Opinion: Glastonbury Hosts World-Class Electronic Music. The Problem Is Getting to See It.

[ProperTea]

On 7/7/2024 at 11:18 AM, Alex DeLarge said:

The site felt a lot quieter than 2022 to me.

I agree. The site in general seemed much quieter than 2022, when every single catering van seemed to constantly have massive queues and even small acts were rammed.

 

This year there were clearly some localised programming issues (Sugababes, Barry Can't Swim and Avril Lavigne). And I do think there has been a demographic shift - it feels younger than it used to, and EVERYONE seems to want to head to the SE Corner after hours, much more than the pre-covid years.

 

Suspect the only way to solve it now is to just completely scrap the SE Corner as it currently is and do something brand new, so people don't know what to expect/where to head. Shangri La is long overdue being put out of its misery now, it's just repeating the same thing year in, year out. Time for it to head to the scrap heap like Lost Vagueness did in 2008.

[Skip997]

21 hours ago, ProperTea said:

Suspect the only way to solve it now is to just completely scrap the SE Corner as it currently is and do something brand new, so people don't know what to expect/where to head. Shangri La is long overdue being put out of its misery now, it's just repeating the same thing year in, year out. Time for it to head to the scrap heap like Lost Vagueness did in 2008.

Totally agree. It’s stale, it’s ridiculously overcrowded largely with folks just walking about. The other side of the railway track is much more fun. 
 

Anyway I’ve heard it’s getting a revamp next year 

[gfa]

23 hours ago, ProperTea said:

I agree. The site in general seemed much quieter than 2022, when every single catering van seemed to constantly have massive queues and even small acts were rammed.

 

This year there were clearly some localised programming issues (Sugababes, Barry Can't Swim and Avril Lavigne). And I do think there has been a demographic shift - it feels younger than it used to, and EVERYONE seems to want to head to the SE Corner after hours, much more than the pre-covid years.

 

Suspect the only way to solve it now is to just completely scrap the SE Corner as it currently is and do something brand new, so people don't know what to expect/where to head. Shangri La is long overdue being put out of its misery now, it's just repeating the same thing year in, year out. Time for it to head to the scrap heap like Lost Vagueness did in 2008.

Its nowhere near as dire as Unfairground.

Shangri La has a few venues that have decent capacity so it at least works decently to store people. Unfairgrounds venues are all small - it needs a Temple / Nowhere / Genosys of its own

[Crazyfool01]

49 minutes ago, gfa said:

Its nowhere near as dire as Unfairground.

Shangri La has a few venues that have decent capacity so it at least works decently to store people. Unfairgrounds venues are all small - it needs a Temple / Nowhere / Genosys of its own

really ? I dunno ... the character of the small venues is much better in my opinion , the difficulty though is obviously that they cant deal with the crowds in the same way ... if it continues in such a vain you lose the character of the festival and it just becomes a series of large arenas and the choice of music reduces 

[gooner1990]

3 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

really ? I dunno ... the character of the small venues is much better in my opinion , the difficulty though is obviously that they cant deal with the crowds in the same way ... if it continues in such a vain you lose the character of the festival and it just becomes a series of large arenas and the choice of music reduces 

 

To me what's happened is the SEC started taking off in 2008 when it changed from Lost Vagueness to Shangri-La/Block 9/Arcadia and now IICON....but the attendees back then were predominantly people who were into bands, who would watch a headliner then meander around and end up at the Stone Circle and then stagger off to bed.  I went in the SEC in 2008 and 2009 and whilst I wouldn't say it was quiet it wasn't overrun by any stretch of the imagination.

 

As the years have gone on the type of Glastonbury attendee has changed from those just being into bands to people who's main interest is electronic music as word has got round about the SEC and how crazy it is etc.  We've now wound up with a situation where half the festival are turning up and wanting to go in it at night and party hard.

 

 I've read that over 90,000 people went in the SEC on the Friday night this year....that's some serious numbers and the area to me either has to be massively expanded (at the expense of something nearby),  changed about so it can handle the crowds or moved completely to another part of the site.

 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

I do wonder if the "Everything Must Go" theme was also a nod to it being the final year in this format?

[gfa]

2 hours ago, Crazyfool01 said:

really ? I dunno ... the character of the small venues is much better in my opinion , the difficulty though is obviously that they cant deal with the crowds in the same way ... if it continues in such a vain you lose the character of the festival and it just becomes a series of large arenas and the choice of music reduces 

I think small venues should definitely stay but each area should really have a big one to help absorb some crowds. Unfairground is the only one that doesn't have a larger venue.

[Crazyfool01]

11 minutes ago, gfa said:

I think small venues should definitely stay but each area should really have a big one to help absorb some crowds. Unfairground is the only one that doesn't have a larger venue.

id struggle to think where theres room in that area ... currently dont think they ever programme acts that necesitate a bigger area ... will look at the glasopedia overheads in a bit 

[deepkittycaz]

2 hours ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

I do wonder if the "Everything Must Go" theme was also a nod to it being the final year in this format?

TBF, that was last year's tagline as well

[gfa]

40 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

id struggle to think where theres room in that area ... currently dont think they ever programme acts that necesitate a bigger area ... will look at the glasopedia overheads in a bit 

I would say that the two venues on the left side of the path (heading to railway / genosys) could be pushed back and/or merged. Flying Bus and theres another one.

 

With a bit more space and a combined budget i'm sure they could get some stuff to pull in more people, if only for the busiest few hours of the night.

 

Probably wouldn't be enough to make much impact but lots of things combined are the answer to sorting the current mess out!

[Talcroft]

3 hours ago, gooner1990 said:

 

To me what's happened is the SEC started taking off in 2008 when it changed from Lost Vagueness to Shangri-La/Block 9/Arcadia and now IICON....but the attendees back then were predominantly people who were into bands, who would watch a headliner then meander around and end up at the Stone Circle and then stagger off to bed.  I went in the SEC in 2008 and 2009 and whilst I wouldn't say it was quiet it wasn't overrun by any stretch of the imagination.

 

 

 

 

I'd kind of forgotten this - just being able to wander in and around Trash City whatever time of day. Arcadia contributed to the current mayhem but moving it hasn't taken the associated crowd away with it because the sound is no good unless you're right underneath it. 

The Park has potential to relieve some pressure but it's all so hit and miss - there's no coherent theme between Sweet Charity, Scissors, Wishing Well, Stonebridge and Glasto on Sea. If they book after hours better in the Park and get some coherence on the themes it might get a bit more traction. 

(kind of loathe to say that though... Not mad keen for a Disneyland level of coherent branding through the areas). 

[bob323]

5 minutes ago, Talcroft said:

I'd kind of forgotten this - just being able to wander in and around Trash City whatever time of day. Arcadia contributed to the current mayhem but moving it hasn't taken the associated crowd away with it because the sound is no good unless you're right underneath it. 

The Park has potential to relieve some pressure but it's all so hit and miss - there's no coherent theme between Sweet Charity, Scissors, Wishing Well, Stonebridge and Glasto on Sea. If they book after hours better in the Park and get some coherence on the themes it might get a bit more traction. 

(kind of loathe to say that though... Not mad keen for a Disneyland level of coherent branding through the areas). 

I didn't go this year, in previous years the park always seems packed at night

[Talcroft]

1 minute ago, bob323 said:

I didn't go this year, in previous years the park always seems packed at night

Depends how determined you are to queue. Stonebridge was never packed to the rafters this year but a well-managed entry system creates an overspill that makes the whole area look full. Same at old Rabbit Hole/new Wishing Well. 

Actually lots of churn because they purposefully don't put toilets in the venues so (most) people have to leave eventually. 

Notwithstanding the kind individual who pee'd in a pint cup and left it on the bar for us to deal with... Thanks for not peeing on the land but also if you're reading this, f**k you. 

[bob323]

4 minutes ago, Talcroft said:

Depends how determined you are to queue. Stonebridge was never packed to the rafters this year but a well-managed entry system creates an overspill that makes the whole area look full. Same at old Rabbit Hole/new Wishing Well. 

Actually lots of churn because they purposefully don't put toilets in the venues so (most) people have to leave eventually. 

Notwithstanding the kind individual who pee'd in a pint cup and left it on the bar for us to deal with... Thanks for not peeing on the land but also if you're reading this, f**k you. 

thanks I hadn't realised, i've just seen huge crowds outside the areas and thought - nope! and moved on

Edited July 9 by bob323

[philipsteak]

8 minutes ago, Talcroft said:

Depends how determined you are to queue. Stonebridge was never packed to the rafters this year but a well-managed entry system creates an overspill that makes the whole area look full. Same at old Rabbit Hole/new Wishing Well. 

Actually lots of churn because they purposefully don't put toilets in the venues so (most) people have to leave eventually. 

Notwithstanding the kind individual who pee'd in a pint cup and left it on the bar for us to deal with... Thanks for not peeing on the land but also if you're reading this, f**k you. 

 

Last place I worked we had a stag party in one night. A new, young, and fairly naive staff member was clearing the tables after they'd gone. "Why did someone microwave this cider? That's weird" (it was a youth hostel with a bar so there was access to a kitchen for guests). Oh, mate, no. That's not microwaved cider. Now go and wash your hands. Thoroughly. 

[Talcroft]

33 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

Last place I worked we had a stag party in one night. A new, young, and fairly naive staff member was clearing the tables after they'd gone. "Why did someone microwave this cider? That's weird" (it was a youth hostel with a bar so there was access to a kitchen for guests). Oh, mate, no. That's not microwaved cider. Now go and wash your hands. Thoroughly. 

Hahahahahahahaha. That's made me smile. 

Thankfully as a result of my day job i realised very quickly and went off to get gloves before it was dealt with but yeh, absolute creatures. 

[Skip997]

7 hours ago, Supernintendo Chalmers said:

I do wonder if the "Everything Must Go" theme was also a nod to it being the final year in this format?

I’ve heard there’s going to be a revamp next year 

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

I’ve heard there’s going to be a revamp next year 

 

Hope so. For many reasons.

[MilkyJoe]

7 hours ago, Skip997 said:

I’ve heard there’s going to be a revamp next year 

That should make things a lot quieter.😬

[mouserat]

If we accept that a greater proportion of people coming to the festival are coming because they're fans of electronic music and/or focused on having big, epic late nights in SE corner or elsewhere, then one simplistic option might be to make at least one of the Woodsies headliners a DJ/electronic act. Then you at least make it more likely that the crowd from there will break off and spend some time in Silver Hayes or at Arcadia afterwards.

 

At the moment, Silver Hayes is the opposite direction to SE corner if you're at Pyramid/Other/West Holts and I think people see it as not worth the effort unless there's something huge on there (and even then you run the risk of walking all that way only to find you can't get in).

[Mardy]

Given the shift in demographics and the overall appetite for electronic music, I reckon every night at least 2/5, or even better, 3/5 of the main stages (Pyramid, Other, WH, Park and Woodsies) should be a big electronic act. And I mean the biggest stages. The Pyramid needs some big electronica acts on, as does the Other. Seems almost like the festival has gone backwards in this regard. Been years since there was a huge electronica act headlining either of those two stages. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Disclosure headlined the Other stage this year, but from what I heard didn't draw a notably sizable crowd.  There were also the likes of Jamie XX, Justice, Jungle and Peggy Gou topping the bill elsewhere.

 

Plus, she may be a pop star more than an electronic act, but Dua Lipa was absolutely trafficking in dancefloor bangers.

[GrumpyRaver]

2 hours ago, Mardy said:

Given the shift in demographics and the overall appetite for electronic music, I reckon every night at least 2/5, or even better, 3/5 of the main stages (Pyramid, Other, WH, Park and Woodsies) should be a big electronic act. And I mean the biggest stages. The Pyramid needs some big electronica acts on, as does the Other. Seems almost like the festival has gone backwards in this regard. Been years since there was a huge electronica act headlining either of those two stages. 

Not sure if you're using the purist's definition of electronica here, but either way... not really true...

2024 - Disclosure (and a half point for Dua)
2023 - nada
2022 - Pet Shop Boys
2019 - Chems
2017 - Major Lazer
2016 - Disclosure (and a half point for New Order)
2015 - Rudimental, Deadmau5, and the Chems

 

[Talcroft]

7 minutes ago, GrumpyRaver said:

Not sure if you're using the purist's definition of electronica here, but either way... not really true...

2024 - Disclosure (and a half point for Dua) - old
2023 - nada
2022 - Pet Shop Boys - old
2019 - Chems - old
2017 - Major Lazer - old
2016 - Disclosure (and a half point for New Order - old) - slightly less old at that the time 
2015 - Rudimental - not electronica, Deadmau5 - old, and the Chems - old

 

 

None of them were part of the zeitgeist at the time though. Disclosure 2016 was maybe pretty close to being a big draw but these days you're not getting 18yos paying them much attention - it's what their mums are listening to reminiscing about their 'going out' days. Justice are mega but anyone under the age of 25 might be scratching their heads. They do need to redress this - Fred & Friends on Pyramid next year, no matter how tosh they are, would help. 

[GrumpyRaver]

12 minutes ago, Talcroft said:

 

None of them were part of the zeitgeist at the time though. Disclosure 2016 was maybe pretty close to being a big draw but these days you're not getting 18yos paying them much attention - it's what their mums are listening to reminiscing about their 'going out' days. Justice are mega but anyone under the age of 25 might be scratching their heads. They do need to redress this - Fred & Friends on Pyramid next year, no matter how tosh they are, would help. 

 

Oh, i fully agree... was just saying that the idea that it's been years since any electronic acts have been booked to headline the Other is nonsense.

Edited July 10 by GrumpyRaver