from a child sort of being smaller and seeing everything as bigger, then yeah, it's incredible. So I definitely think that, You can do it in a tent. You'd probably need quite a big tent. But yeah, it's definitely possible. And I mean, I think I read at some point that someone who was heavily pregnant went offsite, had their baby over in Chatham Manor Hospital or Yeovil Hospital, and then came back onto site.

44:20Jessi Wow.

44:21Joe So I mean, if she can do it, everyone else can as well.

44:25Jessi That's a really good point. You know, I, I obviously speaking as someone who doesn't have the experience of this, but I think a lot of people would probably be really daunted by like, oh God, you know, let alone the packing list, but like, what if this happens? What if this happens? But your point there about kids are resilient, like, that's what I'm learning from my friends that have kids as well. And they've, they've, they're obviously very first child, a bit panicky at the beginning, but you learn like, you know what, As long as I've got the basics, and as long as I've got my head together, like, we can— nothing's gonna really faze you, is it? So—

45:00Joe And you can make it work. And don't get me wrong, you know, having— if, you know, if you've attended Glastonbury or any festival for X amount of years, and then you, you know, suddenly introduce a child into the equation, that is going to alter your experience. But I would be mindful to say that I would say, if anything, it makes it more positive because you then you look at it through a child's eyes and you think, well, this place has been incredible for me. And then you end up discovering new places because obviously if you haven't got a child, then you wouldn't necessarily have any reason to go into Kidzfield. And you go into the Kidzfield and you think, this is incredible. It's, yeah. I sound like a cheerleader for the Kidzfield, but yeah, it is. I mean, I think it's— I was looking today because I obviously knew I was going to be talking about the Kidzfield. It's Europe's largest open-air free festival for kids, and it's included within our ticket price, which I think is just amazing.

46:01Jessi Yeah, I was like, I'm getting all tingly sitting here. I'm like, oh, maybe I might have— no, I'm not. I'm not saying that. But I think you're right. Like, the idea— I'm thinking about my best friend's son. And I'm like, to see him enjoy Glastonbury and like just everything that you see and do and experience, like, yeah, that would just be wonderful. Let's, let's get into the Kidzfield then. So I remember, I think this year I've heard people talking about it as well, but I remember previous years when it's been, uh, Basil Brush and like Dynamo and stuff, and people have been joking online beforehand going, has anyone got a child I can borrow so I can go in and see this? But what's it like in there? What's, you know, what I imagine it's quite big and things.

46:44Joe It is bigger than you would probably think, and that's from an adult's point of view. So from a child's point of view, it's, it's almost a new world. And the Kidzfield crew makes such an effort to make sure that sort of from the moment you step into that field, the kids' minds, the, you know, the sensory overload that they get from the walkabout performers to the music there to obviously they've got the Big Top, which you've mentioned, where, you know, you can see Dynamo and Basil Brush, etc. And yeah, the kids' experience is made by the kids' crew. So I can't sort of doff my cap enough to them because they make it such a special place for a child to be. And obviously they're dealing with children from weeks old potentially to up to 12 and 13, and maybe even slightly older than that. And they've got everything there from, you know, there's a playground, there's a massive giant, the biggest sandpit you can ever imagine. Children can go and make things and everything is free. Everything in that field is free. So it's, yeah, it's an incredible place to be. And as an adult who, you know, if you've got a slightly older child, Then you can, you know, plonk yourself in a certain place, say, look, we're going to be here, you know, go on and explore. And they can take themselves off, explore. It feels as safe as anywhere in the world. And, uh, yeah, it's, it's— I, I can't speak highly enough of, you know, everything that they do. And I think it's really good that, uh, if you look at the festival social media channels, that they always make a big deal of the Kidzfield crew arriving in this double-decker red bus that they've got, and they're all outside banging their pots and pans. And it's really nice to see that, you know, the festival considers that area of the festival such, you know, as important, if not more important, than the main stages. So it's really good that they put so much effort into it because, yeah, you know, the young sort of Kidzfield attendees of today are the, you know, the Pyramid Stage attendees of a few years' time. So yeah, it's really important to sort of lay those foundations, I think.

48:57Miguel Thanks for sharing. I thought that— I love the, the final conclusion there, the future attendees.

49:03Jessi Yeah, wonderful. I mean, yeah, they could be the Pyramid headliners, who knows?

49:08Joe Exactly. That's what I'm banking on with my daughter. She's my pension fund.

49:13Jessi Yeah, I've heard that in there there's loads of not, not only crafts and stuff, but Uh, you know, you can learn instruments, you can do this, that, and the other. Like, sounds brilliant, really.

49:23Joe It is. And a lot of it is focused on, you know, the planet, the environment, and, you know, everything with, like, sort of everything within there, you know, as, as well as being fun to a child, is educational in its own way. Uh, you know, a lot of the stuff they'll use will be recycled. Um, And obviously the big playground that they've got at the back is sort of painted again each year. It's not something that they sort of take down and have to remake or anything like that. So yeah, it's an incredible place. And yeah, it's testament to the crew that are within it that they manage to not only do their jobs and their roles within the Kidzfield, but I would assume that they're also having a festival themselves as well. So to turn up each day with a smile, if perhaps your head's a little bit fuzzy, is, is, uh, something better than I could probably do.

50:19Jessi Yeah, I can't imagine the energy needed to, like, you know, be around kids for however many hours. So that's amazing. Um, I remember seeing the big pink castle when I was there for Worthy Pastures, and that's like the first time, obviously, I'd ever seen that. And I was like, this is amazing. It's like a big giant pink— is it a castle? But it's a big play sculpture.

50:38Joe Yeah, it sort of doubles up as a castle and a ship, and everything is sort of really well thought of. And there's lots of little things that would sort of, that are written and signs around and about that would sort of go over a child's head, but are sort of adult humor. So I think there's a, there's a sign that sticks in my mind, and that within that castle that says something along the lines of, uh, unattended children will be given caffeine and a puppy or something like that. It's just little things that, you know, to a child does not mean a lot, but to an adult, it's, it's, uh, yeah, it can be quite funny. So yeah, it's a great area for parents as well as children.

51:16Jessi Um, just another, I guess, quick question on that. And, and obviously I can imagine the packing list would be monumental, but is there like one or two things that you can say, if I'm coming to Glastonbury or any big festival, with a child, something that someone might not have thought of, not the obvious like baby wipes and this, that, and the other, but is there anything that you're like, this is something that would really, really make your experience a lot easier or better?

51:43Joe I'd say, and this sounds quite simple, and again, it seems quite silly to say something like this when we've had 4 or 5 consecutive sunny festivals, but a bin liner, because if a child wants to sit down, they want to sit down and they want to sit down now. And if you've got a bin liner handy, then the floor is your seat. Whereas if you haven't, then it could create quite an atmosphere between you and said child, and that's no good for anyone, especially the parent or even anyone in the vicinity. So I, it sounds lame, but bin liner. And I guess things you could also, I know, and I get, again, this sounds quite simple, but the, protective headphones as well, because obviously the sound systems that you've got down at Glastonbury can pump out the sound like you've never heard it before. So I would say that. And yeah, it's just, I guess, comfortable. And this is quite silly, but comfortable footwear as well. Because, because again, once a child starts moaning, and they want to do something now, and that might be take those shoes off, then yeah, they want to do it now. And you might end up having to carry a child around for the whole day.

52:53Jessi Yeah, I mean, Bin Laden is not lame. Like, that's Clever. I, when you said it, I thought you meant like back at the tent or something, but actually that makes perfect sense. Um, okay, cool. And I'm guessing like pockets lined with snacks as well is probably quite a good, good one.

53:05Joe Yeah, yeah. Although obviously again, Glastonbury is one of those places where you're, you're never more than a stone's throw away from the most amazing food. I think, uh, last year my daughters, I think it was the Hippie Chippy, I think Somewhere in the Theatre and Circus fields. But yeah, it's, yeah, like you say, snacks. Um, and obviously also for children that perhaps aren't, yes, well enamored with walking long distances, then you've probably seen a lot of parents will carry or will take the big, uh, sort of 4-wheeled trucks down with them so that the child's got a place to, uh—

53:47Jessi Yeah, I was gonna mention those actually, because, uh, Firstly, whenever I see kids having a little snooze in one of those, I'm like, why, why is someone not pulling me around while I can have a nap in the middle of things? Um, but secondly, I've, I've seen parents— I'm not, I'm not saying they're out till like silly hours in the morning, but I've seen parents like— I'm sure there was some at Arcadia last year at about 11:30 midnight, and they were just starting, obviously right at the back. I'm not saying they were, you know, under the spider or anything, but, you know, just having a nice time, mum and dad. And then they had their 2 kids asleep with their, you know, ear protectors on and all snugged in. And I was like, brilliant, they can, you know, still have a little dance before going to bed and, you know, not disrupt their bedtime. So I love that.

54:28Joe Yeah. And those, those trolleys are absolutely brilliant as well, because if the child is doing something or wants to walk between stages or wherever you're going, and your friend has one of these trolleys, you can unload your bag and give your shoulders a rest for a bit. So if you've got friends that do have children, take those trolleys. I would always recommend taking your bag off and giving your shoulders a rest for a bit. And it's also good, obviously, when it's parked up that you can rather than put your bag on the floor, you can put it in the— obviously, if your friends are kind enough to let you, you can pop your bag in the trolley.

55:03Jessi Well, thank you for that, Joe. Honestly, so many people have asked us to do like a parents and kids episode, and I realise this is not the full, full focus of our chat. Maybe hopefully in the future we might be able to get a Kidzfield crew on the podcast because they sound great fun. Um, but thank you for giving us at least an overview and, and I guess mainly reassurance to people who might be doing it for the first time. I'm sure this will be super, super helpful for them. And genuinely, I might be joining you to come in the Kidzfield because I want to go and have a look. It sounds brilliant.

55:33Miguel Amazing. Um, so Joy, Joy, moving on because you've been going for so long, I have a more, uh, maybe challenging question. Uh, which is, uh, of course you've seen the festival evolve, uh, so much since you first attended 2005. So is there any changes you particularly love or miss?

55:51Joe Um, I think sort of this probably— I might move on to perhaps what I miss, but the, the biggest change I probably noticed is the amount of people that turn up on the Wednesday now. When I first went sort of for the weekend in 2008, It was a fairly sparse crowd on the Wednesday and the Thursday, and it was probably ramped up on the sort of Thursday evening as people arrived in anticipation of the Friday. But it's incredible how busy it is now. And I must admit, in 2022, I, yeah, I think you've, you guys have touched on, you know, on it in the podcast before, but yeah, it's, and I think the train strikes that were happening around that time probably played quite a big part in this, but Yeah, it was incredibly busy. And yeah, it does feel busier now. I guess that's not too much of a surprise given, I guess, the people's sort of, yes, they want to, you know, for the ticket price now, you want to make it value for money. And a lot of people will see that in terms of the amount of time that they spend down at the farm. So yeah, it's, I think the busyness has probably been one thing that I've noticed. But I think the festival does a really good job in sort of not letting things or areas get too stale. I think we've obviously seen sort of the regeneration of the, you know, the Woodseas area now. It's, I think there's a, there's an, they're making an addition to that area this year. And obviously the team that they've got in looking after Silver Hayes now, when I first went, it was I think that sort of the dance or the electronic music offering consisted of, I think they were called the East Dance Tent and the West Dance Tent or something along those lines. And there might have been another sound system perhaps in that vicinity, but there wasn't too much in terms of, you know, dance or electronic music. Whereas now obviously you've got, you know, Silver Hayes, and I think there's probably about 4 or 5 sort of stages within that. And then Also, obviously on the opposite side of the site, you've got like the late night area. Um, and I'm not sure, I don't remember when I first went that being such a big offering, which is obviously great for those that, you know, the night owls that like to be out until 4 or 5 o'clock in the morning. Um, so yeah, it's, it's, I think it might have been sort of Lost Vagueness, which you guys might have heard it referred to before when I first went. Um, which I think was Renowned for even more debauchery than, uh, what the late-night area is, uh, linked to these days. But yeah, it's like I say, the festival's always done pretty good at, you know, regenerating areas that have gone a bit stale. So yeah, I certainly can't knock them in that regard. I don't know that I miss anything in particular. I guess there's probably a few food stalls, and that— I know that sounds sad.

58:46Jessi RIP the Growler is all I'm gonna say. RIP the Growler. Yeah.

58:50Joe And I used to, when I first went, I used to remember that there's sort of one of the late night offerings, although obviously it was completely unofficial, used to be the wine bars. And they used to have a massive inflatable, I think it might've been a champagne or wine bottle on the top of them. And they were one of those places, they'd be playing cheesy hits and what have you, a bit like the Brothers Bar sort of has become these days. And yeah, there would just be loads of people outside of a tiny wine bar, raving the night away.

59:21Miguel Were you attending Lost Vagueness back then?

59:23Joe I don't know the year that that came in off the top of my head, but it's given that 2005 and 2007 I was on the day ticket, so I had to get the coach back. I don't think that I— yeah, I don't know if I ever went in it, but as it was Lost Vagueness, but Yeah, I think my first sort of memory, I guess, of the— that sort of that area would be when the Arcadia guys, I guess it was in their early days, and they used to have, I think it was called the Lords of Lightning show, where it was these 2, you know, 2 people just firing lightning at each other, which, again, you don't really get at many, many other festivals. And as quite a young adult at the time, I was thinking, what on earth is this? And obviously then that spawned into Arcadia, the Spider, and sort of, you know, as it is now. So yeah, that, like I say, nothing I missed, but yeah, a lot has changed, probably too much than I can mention or remember.

1:00:28Jessi So to be clear, when you were 16 and you went your first year and your parents were there, you didn't go to them, sorry guys, I'll see you on Monday, I'm staying the night then?

1:00:38Joe No, I did, you know, I don't think I would have gotten away with that, unfortunately. Um, like I say, 2007 would have probably been more— that would have been more attractive to me, uh, when I was 18. But yeah, it's, it's one of those that I think at the time I still wasn't sure what—

1:00:53Jessi Yeah, no, no, no.

1:00:54Joe I didn't want to get in trouble. Um, and obviously that's the only reason that you can do a day ticket on a Sunday is because if you do stay down there, You know, you're not making a mockery of those that have bought a weekend ticket by stealing a day's music.

1:01:07Jessi And you'd have your parents, uh, your parents would probably have to come and pick you up. So I get that. I get it. Yeah.

1:01:13Joe And that, yeah. And I can't imagine back then that the, uh, the mobile phone signal would have been that great. So maybe it would have been a good opportunity to, to run away from the parents.

1:01:23Miguel I just did a quick Googling and Coldplay was one of the headliners on 2005.

1:01:29Joe Yeah, I got to— 2005 was an interesting year because I obviously, I only had the Sunday ticket, but it was the year when Kylie Lee had to pull out because of some health issues and Basement Jacks stepped in. Um, and yeah, being 16 and sort of been a bit wet behind the ears in terms of music knowledge, et cetera, one distinct memory I have is wanting to watch Basement Jacks getting sort of 2 or 3 rows from the barrier for it. And not knowing Primal Scream and what they were about. And as a 16-year-old in the pit for Primal Scream, that was an interesting experience. And it made it— it went— got even more interesting when Bobby Gillespie was a little worse for wear towards the end of the set and was having a go at the crowd. And eventually, I think he had to get pulled off and the sound was turned off. But Yeah, as a 16-year-old, those sort of things, I guess, are going to either put you off and think, what on earth am I doing here? Or, you know, endear the festival to you. And I think it's safe to say that it was definitely the latter for me. And I've been back ever since. Nice.

1:02:42Miguel So maybe this is a good time for a very clichéd question, which is, what advice would you give to someone attending Glastonbury for the first time?

1:02:48Joe Um, and I, well, to be honest, it's probably going to be quite a clichéd answer, and that's to do it. To do it on your terms and to not feel peer pressured. And I know that's easy for me to say because I've been to so many, but yeah, it's, you know, there are times now when I wish I hadn't got up and almost brushed my teeth with a Jägerbomb, you know, it's, and just sort of gone out and, and then, you know, Thanks. Got into that side of things a bit later on in the day. It's, it's, you know, No one's gonna win any medals for how much they, they manage to drink. Um, and, uh, yeah, I guess that is probably my biggest advice. And also don't underestimate the sun. And I know that is quite a non-Glastonbury-specific thing, but when there's not many places that you can go for shade, then yeah, to make sure that you're drinking lots of water and you're staying out of direct sunlight as much as possible because it can absolutely take it out of you, especially when you're drinking. And I know that sounds like I've slipped into parent mode there a bit.

1:03:57Jessi No, I mean, you know, what was the song that said wear SPF? Like, totally agree. But 2 bits of amazing advice there. And like, I, again, as, as I'm 35 as well, same age as you, uh, I don't have any regrets, and I am still quite good at powering through when I'm hungover. But I've had friends, and almost me a couple of times, that have absolutely ruined at least 1 or 2 days of the festival because of either sun or too much alcohol and not enough water, or whatever the combo might be. Uh, and, and that's always their regret, is that they missed out on— there is so much to see and do, it's not worth that extra shot or that whatever it might be. And, uh, yeah, completely agree. Love that. It might be parent mode, but it's good advice. I totally agree.

1:04:46Joe And I guess the only other thing I would say is to not— and again, this is quite a cliché thing to say, I think— but not to get too hung up on who you're going to see and who you're not going to see. And obviously everyone delves into Clash Finder and they're sort of working, trying to work out how they can squeeze every inch out of the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in terms of the musical offerings. But I think just to take it a bit more relaxed is probably a good bit of advice because, yeah, it's— otherwise you end up squeezing, like I say, too much out of yourself and it can become less enjoyable when, like, you guys have probably touched on it before, but you do miss those little nuggets. Walk in between stages. Like, I think it's the Babylon Uprising stage, which has got quite a big sound system in sort of the main sort of market area, quite near the side of us, I think. And just stopping there for 20 minutes or so, it gives you the moments of the festival that you wouldn't have had if you were traipsing from Pyramid Stage to Other Stage to Silver Hayes. So yeah, that would probably be, I guess, go with the flow is probably the best way of putting it.

1:06:00Jessi I mean, I think me and Miguel said that in like episode 1, so totally agree. It's, it's, we always say pick 3 or 4 things a day that you absolutely have to go to, maybe even less than that, 2 things a day that are unmissable, and then a few things that are would like to see, and then just don't stress. Like, I've had friends that are like, I've got 12 minutes to get to Avalon and I'm in Silver Hayes. It's like, just chill out, mate. Like, it's not worth it.

1:06:28Joe And yeah, you can, oh, you can sort of double or triple the amount of time it's going to take you to get between places. And I think a lot of people probably, you know, a lot of people that are attending Glastonbury this year, uh, you know, might have only started going to the festival within the last 3 or 4 years, in which case they've never had a muddy festival, which sounds quite insane. say. But, you know, if we can all remember back to 2016, you can, you know, like I say, double or triple the amount of time it's going to take you just because the mud is slapping your legs. And yeah, you know, you're losing a welly boot here and having to go back and get it, or everything is just a bit more slower. And you obviously— it's the same if you're in a group. It takes a— we all know what it's like if you're wandering around the group at Glastonbury. It's like herding you know, deranged sheep, isn't it? So yeah, it's, uh, like I say, it's— yeah, I, I know what you mean. And yeah, that would be probably my advice on all that.

1:07:25Miguel Okay, well, Joey, thank you so much. So it's fantastic to have, uh, uh, like a Glasto veteran and someone else to share stories with us and with the audience. Uh, if you're up for it, I have a quickfire round of questions, uh, where you don't need to— there's no right or wrong answers. You just Just say the first thing that comes to your mind. Are you up for that?

1:07:44Joe Absolutely. Fire away.

1:07:46Miguel All right, let's go. Uh, favorite Glastonbury stage?

1:07:49Joe Uh, nowadays I'm gonna say Avalon.

1:07:52Miguel Best food you ever had at the festival?

1:07:54Joe Uh, I think I was probably in a very drunken state and a sober me wouldn't like it, but Le Grand Buffet used to be really good and they had amazing sausages.

1:08:03Miguel Awesome. Uh, favorite though music area or performance?

1:08:08Joe I would say, I would be remiss of me not to say the Kidzfield, wouldn't it?

1:08:13Miguel Great. Favorite headliner?

1:08:16Joe Favorite headliner, I touched upon it earlier, but I'm gonna say Stevie Wonder.

1:08:21Miguel Your top must-bring item for the festival?

1:08:24Joe Must-bring item for the festival, a water bottle.

1:08:28Miguel Back to your parents' advice. And favorite Glastonbury memory in one sentence?

1:08:36Joe Favourite Glastonbury memory in one sentence. I would say, drink, spending a long day on the Wednesday drinking at the Brothers Bar, wandering to the loos at the top of the West Holts stage, seeing a, a hammock. I think it might've been a hammock stand and looking at a gentleman asleep in it and thinking, oh my God, he's had a heavy night or a heavy day. And it was probably only 2 or 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Pop into the loo, coming back out and then noticing it was actually one of my friends asleep in the hammock that they had on display outside the stall. Amazing.

1:09:08Miguel Well, that was the last one. Thanks so much for playing our quickfire round. Should we, should we talk about, uh, what, what are your expectations for the upcoming festival? Just tell me if there's any particular, uh, artists from the poster or any area you're looking forward to go.

1:09:24Joe So I'm, I'm actually going to go on the Sunday again this year. Um, so in terms of what I will see, it's predominantly going to be on the Sunday. However, I would say in terms of the rest of the festival, if people were looking for things that they might not have perhaps listened to before, um, and forgive me if I say this artist wrong, but Heilung that are playing, I think they're subbing the West Holts stage on the Friday.

1:09:49Miguel Mm-hmm.

1:09:50Joe And it's, I think it's sort of a Danish, uh, Viking war music.

1:09:57Jessi Totally.

1:09:58Joe But they put on an absolutely epic show. So if Anyone is into that sort of thing. So I guess it's sort of Games of Thrones-y, or is it Vikings? I think might've been a series on Amazon Prime, but yeah, I would recommend High Lung. I've really been listening to the Merry Wallopers recently, which if you like an Irish jig, I would definitely get involved with them. I think they are on the Friday as well, Park Stage. I think they follow Barry Cant swim, which I think will be really good. insanely busy, um, because I think most of the festival are going to be wanting to go there at that point. Um, who else do I like? I think then you've got sort of the classics. So Avril Lavigne, I think, is going to be an absolute vibe. I think that's going to be amazing, especially for all us sort of 2000 sort of teenagers, year 2000 teenagers.

1:10:48Jessi Millennial ex-emos is what I would say.

1:10:50Joe Yeah, it's— I— yeah, I think there might be a few tears to some of her songs. As people remember days gone by. And I guess in terms of Sunday, what I'll be watching, Danny Brown, who's a hip-hop artist from America. He's playing, I think, on West Holts. I think a lot of people are excited. If I'm flitting through days, for the Sugababes, I think that's going to be a very busy performance. But yeah, I mean, in terms of headliners, for me, it's not Or for my personal taste, it's not necessarily the strongest year. Um, but you know, I'm not taking away from the acts that are headlining. Um, so yeah, I think on the Sunday, I think my headliner might end up being The National on the Other Stage. Um, yeah, so which I think is sort of the classic, they call it sad dad rock, I think.

1:11:45Miguel So, uh, you're gonna miss the wine bar then after.

1:11:48Joe Yeah, I, I, yeah, so funny enough, I'm taking, uh, our daughter down on the, uh, on the Sunday. She's going to come down with me and then, uh, my, uh, either, uh, my wife or, uh, my, my parents will come down and collect her. And then like I said, I'll go back to that sort of adult playtime about 3 or 4 o'clock. So, uh, but she has said that she wants to watch some music, but so I'm trying to think of things that might be kid-friendly at that she wants to watch, in her words, adult music. So I might have to take her to maybe Shania Twain or someone who might not use too much fruity language.

1:12:22Jessi Brilliant. Shania Twain's gonna be great. And that is the perfect— you can do Shania Twain and then take her to the gate and then off you go. That'll be perfect.

1:12:30Joe Yeah, yeah, it's sort of halfway on the way to Gate A where I'll be, uh, meeting my wife, I expect. So yeah, that'll be, that'll be what I do.

1:12:39Jessi Fab. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Jo. That was wonderful. And, uh, thank you for the rogue quickfire round that Miguel threw in there. I really enjoyed that. That was great. But yeah, thank you so much. Uh, you've got some amazing stories. I, I, we didn't prep you too hard beforehand, so I wasn't sure what was coming out, but some great stories. Lovely to hear about, you know, the locals and the locals' tickets, and then particularly what it's like to go as a family. That was really, really wonderful as well. So thank you for giving us your time.

1:13:06Joe No problem at all. And yeah, I just want to obviously wish those that are attending an amazing festival, especially if you're listening to this on the way down. Yeah, the amount of fun that awaits is unimaginable for you all.

1:13:22Jessi Yeah, and the weather doesn't really matter, but I am crossing my fingers for no rain, but we'll see. But it doesn't matter.

1:13:30Joe It's liquid sunshine, Jessi. That's what it is.

1:13:34Miguel Excellent. Thank you so much, Joey.

1:13:35Joe Thank you guys. Take care.