Music, Mud and Mayhem: Glastonbury 2017 — Scope | Disability forum
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Music, Mud and Mayhem: Glastonbury 2017

Liam_Alumni
Liam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 1,101 Pioneering

Having been to Glastonbury for the past two years now, this year was a chance for me to explore some new musicians. The headliners weren’t really my cup of tea (I mean, a little bit of Ed Sheeran and Foo Fighters is fine by me, but they’re not my favourites) and there weren’t many bands or singers which I felt I had to see. Instead, it was all about recommendations, and one-hit wonders who I believed would put on a good show.

Pyramid Stage

Highlights included:

  • Royal Blood – As a drummer, seeing another drummer rock out made me incredibly jealous.
  • The Killers – Not only was their set a surprise, but there was something special about a huge crowd of people singing Mr Brightside at the top of their lungs. Wow!
  • Clean Bandit – The band behind Rather Be always put on a good show.
  • Faces of Disco – These Britain’s Got Talent finalists put on giant cut-outs of celebrity faces and have a dance to disco classics. Seeing Mr Bean have a boogie with Harry Hill was a hilarious start to my Friday morning.
  • A fire-breathing spider – Yes, that’s right. One of the ‘stages’ at Glastonbury is a giant metal spider named Arcadia that spits out fire and abducts festival-goers. The Metamorphosis show was bonkers, intense, and just a little bit weird, but that’s Glastonbury for you! 

However, it’s also worth mentioning that there’s more to the Worthy Farm festival than just music. Throughout the weekend I also stopped by the debate tents to hear talks from BBC journalists on democracy, fake news and more. I even managed to do a bit of research for my dissertation too, which was quite handy. 

Giant metal spider

There’s also a few stalls to explore, too. Once again, I stopped by the DeafZone tent, who offer British Sign Language workshops and interpreters for some performances. Every time I go to Glastonbury, I stop by and say hello, and they’re always up for a chat about all things accessibility and deafness-related. It’s a great opportunity for me to practice my signing, too.

What was also exciting was that the RNIB was chosen as the official health charity for this year. Although I didn’t have time to have a go, they were asking people to take part in a karaoke eye test to promote the importance of looking after our sight. Reading out lyrics to a Kaiser Chiefs song in the form of a Snellen eye chart sure looked like fun!

The XX on the Pyramid Stage

Although I didn’t use it, it was also great to see a disabled viewing platform, which on most occasions offered the best seats in the house! Luckily, accessibility wasn’t too much of an issue for me, with the only issue being when The Jacksons played on stage and I struggled to hear a few songs (which was a shame – Blame it on the Boogie is a personal favourite of mine).

Aside from that, this year’s Glastonbury was another enjoyable experience. The time seemed to fly by, and I’m now left with many good memories of the weekend and a whole load of new artists to listen to. How on earth did it go so quickly?

Have you been to Glastonbury, or any music festival? How accessible was it for you? What sort of music do you like, and which bands do you listen to?

Join in the discussion by leaving a comment below!

If you’re interested in finding out more about accessibility at music festivals. Attitude is Everything is a charity dedicated to exactly that. Visit their website to learn about their work and their Mystery Shopping scheme.

Liam

Comments

  • iza
    iza Scope Member Posts: 703 Pioneering
    Hi @LiamO_Dell

    Good to hear you enjoy it. 
    I never been to music festival in UK yet, 
    I been to Prince concert only. 

    I am not sure either I would be the fun of played music either as I prefer  music based on sining poems. 

    Have a great day. 

    Iza 
  • Liam_Alumni
    Liam_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 1,101 Pioneering
    That's amazing that you got to see Prince, @iza. I would have loved to have seen him live at some point.

    He was rumoured to play Glastonbury before he passed away. It's such a shame that he never performed there, though.

    Purple Rain is a classic, isn't it?
    Liam

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