Five bands you have to see at Glastonbury 2010
I’ll be there – even though I’m poor and on the brink of despair – but will you? If so, you might as excited as the most excited thing in the whole of Excitement Land. This Wednesday me and many others will go down to Worthy Farm for the 40th Glastonbury Festival. Many great bands will be playing and several fun times will be had. But, in the midst of such great talent, who is worth your time? Well, I’m here to help. These five bands are amongst my must-sees over the weekend and they should be for you as well.
Gorillaz
Called in at the last minute to replace U2, there couldn’t have been a more fitting replacement. They represent a wide variety of genres making them a perfect fit for the festival’s anniversary. What’s more, they’ve finally turned into a world-beating live band and Damon Albarn is clearly having the time of his life.
The National
This band have been tipped as this year’s ‘Elbow’ – referencing the legendary set by the Mancunians that started their breakthrough into the mainstream that they had been denied of for a long time. The National are in a similar position – this current album is their most acclaimed and their most successful commercially and they’re playing in an almost identical slot.
MGMT
Why should you see MGMT? Because there’s absolutely no idea of what to expect from them. Their Coachella festival set famously bombed after shunning most of their hit debut album for tracks from the challenging Congratulations and refusing to play Kids. At the very least, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of mood the band are in come the Sunday evening.
The Flaming Lips
I will be seeing Gorillaz on Friday night but those who don’t feel up to watching Damon Albarn headline Glastonbury for the second year in a row might find comfort in The Flaming Lips. They and Glastonbury go hand-in-hand as a natural fit and you can be sure for a crazy and spectacular show.
Special Guests at The Park
The Park has been notorious for bringing out special guest performances to remember on Emily Eavis’ own stage. This year should be no different and given the anniversary there might be some extra special surprises up her sleeve. Our bets are on Arcade Fire and the White Stripes – the former realistic, the latter not so much.
As for the coverage during the festival itself, I will be tweeting throughout and you can follow the coverage either at my Twitter page or through this website, where I’ll set up a widget of some sorts on Wednesday. Expect a long-winded and twisty review of the event in dribs and drabs in the days and weeks afterwards and there’s also the possibility of a mini-film about the festival. Who knows, eh?
If you’re going, who do you plan on seeing? The next time you’ll hear from me will be in Somerset. See you there.
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Posted on June 19th, 2010 by Max
Filed under: Features, Gigs
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