Younger but more arrogant crowd this year?

[muffin]

Is it me or was there a massive influx of late teen 'only way is essex' types this year? also a ton of chav like arrogant teens who didn't give a shit about pissing anywhere. saw some guy try high five some as they walked passed and the group almost beat him up?

I'm no Glasto snob and I do realise that turning 40 recently means after 13 Glastonburys I'm gonna start to see a new generation and change of vibe. But... If this crowd grows the festival could have a problem again in the future.

Just my opinion.

[Splatt]

Agree 100%

[mrtourette]

Of course the crowd will go that way and probably hasd been for a few years now. Extreme media exposure and the way it's portrayed means Glastonbury is a trendy place to go and more importantly be seen, and people who go places just because it's trendy to be seen there are invariably not people who understand what makes a festival a great place to be.

[TomfromStroud]

Absolutely. Every year I attend Glastonbury the average age of the crowd seems to get another year younger than me. Something should be done!

[CaledonianGonzo]

It's the opposite for me - I seem to get about a year older from one year to the next. I don't believe it!

[Dave The Hedgehog]

It's based on subjective experience, isn't it? I met a good load of people from all ages from all backgrounds (mostly young) who were no trouble. The sort you talk about I met outside Anna Mae's Mac N Cheese stand. We were sat down and I wanted a fag but didn't have a lighter - I asked them if they had a light, they said no, I went to the nearest fag shop and came back with a new lighter (was gone about 10 minutes) only to come back and see them light their fags in front of me. They said 'alright mate?' and laughed, called them a couple of c**ts and moved on.

Some dude at Arcade Fire needed a piss and decided the best place to do it was up the leg of somebody in front of me.

We were camped near a group of girls from Liverpool and some guys as well - the amount of shit they left behind was unbelieaveable, and they were always at the toilets (for some reason) complaining about somebody shagging somebody behind somebody's back, or knowing somebody for years and him never being like that before... or something.

The worst though, I found, were the posh types. They had absolutely no regard for anybody else outside their own clique of fucking Camillas and Tarquins, and you could tell who they were from a mile off. Always the first to jump the queues at the compost toilets (when they didn't use the ones they brought themselves), cordened off 'private areas' for their massive gazebos and champagne parties. I encountered one on a walk around the site Friday morning who saw I was smoking - he said to me "excuse me fine sir do you happen to have a spare cigarette or two?" and then offered to "purchase" them off me, sort of "I can see you come from the North, peasant, here, have some money". I gave him one for nothing in the end. When the mud was at it's worst and slippiest and people would walk down the side of the paths, I'd often leave room for them to pass me - never a thank you, never any eye contact... often identified by their shoddily-made Hunter wellies. Always bloody clean as well.

[UEF]

If Glastonbury is taking on a bit of an Essex/Scouse vibe, then it's doing it's job in a way - it's being inclusive and people are feeling welcome. People like to think it's inclusive, but it never entirely has been really, it just gets better at it.

[Purple aki squat]

There did seem to be plenty of these generic hand holding groups if chinless wonders. There is only one solution.

Only sell tickets to northerners!!

[Riggins]

We were camped near a group of girls from Liverpool and some guys as well - the amount of shit they left behind was unbelieaveable, and they were always at the toilets (for some reason) complaining about somebody shagging somebody behind somebody's back, or knowing somebody for years and him never being like that before... or something.

Had this exactly with a group from Essex. Some of them seemed nice enough but my god, every 10 minutes they were starting an argument about this or that, the most minor of things. They also seemed to love shouting sarcastically at every passer by for hours at a time. Was glad when they packed up early on the Sunday, although leaving a massive bin bag and some sort of slip and slide thing even though the bin was but 15 feet away.

[mrtourette]

At leat they bagged up their rubbish.

[stopwn1981]

The festival should be sponsored by Hunter f'n wellies - £90 for rubber wellies...tells you all you need to know about someone really doesn't it?

[Dave The Hedgehog]

If Glastonbury is taking on a bit of an Essex/Scouse vibe, then it's doing it's job in a way - it's being inclusive and people are feeling welcome. People like to think it's inclusive, but it never entirely has been really, it just gets better at it.

This.

Felt this way after Metallica came on. They said themselves that for years Metal bands have been dreaming to take that stage and headline - British bands, your Iron Maidens and so on, Black Sabbath maybe. I know there's that aversion to 'heavier music' and so on but for a Metal band to be included, to feel as though - as a fan of Metal - I wouldn't feel ashamed to wear a Slayer t-shirt, as so many did on Saturday, was amazing, and that diversity of not just music but people and attitudes is something Glastonbury should be proud of. If more Metal fans go to Glastonbury knowing it's "safe", all the better for it.

When it comes to the sort of people who go to festivals and the attitude you see or experience, a lot of it - I'd say - is down to your own way of approaching festivals and the people who go to them.

I mean the examples I gave (and I could give a few more too - like the guys at West Holts who saw us sitting down on a bench and thought the best thing to do to make Tune Yards more enjoyable was to kick a puddle of muddy water at us or the dickheads who just wouldn't move for you on the paths, or created obstacles by sticking to a spot on a main thoroughfare despite the fact it made it a logistical nightmare for you and everybody around you when you're trying to get back to your tent and Dolly Parton is onstage) - the way I think about it is this:

These moments happen maybe 5% of 100% of the festival, and if you focus on these aspects too much, it shows that you are 'one of those people' who goes through life with a glass half empty. For every person I met who created a problem, there are thousands more who didn't.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Dave The Hedgehog

[mrtourette]

The festival should be sponsored by Hunter f'n wellies - £90 for rubber wellies...tells you all you need to know about someone really doesn't it?

Depends how judgemental you are.

[stopwn1981]

Depends how judgemental you are.

Very haha.

[J_J_]

Depends how judgemental you are.

^^This.

I won my pair of Hunter wellies. I wouldn't pay £90 for a pair, but they're bloody comfy, and they haven't fallen apart yet!

[Ted Dansons Wig]

There's two festivals now. There's one held at the Pyramid, Other and John Peel. Then there's the one at the smaller stages like Avalon, Acoustic etc. Two "areas" with very different feels. The battleground is West Holts where you get both - field full of young kids for J5 slightly older crowd for Daptones. Even the South east corner has the older areas - you don't get the really young crowd in the Rocket Lounge for instance.Kind of inevitable with the success of the festival, the sheer size of it and the exposure via TV.

After this year - I'm giving up on the big fields, don't tend to enjoy the bands there as much, don't like the vibe. You could be at any festival anywhere. Doesn't mean I have to stop going or stop loving the place. Also doesn't mean the younger kids that go don't have to be bothered by old farts like me so much.

The young kids nowadays are possibly no more arrogant than young kids have ever been. How many 18 year olds ever think there's a universe outside their own gratification? And why should they at their age?Plenty of time to be as miserable as the rest of us later on. There's just so many of them in a festival this size. Good luck to them - one way or another they're the future of the festival. If they could just be persuaded to pick their shit up.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Ted Dansons Wig

[rischbrit]

Robert plant set at the pyramid we were surrounded by young uns almost competing with each other seeing who can take/do the most nos, trying to take endless selfies, and generally preen each other up. There were girls there putting fake eyelashes on each other (and no not the fairylove ones) and trying to straighten their hair with gas powered straighteners. All talking loudly through Mr Plant's set with some of them loudly asking everyone 'who is he?'

I may sound like a boring fart but all they seemed to be interested in was 'being seen', doing nos cos it's cool apparently and just generally being annoying waiting for jack white. Sorry rant over

[rischbrit]

The festival should be sponsored by Hunter f'n wellies - £90 for rubber wellies...tells you all you need to know about someone really doesn't it?

I blame Kate moss. It's her fault!!! Didn't she wear hunters, shorts and flower garland years ago so since then everyone MUST dress like that!!!!

[BeddyDriver]

Was there a Glastonbury festival go-er in bloom competition this year ? The place did appear to be a walking garden :-p

Even spotted men wearing pots of daffodils on their heads, and a few "ladies" who appeared to think they had to dress the way they would for Ascot !

[FrancisH]

It felt like the John peel, pyramid and other stage were absolutely full of only way is essex 'lads' who were really agrressive. if you didn't move out of their way you'd just get shoulder barged... Made for a very different vibe to the amazing atmosphere and really friendly vibe in other places. Bit sad really.

[Amii]

The festival should be sponsored by Hunter f'n wellies - £90 for rubber wellies...tells you all you need to know about someone really doesn't it?

Not really...

As ever, this thread has gone into a hideous stereotypical mess. I've encountered both rude and wonderful people young and old from the North and South with accents ranging from RP to Geordie to Welsh and everything in between...

[wilson123]

I blame the busiest tent of the festival - or so it seemed since every time I walked by people were wasting Glastonbury time queuing - the EE recharge tent.

It's a festival, Glastonbury Festival at that. Get off the network and be free of your bloody phone for five days!

[Dave The Hedgehog]

I blame the busiest tent of the festival - or so it seemed since every time I walked by people were wasting Glastonbury time queuing - the EE recharge tent.

It's a festival, Glastonbury Festival at that. Get off the network and be free of your bloody phone for five days!

Was just saying this to my missus.

[Avalon_Fields]

We all thought the average age was younger, and despite being 'old' myself I believe it is a good trend for the future health of the festival.

I didn't encounter any really bad behaviour, some minor thoughtlessness but it's huge, challenging and tiring so overall from my perspective we should all be happy it went as well as it did!

Also....wasn't it much better in the areas where it is normally over-crowded, there must have been a better distribution throughout the festival site for much of the time, I was very rarely in very busy crowds (Dolly excepted).

[Deepsky]

Have to admit that some things this year did annoy me.

Normally I couldnt care less whos at glastonbury/who does what/who says what etc. but there was SO much more knobheadery this year than I've ever experienced before.

Yeah ok, most people were alright but the general demeanour and general mindset of a fairly significant number was dreadful.

And it just seems the level of respect that I always used to feel people had for one another at glastonbury has seriously dropped.

there was one poor lady slipped over and got a fair whack as she went down on the steps up from the circus field and had obviously sustained an injury... Not ONE fucker helped. Instead loads of people just stood pointed and laughed and cheered. Everyone else just walked past not giving a shit!

w*nkers.

And yeah what one of the other posters said regarding people pissing everywhere... Saw shitloads of people pissing up stalls and on seats etc at night... Even during the day on occasion!
NO FUCKING NEED.

And as for the rubbish... Don't get me started!

Them bloody fuckers need to clear up their nos canisters as well. Bang out of order leaving those littered all over the site for cows to potentially munch on.

Dont get me wrong I had an AMAZING festival and I hate to be a moaning old fucker but it's starting to get to the point where I'm beginning to question if I actually want to be a part of it anymore.

Saw so much stuff this year that annoyed me and saddened me... Don't understand why people have to be such complete and utter mindless w*nkers.

Edited July 1, 2014 by Deepsky