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

[Johnnyseven]

5 hours 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)
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

 

 

Fatboy headlined Park in 2023 after Leftfield, do Hot Chip not count as electronic? Underworld West Holts in 2016 too and LCD Soundsystem played.

Edited July 10 by Johnnyseven

[GrumpyRaver]

1 hour ago, Johnnyseven said:

 

Fatboy headlined Park in 2023 after Leftfield, do Hot Chip not count as electronic? Underworld West Holts in 2016 too and LCD Soundsystem played.

I was only disputing the point about Pyramid and Other headliners. LCD aren’t Electronica though…

[Mardy]

14 hours 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)
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

 

Fair enough, I'm not sure the Pet Shop Boys/ New Order (and even the Chems) count as the kind of thing to get young SEC punters rethinking their plans. But again, we're looking at 3 nights, 5 stages and we're coming up with the odd act. It seems a long way from the way the festival was so quick to embrace new electronic acts in the 90s, say. Putting the Orb on the Other in 93, Orbital on the Other and then the Pyramid in 94/95. Let me make it clear I'm not arguing for those heritage bands to be booked, I'm saying that was incredibly cutting edge, fresh and experimental at the time. I believe there needs to be a similar rethink/reset and with the boldness to put young electronica on the big stages as a matter of course.  The festival has split across very clear lines, almost fossilised, and I'd love to see it all mixed up again.

[Mardy]

9 hours ago, Johnnyseven said:

 

Fatboy headlined Park in 2023 after Leftfield, do Hot Chip not count as electronic? Underworld West Holts in 2016 too and LCD Soundsystem played.

 

 

Fatboy Slim is 60, Hot Chip have been around for a couple of decades, Underworld's greatest tunes are 30 years old. This is not the future. This is not what the bright young things are salivating for. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

If I were a gambling man I'd reckon that the two acts who caused the most late night crowding this year - Bicep and Charli XCX- could be topping the Other Stage next year.

[MilkyJoe]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

If I were a gambling man I'd reckon that the two acts who caused the most late night crowding this year - Bicep and Charli XCX- could be topping the Other Stage next year.

Ticket permitting I would definitely be there for Bicep. 2022 on West Holts was just sublime.

[Talcroft]

Bicep's 'thank you' instagram post ended with "where next @glastofest? 🤣"

Made me wonder whether they might even make it up to Pyramid.

(Too scared to put that in the headliner thread)

[Joey Peeps]

10 minutes ago, Talcroft said:

Bicep's 'thank you' instagram post ended with "where next @glastofest? 🤣"

Made me wonder whether they might even make it up to Pyramid.

(Too scared to put that in the headliner thread)

 

Feel like they're nailed on Other headliner next year. Will be the biggest crowd that stage has had for a headliner for years. 

[toohottoocold]

A great dance festival, like a great nightclub is less about the line up and more about the environment. Less big names means a more distributed crowd and will save the bookers money. 

Boomtown have this nailed on. Its basically the SEC for 80,000 people. In my opinion the best thing SEC could do is book lesser known artists. I love dance music but care much less about catching a DJ than a live act. At 3am all you want is space, good tunes and good sound. I feel BT have embraced this and used the money elsewhere to create a better environment. 

I'm guessing here, but BT has one massive stage (used to be called Bang Hai) that hosts tier 2 dance acts and can hold about 30-40,000 people. The 4-5 medium stages circa 3-4,000 hold tier 3 dance acts or more extreme genres and the 20-30 small venue 1-200 hold up and coming DJ's in cool venues. Each offsets popularity of artists with a better environment. 
 

[Skip997]

3 minutes ago, toohottoocold said:

A great dance festival, like a great nightclub is less about the line up and more about the environment 

Totally agree 

 

For example DJ Dazee puts on just as good a show as the likes of Goldie

 

The Temple have got it sussed, they never fill the venue, there’s always plenty of room to dance 

[Talcroft]

11 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

The Temple have got it sussed, they never fill the venue, there’s always plenty of room to dance 

 

Not the quite the same as it doesn't have the visuals, but Stonebridge is the same. Never more than 75% full.

[Risingson2]

I think everything has been discussed already but my points

 

* Pet Shop Boys, New Order or Underworld count as electronic. They also count as OLD. Know many people over 30 that go clubbing every weekend and never knew who Underworld were. There is a generational shift everywhere - Charli XCX was the most important electronic artist this year, with Bicep and Jamie XX following very close.

* Hell, Charli XCX was the most important artist in the lineup this year. And she was in levels

* I am afraid that if you remove the dance music now you are not going to magically change the demand for it. People would wander around. If you change Shangri La to be just metal until 6 people would gather there anyway and cause the same crushes.

* The Park was weird after hours. I ended up on the outside of Sweet Charity a couple of times, and mostly groups of people who were too f**ked to dance and should have gone to bed hours earlier. Scissors was unaccessible for me all weekend, I just went to some talks during the day

* Nothing to add to SE corner. I did the walk from Nomad to the loos many times and it was a nightmare, every time. What were those food stalls doing there?

* I agree on "lesser known artists" though that is so subjective that I am lost on examples. One thing I remember from previous covid years was the Glade area full of local djs that did excellent sets for a few people. This year I found that on smaller places like Kinetic (again, the acid house set I danced on Monday morning was out of this world) but I still think the Glade area has been severely downgraded even when the bookings are more popular.

* Three times Afriquoi was booked, the three times it was crowded. Again, some people there are out of touch with reality regarding who is popular and who is not. 

 

EDIT: btw, Temple was full 9 out of 10 times I walked past it, with uncomfortable queues. Most surprisingly on Monday morning.

Edited July 11 by Risingson2

[4AssedMonkey]

2 hours ago, toohottoocold said:

A great dance festival, like a great nightclub is less about the line up and more about the environment. Less big names means a more distributed crowd and will save the bookers money. 

Boomtown have this nailed on. Its basically the SEC for 80,000 people. In my opinion the best thing SEC could do is book lesser known artists. I love dance music but care much less about catching a DJ than a live act. At 3am all you want is space, good tunes and good sound. I feel BT have embraced this and used the money elsewhere to create a better environment. 

I'm guessing here, but BT has one massive stage (used to be called Bang Hai) that hosts tier 2 dance acts and can hold about 30-40,000 people. The 4-5 medium stages circa 3-4,000 hold tier 3 dance acts or more extreme genres and the 20-30 small venue 1-200 hold up and coming DJ's in cool venues. Each offsets popularity of artists with a better environment. 
 

 

Never been to Boomtown but have heard nothing but but good things about it and your point makes great sense.  What's better, being crushed and unable to move watching Fred Again... or having space to dance freely to something that's as good but has less hype?

 

My early Glastos, the SE corner felt a bit like this.  Mainly small venues and a much more performance art aspect going on, like the Snake Pit, which had translucent walls, a great light show and aerial artists on pole, silks etc to the DJ's.  I can't recall many huge names billed at the time but there were always actual secret sets or artists popping up here and there, if only for short stints.  Had some incredible nights exploring, stopping to dance where something caught my ear, wandering off again.  Now it's just large stages with interconnecting walkways trying to book the next big thing.  That's it.

[nikkic]

On 7/11/2024 at 10:42 AM, Talcroft said:

Bicep's 'thank you' instagram post ended with "where next @glastofest? 🤣"

Made me wonder whether they might even make it up to Pyramid.

(Too scared to put that in the headliner thread)

Bicep on Other stage seems like the obvious choice.

Fred on The Pyramid too. 

If they want the kids to start hitting up the main stages more, there'd probably need to be a bit of shift and have DJ sets there. 

People like Four Tet, Michael Bibi and Hedex are all hosting their own festivals or having arena dates, they are probably popular enough to have playing away from places like Levels, Iicon and Arcadia. 

They could even have a bigger main stage in SH for the bigger names. 

Edited July 12 by nikkic