Glastonbury 2007 - According to the Stars

With soul-sapping pissing rain for most of the weekend and sloppy mud up to your wellie chaffed knees, Glastonbury 2007 definitely wasn’t the occasion to chill out with your mates all day on the green fields and get stoned. No, muddy years are all about the bands, man. The music can take your mind off the blisters, the aching limbs and the trench foot. So, as well as seeing as many bands as humanly possible, Gigwise took the opportunity to catch up with some of them and get their thoughts on Mr Eavis’ festival…

James New – Mumm-Ra: 

Gigwise: So, James, how are you enjoying wading about up to your knees in mud and shite?
James: “I'd love to try one without! Ha ha. I've never been to Glastonbury without mud, I wouldn't mind seeing what it's like. We’ve had days without it. I remember last time, before it was pissing it down there was blazing sunshine and it was gorgeous. It is fantastic anyway, we wouldn't keep coming back if not.” 

Gigwise: You’re playing the John Peel tent later, do you think the great man would be insulted by some of the acts playing the stage, like The Twang?
James: Possibly, that's weird actually maybe when they changed the name to John Peel it would have made more sense not to use the new bands tent. I'm not sure whether they're just putting new bands on now or bands to represent John Peel's taste – I think maybe it's more the case they're naming the tent in his name just as a memory rather than emulate his tastes. I don't have a fondness for The Twang!”

Gigwise: Are you shitting yourself about the performance?
James: “It has a huge relevance, it means an awful lot to us. Weirdly, I remember back when I said we knew we were getting a record deal that I wanted to be on the John Peel stage third to headlining, which was the exact slot that I saw Hope of the States in 2004 and weirdly enough it's the exact slot we've got now!”

Gigwise: So where do you see yourselves three hundred and sixty-odd days from now?
James “The thing is I never buzz of bands on the main stages, the sound is always floating about, I've never really been one for main stages – I'd be quite happy staying on the John Peel stage to be honest.”

(Photo by: Orange/Glastonbury)

Beth Ditto – The Gossip

Gigwise: So Beth, are you looking forward to headlining the John Peel Stage on your very first Glastonbury?
"I'm nervous and I don't get nervous very often. There is a lot of pressure to do a good job. Still to this day I really have this thing in my head that no one is gonna turn up and we're going to get booed – which would be ok, I've just got to be prepared for that."

(Photo by: Dan Melia)  

Paul Smith, Duncan Lloyd – Maximo Park:

Gigwise: Lads, are you ready to make the huge leap from the John Peel to The Other Stage? 
Paul: It's a big step, but I think we've taken a big step up as a band. We've tried to become better at everything we do you know with every gig we try and raise the bar. I dunno how much further we can take it, I come of stage, you know, pretty wrecked. In some ways that kind of justifies our place on the stage, we've got another record now to draw on, we've got loads more music under our belts and yeah and I think we'll leap across it quite comfortably."

Gigwise: Right then, just how is Glastonbury different from all the other festivals?
Paul: "It's a lot more community spirited, everyone's in the same boat whether it's baking hot or a mud bath. There's a lot of people from a wide range of backgrounds coming here - you see old people that have been coming since the first one and families and see obviously really young people who've got the vibe already. With most festivals it's more about corporate sponsorship and putting on quite a slick show. There's an air of relaxation, everyone's easy going, even people who are off their heads on drugs.”

Gigwise: How long have you been trudging about the site for?
Paul: "I was in these same wellies yesterday trampling through the grass watching bands and trying to ignore the hospitality area - there's a lot of the same faces there who crop up every year looking for drinks… The most incredible thing was Bjork, my absolute highlight, I can't express how good it was . It was everything; there was dance, pop, there's avant garde elements there and just this incredible voice.

Duncan: "Her music is right from the ground almost and it's the same as the festival, very earthy, rootsy kind of thing and it was really fitting the first night seeing her, you know you felt as though there was nothing else about when she was there. You know, this is religion being in a field listening to music. What's better than that?

Gigwise: How are you enjoying the mud then?
Paul: "Mud is not one of my favourite substances especially when it's coiled round your feet…once you get used to it you treat it as part of the scenery. Once you've ruined your keks that's it. It is harder in the rain to enjoy yourself, but a lot of people enjoy rising to that challenge.

Duncan: "When it lightens up there's that great spirit thing, everyone lifts when the sun comes out."

(Photo by: Shirlaine Forrest)