Glastonbury 2022 | Back To Where We Once Belonged

Glastonbury 2022 | Back To Where We Once Belonged.

It started with a kiss. They met at Glastonbury and first kissed at The Unfairground. Fast forward to Glastonbury 2022 and he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. To his (and our) delight she said yes. The crowd erupted. It’s Glastonbury innit.

It’s Glastonbury innit said Richard the truck driver we met in front of the Cider Bus. He was telling us how for two festivals in a row he has dropped off people in London for free. That in itself is lovely. Throw in the fact that Richard lives in Yorkshire and his act of generosity is astounding.

We met George and Simon at the new San Remo (the old Beat Hotel). It was one of those typical Glasto moments. We started chatting and the next thing we know it was as if we had known each other for years. One cider turned into many and even though we are all Glastonbury veterans we did the classic mistake of going mad on day 1.

Kae Tempest came out on The Truth Stage and made us cry. We were expecting this. They made us cry when they played on The West Holts Stage back in 2017. We had warned our friends that they would probably cry too. I don’t think they believed us. They cried. It’s Glastonbury innit.

It’s watching Marcus and Becki’s faces when Dave Grohl came out with Paul McCartney. It’s Cherie soaking up all our expressions when we sang One Day Like This. It’s seeing Macca’s (not THAT Macca) face when we point out the size of the festival from the Stone Circle.

It’s dancing with the South Korean crew late on Sunday night at Ultimate Power in William’s Green.

It’s Michael walking through the Green Crafts area going, I could spend all my day here. It’s reuniting with Helen our Glasto sister for the first time since Glastonbury 2019. It’s meeting up with Jo and Rachel who we met at Worthy Pastures in 2021. It was watching Karen’s face when Billie Eilish came out. It’s Glastonbury innit.

No other festival creates such emotions. Even though it took us all a while to get into the swing of things, when we did, it felt bloody amazing. To be back at Worthy Farm with our tribe watching amazing performances after the two years we have just had was cathartic.

Beans on Toast is our Glasto regular and got things started on Thursday for us. Highlights for me were (in no particular order):

• Wet Leg,
• Haim,
• Macca (THAT Macca),
• Wolf Alice,
• Elbow,
• The Pet Shop Boys,
• Billie Eilish,
• Noel Gallagher,
• Joy Crookes,
• Lorde

Another highlight for me was showing mates around who had never been. I was getting flashbacks to my first Glastonbury. No matter how many times you have seen it on the BBC, nothing prepares you for the reality of Glastonbury. I managed to walk 140,000 steps this year. It’s Glastonbury innit.

A big shout-out has to go to the toilet volunteers. The toilets this year were the cleanest I have experienced in 9 Glastonbury’s. Thank you!

As a major Beatles fan, seeing Paul McCartney on The Pyramid Stage will live with me forever. Watching all types of people around me sing every word was magical. The Pyramid Stage is the stage for the ultimate singalong and who better than a Beatle?

I love to experience every aspect of Glastonbury, that is what makes the festival so unique. For Macca though, I did something I had never done. I stayed in front of The Pyramid Stage all day. Not right at the front but near.

I wouldn’t do it again it was just a one-off but I was surprised at how much fun I had. First of all. being around fans of artists you don’t know is infectious. You soon get into it and appreciate who is playing.

Then in typical Glastonbury fashion, you start to make friends with people around you. At one point all of my crew had left. I was bursting for the loo but I was in charge of looking after all our gear. No problem, I will ask my newfound friends to look after it. Not only did they look after it, but they also wouldn’t let anyone near it unless they knew Paul. It’s Glastonbury innit.

We also got to know the security guards as we were standing right in front of them. We were together all day so spoke a lot. They gave us water, looked after our bags when it got packed and we gave them food. They all told me that Glastonbury is the easiest festival to work at. At other festivals, there is always a hint of violence but at Glastonbury, they mainly concentrate on people fainting.

If you are reading this and have never been to Glastonbury you will notice that I have hardly spoken about the music. It is said countless times but Glastonbury is not about the music. This is why it sells out without any headliners announced.

Glastonbury is about proposals, kind truck drivers, crazy Northerners, and dancing Koreans. Glastonbury is about dancing in fields in high summer without a care in the world. For 5 days, Glastonbury is whatever you want it to be. For me, it’s home. I was back where I once belonged.