GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL 2011
Last weekend, Worthy Farm in rural England once again opened its gates to the hoards of music fans ready to get muddy and musical at Glastonbury 2011 and photographer Jimmy James was there for ZOOT to capture the epic highs of this legendary UK festival…
Text by Lucy Mclean
Glastonbury is renowned for being not only a meeting of musical talents but a true “Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts” including dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and much more. This year it was reported that Glastonbury contributes over £100 million annually to the UK economy but its not all about profit, the atmosphere at the event is second to none, proven by the fact that it is visited time and time again by a huge variety of dedicated hippy-types, families, students and art lovers. If you were unaware of the Glastonbury hype during the recent June weekend, which saw both beautiful sunshine and torrential rain, then you were truly missing out…
For the first time in the festival”s history we welcomed on stage a female headline closing act and who better to take on this début role than the powerful wonderwoman that is Beyonce Knowles. Dressed by Parisian couture designer Alexandre Vauthier, Beyonce looked impressive in a fully sequinned gold mini dress with Swarovski crystals by the Maison LESAGE and oversized au naturel afro hair.
The singer performed all her top hits with husband rap star Jay-Z supporting in the crowd and despite the rumours, there was no Destiny”s Child reunion on stage however, any twinge of disappointment for DC fans was well and truly shot down by the stunning vocals and dance performance put on by Beyonce alone.
Michael Eavis, the UK dairy farmer and festival-founder who makes it all possible by shunting his cows and opening up his farm gates to the whole event was there on site to enjoy the good vibes and support the festivals continued success. Meanwhile, stars such as Wayne Rooney, Billie Piper, Will Young, Pixie Geldof and Kate Moss were all in attendance embracing the famed mudbath that becomes this celebrated event.
UK newcomer Jessie J powered through her performance on Saturday night with a shining golden throne as her primary prop in aid of the fact that her leg was in a plastic cast after a recent painful accident during previous rehearsals. Fans have crowned her casino online as the “Festival Queen” for showing true Glasto spirit and dedication, ignoring Doctors advice to ensure that she was still able to belt out her latest hits, including the single “Do it Like a Dude” which seemed to perfectly sum up her no nonsense attitude on stage.
Throughout the 3 day main event all genres and varieties of music were presented, from the UK festival favourites such as Coldplay, Morrisey, Primal Scream, Biffy Clyro, U2, The Kills and Elbow, to alternative newcomers such as Lyyke Li, James Blake, Warpaint, Nicolas Jaar and the newly formed solo artist Miles Kane formerly of The Last Shadow Puppets. The list of acts that appeared at the weekend seems limitless, including weird and wonderful comebacks from the likes of The Wombles and Kool & The Gang… to pick a favourite would be an impossible task for anyone who tried.
In true eclectic Glastonbury style, BB King“s impressive set on the main Pyramid Stage on Friday night was followed by 90″s American rap group Wu-Tang Clan with an energetic and somewhat humorous performance, whilst UK chart toppers Tinie Tempah, Plan B and Queens of the Stone Age were all met with popular crowd reactions over the weekend. The Kaiser Chiefs pleased audiences with the perfect uplifting festival tracks from their new album, including the new single “Little Shocks“, and there were numerous Live DJ sets, such as the powerful Pendulum and Chase & Status performances.
Each year the Glasto rumours keep festival goers entertained and hyped for months before the real event and this year the fans were all rooting for the “secret Radiohead gig” which did take place, despite the pouring rain, with Thom Yorke giving a strong performance and presenting much of the bands new material, such as the euphoric “Little by Little” and “Lotus Flower“.
U2 became the first of the Pyramid Stage acts from this years Glastonbury Festival to donate a track of their live performance to raise money for Glastonbury”s three charities; Oxfam, WaterAid and Greenpeace Environmental Trust.
Firstly, U2 donated “I Will Follow” from Friday night”s performance (download here), followed by Coldplay who donated the live track “In My Place” (download) and Beyonce chose to donate the stunning “Irreplaceable” (download). The tracks will be on sale for 30 days and all proceeds – including 100% of iTunes” share – will go to the three charities. They are also available on the Irish and US iTunes Stores.
Next year the Glastonbury fields and cows of Worthy Farm will be left to rest, allowing the land to redevelop after the masssacre of mud that swamps the site during the festival, however registration is now open to apply for tickets for Glastonbury 2013 which is sure to be another extravagant weekend that only gets better with time, surpassing all expectations of any event on the International music scene today.
To register for 2013 go to glastonburyfestivals.co.uk now!
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JIMMY JAMES www.jimmyjames.thebluelightdistrict.com
ASSISTANT PHOTOGRAPHER NEIL WARNER
RADIOHEAD IMAGES BY JAMES MCCAULEY www.jamesmccauley.com
