Glastonbury 08 - The Sun Returns

These days I find it difficult to set off for Glastonbury Festival carrying only excitement and a sunny disposition. Along with the heavy rucksack and tent and beers and various other festival consumables there is also fear and trepidation and the feeling that, should the weather be shit again, this could be my last one. Having fun has been tough in recent years, and I have friends for whom another festival spent trying to navigate knee-deep mud would definitely be the final straw. The weather forecast wasn't bad. Wasn't good either. Could go either way. Fuck it, let's just have fun and forget about it, yeah?

We arrive. We set up camp and it's all good. Sun's out. We hug we laugh we drink we smoke and say hello to new friends. We go to the Brothers' Bar and we can sit on the grass and drink pear cider and it's brilliant and we laugh some more. We wander about and see the same stuff that we see every year but it's still feels new and wonderful. Eat. Back to the camp. Fire. Giggling. More drink. The sun goes down and our spirits are up and it's been a long day so we go to bed early. Jesus, my tent's small. My head hurts, I must sleep soon. But there's no sleep just this thud thud thudding and I feel like I'm being squeezed in a vice and I'm so cold. Shit. Is that the sun rising? I haven't slept and here comes the dread and the knowledge that the next few days are to be endured rather than enjoyed cos I'm gonna be one achey and miserable motherfucker. The next day starts and I've had no rest, no coda to the previous day and no intro to the next. It's gonna be a long one and I feel like crap. The others go out. I stay and try to sleep but that's just a cop-out. Must try to have fun but it's such an effort. Fill myself full of healthy food and drink and it seems to do the job. I still hurt all over but I'm happy and it's back to the Brothers' bar and everything's fun in the sun again. Hello lovely Katy! Hi Becca hi Dafydd hi John. Everything's looking up. Back to the camp. What shall we do tonight? Fuck all, because here comes the rain and everything's gone grey, most of all our moods and we're all depressed and experiencing a horrible deja vu and I'm going to bed cos I'm so so so tired but my tent's carrying water and my clothes are wet but I just don't care anymore because I finally sleep for a couple of hours but only until 2am. Get up. See my new friends. Cheer up. Tomorrow will be good. I don't care that I see the sun rising before I sleep again. Tomorrow will be good...

...But it's grey and it's muddy no-one can be bothered to do anything and the sound of Kate Nash warbling her pointless ditties only darkens the mood. But. But, let's get out there. That's what we're here to do. Vampire Weekend. Hmm. Young Knives, Hot Summer, Hot Hot Summer. It's not really working but well done for trying. This fucking rain. Mud everywhere now, not as bad as in previous years but surely only a matter of time. My friends resigned to leaving early. Had enough. Just can't take it, not again. On my own now, a long walk on my own to see Franz and the rain has stopped and the evening air is warm and things are looking up again especially after a blast of oxygen that clears the sinuses and energises the brain and I'm ready for anything now and so are Franz and they're brilliant and my mood is definitely, defiantly good once again. Spirits are high back at the camp and me and Smith know we're not gonna be sleeping for a long time but Smith overdoes it a bit and I see the sun come up in my tent again but Smith sees it whilst sat bolt upright in a chair next to a campfire that has long since ceased to burn...

...Less than ten hours' sleep in three days, not much food and a lot of drink, how can I be in a good mood? Why don't I want to die? I thank the recuperative effects of breathing pure oxygen and make a mental note to breath in that stuff as often as I can. Today's the day, the main event and everything will go well. I just know it. British Sea Power are all Waving Flags now and the sun's properly out and here to stay and nothing bad will happen now, I know it. Sitting in the Jazzworld field with all of my friends and we're all so happy and I just want this to last forever and it feels like it can. Can't it? Anything feels possible right now, we're invincible. Meet Katy at Elbow and they're lovely. One day like this a year would see me right, that's true, so true. Now I'm on my own again but it's still all good. Over and over and over and over and over like a monkey with a miniature cymbal, oh yes! But now I have to find the others, I need company, this will be special. Back to the camp, back out again, don't want to miss anything. The anticipation is incredible. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Jay-Z? No chance. I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong. Fuck off Noel, you fucking luddite. For those of you who didn't get the memo I'm Jay-Z and I'm pretty fucking awesome. Oh you are, you so are. You own this place, you absolutely fucking own it and everyone in it and I feel so privileged like I'm watching the world's greatest performer and fuck it, I'm getting wasted again. Why not? This is my last night here. We're going home tomorrow, I don't care if I don't sleep again. Tonight we party. Tomorrow we go home...

...I wake up and I still feel good, this is amazing! Today is less manic, not much on the schedule and there's a measure of relief that we've chosen to leave early, relief that we won't have to queue for eight hours to get out tomorrow. I say goodbye to my new friends and watch some bands and wander some more, drink some more, sit around and laugh some more. The last act I see is Neil Diamond and he looks as happy as I do, as happy as we all are. Sweet Caroline brings happy tears rolling down my cheeks and now it's time to go. Bye bye, until next year.