The Glastonbury festival that went wrong is remembered by radio DJs and TV hosts Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq, and it should be played again in 2025.
Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq are gearing up to head to Glastonbury with the BBC and whilst they admit some things will go wrong on screen and radio – they don’t care.
The seasoned professionals, who had their own show together in the Nineties, are part of the BBC team covering the massive festival where the BBC will offer 90 hours of performances with its live streams of the five main stages as well as huge radio coverage too.
Steve, 60, said: “I’m getting to the point where I’m looking forward to the first for the first cockup because then it’s out the window.” You know, you have to appreciate how live it is in a truck because of our coverage, so it doesn’t matter anymore. Or we’ve occasionally walked around the site in backpacks.
“So one year and we had planned a show that would have invited visitors from all over the site to walk and meet, and it was the year of the electrical storm.” They then canceled the backpacks out of fear that lightning would strike us. We had to travel the entire show in a truck while trying to locate the people who were supposed to be there.
There is a small cut through from the backstage to the other stage, according to the BBC, which is located just behind the main stage. And when I looked down, I discovered a tree stump in the path. And I believed that at some point, someone will start to get upset about that.
“And it was certain enough, after the site was covered in mud and the heavens opened on Saturday.” Sure enough, I sat straight face down in the mud in the dark! And I’m not sure what I thought, but you know what I thought when I tried to soak up the mud: there was a lot of straw everywhere. I then tried to use the straw to remove the mud, but it just stuck to the mud. And I can recall entering the BBC headquarters’ backstage area and witnessing everyone’s expressions of horror. And when I look at myself, I resemble Worzel Gummidge, a straw sticking out everywhere. You never know what will occur.
Jo, who will host radio programs on-site and on TV, agrees with Steve. When everything goes wrong, she said, “I love it.” Also, do those who watch or listen listen.
“There was the year when, I think it was that Radiohead year, I was doing the radio show and Chris Moyles handed over to me, and I’d got Ricky from the Kaiser Chiefs, so who were supposed to be playing, and, literally, Chris handed over to me. I said about two words, and suddenly we were taken off air because there was a storm, a lightning storm going on. And there were these engineers literally holding electric cables in the air to try and keep them out of the water and the mud. And we were taken off air. I couldn’t do my show. I literally, I just had to phone in my show, walking around the site with Ricky from the Kaiser Chiefs. So yeah. I mean, anything can happen.”
Wet Leg, Fat Dog, Lucy Dacus, and indie band The Big Moon are just a few acts to watch for Steve, who has a weekly 6 music show.
He will be attending her third Glastonbury as well as his young daughter, which means juggling work and family time.
He continued, “I enjoy the Avalon tent’s atmosphere. I frequent Billy Bragg’s Left Field stage because I enjoy it, and there is now the BBC Introducing stage, which is undoubtedly dedicated to young or emerging artists. And this year’s BBC introducing stage features a decent bill. So, is there still a balance, then? You want to see a little bit of everything because that is what you want to see.
“I bought a ticket for my wife, and obviously my daughter’s only eight, so she’s coming along as well. This will be her third time. And you know, she loves it and looks forward to it, and it’s a wonder world, isn’t it? I mean, it reduces adults to children, but for children, just the sights that you see.”
Jo acknowledges that despite her best efforts, she may not be able to watch many full-length performances from artists. She stated, “Honestly, I’m doing the TV coverage, and I think I’m going to be really busy this year.” It’s important to catch as many glimpses of people as possible. And you know that they frequently make you feel extremely frustrated and let down before playing that final song. I really make an effort to visit all of the different locations, and I particularly enjoy visiting the circus tent fields in Cabaret and seeing all of Glastonbury’s other locations as well because I enjoy everything. Charlie XCX is a really exciting movie. I anticipate that her program will be sensational.
* From June 25 through June 29th, the BBC will broadcast Glastonbury on BBC iPlayer, radio, and BBC Sounds.
Source: Mirror
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