The Left Field

Glastonbury Festival 2003

By Neil Greenway | Published: Wed 18th Jun 2003

Glastonbury Festival 2003

Friday 27th to Sunday 29th June 2003
Worthy Farm, Pilton, Shepton Mallet, Somerset, BA4 4AZ, England MAP
£105 (plus booking fee plus postage) - SOLD OUT!
Daily capacity: 150,000

Geoff Martin, union organiser and Left Field promoter, said:
"Anyone who seriously thinks that young people aren't interested in politics should get over to the Left Field at Glastonbury for the last weekend in June and we'll nail that lie before their very eyes."

The Left Field Tent was introduced in 2002, and is the place for lengthy afternoon debates, evening sessions of music and late night movies. After the fantastic success of the first year, in 2003 the tent is to be 3 times bigger to better accomodate the numbers attending the more popular events.


Friday 27th June
11am The Left Field bar opens for fair trade coffee, juices and pastries from the Glastonbury bakery. Catch up on some video loops from the Left Field campaigns - War on Want, the International Solidarity Movement, Justice for Columbia, No Sweat and Stop the War and the FBU. Log in at the Co-op cyberstation.
12 noon Films from the International Solidarity Movement introduced by Jeremy Hardy.
1pm Misnoma - Barcelona's finest combining latino sounds, beats and vocals into a blend that fits a Glasto lunchtime like a glove.
2.30pm The Left Field debate - "Getting organised - unions, solidarity and collective strength".
With Billy Bragg, a Columbian trade unionist who recently survived an assassination attempt, John McGhee National Officer of the Fire Brigades Union and Fiona Monkman from UNISON.
4pm Organising the Music Business - Billy Bragg and the GMB London Region launch the new Roadies Collective to fight for decent conditions for people who make the music industry tick.
5.30pm Solar Flare - winners of the Left Field battle of the bands.
6pm It's Happy Hour at the Left Field bar. Knock down prices on the finest fair trade cocktails this side of Havana. Join us for a Left Hook or a Che Guevara or just an old style Cuba Libre. Where else can you mix Fair Trade and cut price rum?
7pm Andy and the Believers - top reggae geezer and his combo skank it up.
8pm Left Field hosts a tribute to Joe Strummer kicking off with Don Lett's Director's cut of the definitive Clash biography Westway to the World. Phill Jupitus has been confirmed as guest DJ, and other guests could include Bez from the Happy Mondays plus a host of others.
9.30pm The Left Field proudly presents the world premier of "The Last Night London Burned" - a film capturing Joe Strummer's last London gig, the firefighters benefit at Acton Town Hall.
10pm Don Letts (Clash film maker) and Dan Donovan from the Dub Cartel play us through as the tribute to Joe heads into the small hours. Watch out for guest appearances and unseen Clash footage on the big screen.
Saturday 28th June
11am Bar opens for fair trade coffee and cakes. Come down and have a blast on the Co-op cyberstation and a chat with campaigners from Stop the War, International Solidarity Movement, Justice for Columbia, No Sweat, War on Want and the FBU.
12 noon Driving the Sweatshops out of the Music Business The launch of Musicians Against Sweatshops - special guests to be announced. Hosted by Ethical Threads and No Sweat.
1pm The Left Field Debate - "Blood for Oil - in the aftermath of Iraq" with Tony Benn, Bianca Jagger, Stop the War and special guests; One guest is David Hayman - the actor who played Jimmy Boyle in A Sense Of Freedom, and has acted with Bruce Willis, Kevin Spacey et al. hH runs an organisation called Spirit Aid doing incredible work in bombed-out Afganistan.
3pm Carol Laula - Scottish singer/sonwriter and political activist blazes the trail for Tony Benn
3.45pm Tony Benn and Roy Bailey perform "The Writing on the Wall"
5.30pm It's Happy Hour again in the Left Field bar as soon as Tony and Roy leave the stage. Load up on the Fair Trade cocktails and get yourself ready for the sharpest in comedy and satire.
6pm Left Field comedy with Mark Thomas, Mark Steel, Vladimir MacTavish and Miles Jupp.
10pm Stylus Automatic - Scottish politico indy rockers straight outta Left Field.
11pm Germander Speedwell (Zion Train) - Cod on Keyboards and Molara on Vox. The finest roots Reggae from the UK Sound System.
Midnight Misty in Roots - old school reggae from the guvnors.
Sunday 29th June
11am The Left Field bar opens for the last time this year with fair trade coffees, juices and cakes to make Starbucks weep.
11.30am The Left Field debate - "Stopping the Nazis" hosted by Love Music Hate Racism - guest speakers to be announced.
2pm Seize the Day - banned from the BBC 3 awards for their anti-war stance - welcome in the Left Field any day.
3.30pm The Left Field debate - "Fair trade and consumer pressure" with speakers from the Co-op, Oxfam, War on Want and international guests.
5.30pm Asian Dub Foundation take over the War on Want sound system.
6pm It's happy hour again and again and again ... in the Left Field bar - fair trade cocktails, you know the story.
7pm Billy Bragg - Mr Sexuality himself. Our mate, your mate and back at the Left Field after 2002's ripper.
9pm Slovo - Join Dave Randall's (Faithless) new outfit bringing voices from around the world to shape a narrative that will, in the West African tradition of "nommo", name problems and raise questions about the way we are living.
Love Music Hate Racism will then bring this years events at the Left Field to a close.

Line up subject to confirmation - www.leftfield.coop for updates.


the crowd for Tony Benn in 2002

festival information by: Neil Greenway


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