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Glasto 2

July 1, 2008 1 Comment Filed Under: Uncategorized


Beth Ditto, poster girl for chubby chasers everywhere…

Amy gets among the audience (gets her tit groped and punches a fan).

Jay-Z in front of Barack Obama.
Vampire Weekend. Wrong name for the band. They wear stupid brightly coloured sunglasses, as do many of their audience, and play jangly guitar pop.
Wandered to Pyramid stage where KT Tunstall was being competent but boring. Lulu with a guitar. She did share a random fact about redheads….that they need 20% more anaesthetic than other people.

The Feeling split the audience into 2 halves to sing the chorus of “Never be lonely” but then half the audience started shouting “Who are ya?” and pointing.

Surrounded by teenagers with braces, spots and bad breath.
Emotional moment when the gaylord singer in his singlet and waistcoat said he’d been coming to Glasto with his dad for years and his dream to play there had now come true. (Turns out he is gay in fact. Yawn. I’ll be more stunned when a pop star isn’t gay.)
Pity they’ve only got one song and a couple of covers. 

The audience sang along with “Video killed the radio star” totally unaware that it was a Trevor Horn song. They are a boy band, nothing more.

Beth Ditto and The Gossip. She is remarkably pretty in real life. Dynamic, sexy with a sweet voice reminiscent of Dolly Parton. But again terrible songs. She joked about her “camels foot” showing. Cool tattooed girl drummer. Beth came into the audience, yes, we touched her blubber! The stage at the Pyramid is now so far away from the audience, it’s ridiculous.

Staggered to the Dance Tent to see MGMT but overcome with fatigue and claustrophobia.

The mud was sticky and walking was tiring. Sat down at a Workers Beer tent bench and got talking to a young man who went last year. He said that he spent a whole day sitting around watching people fall into a mud hole. It turns out some of this is on Youtube.
Next to the Acoustic stage where Sinead O’ Connor was playing. She’s too big a star for that stage, you couldn’t even get into the tent.

General observations: prices have gone up enormously. The couple camped next to us paid £7 for two 99 ice creams. A slice of pizza was £3.50p (a quid in Camden).

It’s become just another rock festival. It’s all Babylon now.

Too straight…too many students wearing Gap.

Just as heading home…came across the brilliant Dreadzone…bouncy techno reggae…suddenly a Glasto moment. And I don’t even like reggae. (Why aren’t this group playing the main stage rather than the one hit indie wonders? The lead is a great showman, he commands the stage, works the audience. A couple of years ago, friends of mine staged an event at the Scala cinema. It was a flop but they had booked Dreadzone. The lead singer came hours beforehand and was a perfectionist about the sound, the set up everything. They played to thirty people. But again were fantastic. Basically it doesn’t matter if they play to 10,000 people or one person, the performance is always top notch.)

In between each act, do-gooding videos were shown on the huge screens. Oh how I grew to hate the “Breathe’ infotainment ad for Greenpeace or Wateraid or whatever it was. Then Bono up there, pontificating. Grrr. Kill that man! Sorry Michael Eavis, but when you are either wet or freezing or dying for a pee, you want entertainment not lecturing. Anyway it’s not even working because most of the people at Glasto this year are chavs and couldn’t give a toss about the environment. Your eco tent pegs were chucked on the grass…entire ghost tent camps were left empty at the end, rubbish not even put in a bag. People literally just picked up their clothes and money and left, leaving tents, sleeping bags, mattresses, wellies, gazebos, chairs, cooking gear behind them. “Love the farm, leave no trace” was this years motto. What a joke!

I managed to see one of my favourite rock stars, Jack White, by mistake, as I didn’t know he was also The Raconteurs as well as the White Stripes. His dark brown eyes stared out of a pale white face, close-up you could see the layers of ghoulish make-up. Jack White only believes in 3 colours: Red, White and Black. And he’s right! (I might add a little Ickean turquoise and some hot pink myself). However he wore green. He’s a bit of a muso, our Jack, and spent much of the performance jamming with the drummer with his back to the audience. Still he is one of the few men with brown eyes that I completely lust over.

The huge screens next to the stage regularly showed 3 blonde girls going crazy to the music. I ended up standing behind, then after much elbowing, next to them. Close-up they had pimply faces but looked great on screen. Talking to them, it become evident that they knew nothing about music. They had no idea who most of the bands were that they were going mad over. Complete attention seekers…

Manu Chao

Next Manu Chao, whose music I love. When I travelled in Guatemala last summer, the music I heard on the long bus journeys sounded so similar to that of Manu Chao. Then I heard he had a house there, so it all made sense. Live, however, Manu Chao is a disappointment. He constantly reverts to his Euro punk past (Mano Negra) and speeds up at the end of every song. It seems that he hasn’t the confidence to let the music do the work and resorts to crowd pleasing antics…

Amy Winehouse was surprisingly good. Her voice has gone. But she was charming and funny. I saw her last year at the Jazz stage and she was lack-lustre, so it seems that she has learnt to perform live in the meantime. Or maybe she was just less fucked on drugs and drink this time. She talked about her husband getting out of jail that day.

 “I’ve never loved a white man before” she said.

The headliner on Saturday night was of course, Jay-Z. I was prepared to give him a chance. When he came on, he sang ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis. Now that was cool, one in the eye for the critics, I thought. The visuals behind him were some of the best I’ve ever seen. But from then on, it was all downhill. It was like Hillsborough at the front, our ribs hurt from the crush. The noise was deafening, they must have broken some laws there. But all Jay-Z could do was shout. He wore shades throughout. He can’t sing. He can’t dance. He has no charisma. He has only machismo. Why, out of all the Hip hop artists, did they choose him?

Without the screen behind him and the noise, he was dead in the water. At this point however I saw some of the only black people I saw at the festival, being hauled out of the crowd towards the front, fainting. 

Why don’t black people go to festivals? Is it because festivals are a middle class thing…whereas working class and black culture likes to look good, clean and rich and not at all crusty?

The reviews were kind to Jay-Z, no doubt some sort of political correctness but everyone I spoke to agreed, he was rubbish.

Jack White, in Robin Hood guise.

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  1. corbin

    January 2, 2009 at 3:58 pm

    vampire weekend = a weekend that sucks.
    what are they? promoted by old navy?

    Reply

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MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

msmarmitelover

I wrote this long read for @scotnational about the I wrote this long read for @scotnational about the anti G8 camp in Stirling to protest against the G8 in Gleneagles. I partipated in the camp & protest along with my daughter @siennamarla playing in the samba band, part of the Pink Bloc. The camp was an incredible experience- the possibility of a different type of politics, of horizontal democracy. It was also a lot of fun. But our protest was tragically overshadowed by the 7/7 bombings in London. We wanted to create a new world but by the actions of a few disaffected British Muslim terrorists our positive movement for change was drowned out by hideous violence against normal ordinary people. Here is my account. 20 years anniversary #7/7 #londonbombings #scotland #antig8 #protest #gleneagles
Cheap stuff. Since the pandemic money has been tig Cheap stuff. Since the pandemic money has been tight. I shop at Lidl and aldi for food, Vinted, Portobello and Primark for clothes. The first pic is gazpacho with a banderilla from Lidl. They often have Spanish weeks and other nationality foods at a bargain price. I love those huge cartons of gazpacho- I glug it down like juice, especially in the heat. The banderillas are sold by the jar. Second pic is me in a primark vest, cardi, with an Anthropologie sale belt and old denim shorts from 10 years ago. Sorry about the mess behind, I sold a piece of furniture, a desk I found on the street, painted enamel green with ‘bamboo’brass handles which I sold on eBay for £225 #needsmust #thrift
My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is My tea book Msmarmitelover’s secret tea party is now out on the cookbook app @ckbk it’s now out of print but you can still buy some print copies via me or Amazon. However you can see all the recipes ( like my sour cherry icecream which I served last week) on this site which is like a Spotify for cooks. Arguably afternoon tea is a meal which the English do better than any other country. #cookbooks #afternoontea #supperclubs
Saturdays midsummer supperclub was mostly a bbq on Saturdays midsummer supperclub was mostly a bbq on the @biggreenegguk I divided the meal into fragrance families: vegetal, fougere (fern), green notes, fresh: asparagus, garden artichokes on the bbq, dolmades made from my garden vine leaves. Then citrus fragrances with yuzu, 🍊 🍋 bergamot glaze, salmon, smoked tofu steaks, vegan smoked salmon carrot. Next spice which in perfume is oriental spices: bbq mini aubergines with paprika seed oil, home ground garam masala, a tahini caper dressing. Then wood and resinous fragrances using rosemary oil brushed bbq mini peppers, pine syrup on labneh, mushrooms a la grecque with juniper, finally the floral family of fragrance with sour cherry and rose icecream, lavender shortbread  hearts and orange flower water meringue kisses. It was a lively warm evening- children were welcome. There was a bonfire, lots of wine and laughter. I buy welding gloves £12 from Amazon  to use with the bbq. I also use @pomoragoodfood oils #london
With my home grown artichokes, grown from seed for With my home grown artichokes, grown from seed for tonight’s supperclub.
Sour cherries from the garden for my midsummer sup Sour cherries from the garden for my midsummer supperclub in the garden this Saturday 21st June. Tickets available, link in bio. Also at this link: https://substack.com/redirect/5a700a44-49c1-4e6d-834f-8d4851f98f45?j=eyJ1IjoiMWUzYm4ifQ.njFJL9K8WpzSqVZ5HFSvq84gnJeUD7reFZV9LrDwYtI #midsummernightsdream #supperclub #og #sourcherry
Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favou Can’t wait to delve into this by one of my favourite food writers @kitchenbee it’s got everything: kitchenalia, divorce and food. Did you know that what we call heartache is actually stomach ache? It’s now recognised that rejection actually causes physical as well as psychological pain. A study shows that pain relief medications such as paracetamol can alleviate heartache. Some of our emotional pain is autonomic: it’s referred to as polyvagal theory. #heartbreak #foodwriting #lovehurts #takotsubo #dopaminewithdrawal
Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is frag Midsummer supper club 21st June. The theme is fragrance and scent. Tickets are £45  and you can bring your own drink. Starts 7.30pm and the nearest tube is Kilburn on the jubilee. Parking is free outside. Exact address given on booking. https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-2025-scent-and-fragrance #london #supperclub
Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festiva Oil portraits of me painted at Burning Van festival by artists @cristina_vercesi (left) and YouTube sensation and Royal Portrait gallery exhibiter @alex_tzavaras. It was an utter privilege to sit for these wonderful artists- a real highlight. I’m taking them home and framing them. It was easy to sit still for 90 minutes with the amazing DJ set @leonidas_lovetoparty More deets later. #portraiture #festivals #oilpainting
Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent w Went with influencers to @standrewslakes in Kent with @ourfinland @lakelandfinland @pcagency to experience Finnish food such as Karelian pies with egg butter, cinnamon buns, blueberry pies, and pea soup which they have with mustard and sour cream. We did zip lining, kayaking, saunas, whipped ourselves with birch sticks, ate in a gorgeous wooden bbq shed @arctic_cabins at the end of all this activity we were all tired but happy. @miramakeup @holidaywiththeheathers @amie_jane__ @onehungryasian @iamtimchung @travellingtuesdays @helimendetravels @charlotteemilyprice #presstrip
@camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grah @camille.osullivan @camilleosullivanpics and @grahnort @wiltonsmusichall god this woman is talented. She did a solo show of The Rape of Lucrece. Her voice! #theatre #shakespeare #london
My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique m My latest article on Hungarian cuisine, a unique meeting of east and west, for @ckbk It's a blend of Ottoman, Eastern and middle European, Austro-Hungarian empire and cowboy food. #food&travel #foodanthropology #hungary
Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvad Made Fermented Cucumber dill pickles from @nickvadasz book The Pickle Jar. At @katzsdeli in New York they sell half sours and full sours. I reckon these are 3/4 sour. The white mould is fine btw. These are delicious #pickleperson #fermentation #guthealthy
London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, London in bloom: wisteria, cherry blossom, lilac, plum blossom, 🌸 you don’t need to go to Japan for the Sakura season- it’s all here- london at its most beautiful. #london
Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incr Bluebell walk on Wanstead flats. The scent is incredible: similar to lily of the valley. These are actual English bluebells - a deeper colour & more delicate than Spanish bluebells which are rather invasive. #london #walks #april #bluebells
Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese fo Snapshots from portobello rd market. Portuguese folar de pascua bread from Lisboa patisserie,  a gorgeous mosaic table from Fez, my favourite antique shop @muirshindurkin, Alice’s shop, an Easter hat, the best wisteria I wrote a substack on portobello road: https://open.substack.com/pub/kerstinrodgers/p/where-to-go-in-portobello-road-the?r=3873k&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true #london
I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter I visited @tokyobagellondon with my granddaughter yesterday to try one of their viral wobbly bunnies. We also tried the multi layer Oreo pancake cakes, the onigiri shaped croissant. My sister had the black sesame latte and I had yuzu tea. I spent £35 in a short space of time as each dessert was £5 but it was a fun experience. Ophelia said ‘lovely flowers’ which shows a degree of sophistication for a 2 year old. I preferred the strawberry to the coconut flavour . #londondaysout #grandmacore #easter
A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smo A quick high protein lunch of ratatouille with smoked tofu.  @pomoragoodfood olive oil then an aubergine cut into thick slices then quartered. Fry till translucent then add the chunks of red pepper. 2 fat garlic cloves sliced thinly, a block of smoked tofu in chunks, 2 bay leaves, a small handful of maldon salt. A courgette cut into thick half lengthways- then sliced into half moons. I might chuck in a handful of pantelleria capers in vinegar to give some acidity. Serve hot or cold. #sololunch #protein #vegetables
Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used Inspired by @nickvadasz book The pickle Jar I used his dill pickles to make one of my favourite recipes for lunch - a potato, sour cream & pickle soup. Recipe on the blog. #soup #pickles
One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook wh One of my favourite ways to eat mushrooms. Cook whole button mushrooms in olive oil, lemon juice, a little white wine vinegar, salt, bay leaves, whole coriander seeds, thyme, and white wine if you have it to hand. I used @pomoragoodfood olive oil. You can eat it straight away or leave it to marinate longer and eat the next day. #vegetarian #vegan #mushroomrecipe
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