Festivals and gigs. A listings calendar, plus previews, news, reviews, and photos
The VLURE shows (four of them) were probably the most important and seminal played by any band at Glastonbury Festival 2023. None of these were main stages… and only the one in the BBC Introducing tent would have even had a chance of getting onto many people’s radars. But here is a band who have…
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Many years ago at a small pub in South East London called the Bridge House Tavern there was a summer solstice gig that went under the name of ‘Stoned Penge’. Chatting to Beans on Toast as Sleaze rocked the Bimble Inn up at the top of the Park Stage we recalled how several of the…
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Shumba Youth definitely fits into the ‘underground’ element of the Glastonbury 2023 bill. Dub, Dancehall, Jungle and Afrobeats are his staple elements as he works his way up from the London Reggae scene to a wider audience. Greenpeace was rocking (gently) to his set and chatting to him afterwards we found him to be one…
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Briefly passed by a random Glastonbury 2023 stage and saw Velvet Fuzz playing – so we took some photos… Velvet Fuzz Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The best of the rest of our Glastonbury 2023 photos:
The Last Dinner Party set was one of those ‘must be there’ Glastonbury Festival 2023 moments. the band have been generating tonnes of column inches in the press and have been likened to a whole host of great acts. For us, ‘Sinner’ sounds a lot like Sparks…see what you think… But the verses of ‘Nothing…
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When we spotted Skindred on the Glastonbury Festival 2023 line-up we knew we were in for a real treat. Not just us of course…but all the metal fans who crammed into the Truth stage at Shangri La for the latest offering from the Earache Records collaboration that has brought the noise to this corner of…
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Sister Suzie played her second consecutive year at Glastonbury Festival in 2023 and holds something of a record for being pretty much the only artist to do nightly residencies. With stage time in such demand it’s testament to her pulling power that the bookers let her play night after night in a prime slot. So,…
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Mongolian folk-metal legends The Hu took on Glastonbury Festival 2023 – and won! See what LOUDER had to say on the subject: https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/the-hu-glastonbury-review-setlist-2023 The Hu Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The best of the rest of our Glastonbury 2023 photos:
Royal Blood’s Glastonbury Festival 2023 set was always going to be a tricky affair after their outburst at the recent Radio 1 Big Weekend. The band brushed the incident under the carpet, but mainstream reviewers still questioned them with a few missing stars… https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/royal-blood-glastonbury-2023-review-b2363048.html For our money this was a great set that showed how…
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RAYE, along with Stormzy and Loyal Carner are all acts from Croydon who have graced big stages at Glastonbury, but seem to still have been left out of the South London borough’s ‘year of culture’ celebrations. Still, RAYE flies the flag for her back-story throughout her set, and shows the world just what she’s made…
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Sparks are almost worthy of the Sunday legends slot at Glastonbury – but here they are on the Park Stage and the fans are delighted…especially when Cate Blanchett joins the band on stage to ‘dance’ her way through ‘The Girl is Crying in Her Latte’. Sparks Photos – by Festival Flyer The best of the…
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Queens of the Stone Age gave a suitably rocky alternative to the Rocket Man over on the main stage as Glastonbury 2023 rolled to an end. It was a great booking decision, as Mojo sums up neatly in their round-up of the last day of the festival. https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/queens-of-the-stone-age-weyes-blood-and-more-at-glastonbury-2023-reviewed/ Queens of the Stone Age Photos –…
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Well Rolling Stone Magazine recked that Stefflon Don’s dancehall takeover of the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2023 was a winner – so who are we to argue? https://www.rollingstone.co.uk/music/live-reviews/stefflon-don-live-at-glastonbury-dancehall-queen-triumphs-on-the-pyramid-30482/ This Birmingham dancehall diva certainly walks the walk and talks the talk, and we think she justified her position on a stellar bill with aplomb. Stefflon…
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It’s been 24 years (count them!) since Texas last played this festival… but here they are at Glastonbury Festival in 2023, and they sound as fresh and relevant as they ever did back in the day. Sharing a drummer with the rather shouty politico band BENEFITS over on the Left Field stage, Texas have a…
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Working Men’s Club may have played Glastonbury Festival 2023, burt we can’t find a single review of the set to go with our lovely photos below… so here’s a iece on them in DORK from last year and a video of them playing the festival from the BBC… https://readdork.com/features/working-mens-club-feature-august-2022/ Working Men’s Club Photos – by…
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Sophie Ellis-Bextor simply does what she does, and she does it well. You may not be a fan or know a song even, but when she takes to a stage if you open your heart to her vibe you’ll find yourself having a really nice time. She’s not The Foo Fighters or Chemical Brothers, but…
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The Viagra Boys set was one of the most anticipated shows for us at Glastonbury Festival 2023. This Swedish punk outfit take no prisoners and snarl their way through every gig they play in such an unselfconscious way that it feel like they simply exist on a different planet. One thing is for sure – this…
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The SHAME set on Woodsies stage at Glastonbury Festival 2023 was high-point for a band who have been working hard to establish themselves on the scene over the last few years. As DORK report, the packed tent was a testament to their success! https://readdork.com/features/photos/shame-glastonbury-2023-photos/ SHAME Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The best of…
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We opted to watch Elton John’s Glastonbury Festival 2023 performance from the cheap seats right at the back of the Pyramid field to get a proper fan perspective. And wow – there were a LOT of people in front of us. Words aren’t really enough to describe moments like this one as a musical epoch…
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Dogs is a collaboration between Irish songwriting legends NICK KELLY (The Fat Lady Sings, Alien Envoy) and SEAN “DOCTOR” MILLAR (The Cute Hoors). Nick took a new approach to the traditional ‘song cycle’ by actually cycling to Glastonbury in 2022 – playing a series of gigs along the route. He recaptured this in 2023, and…
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Dan Turnbull is Funke and The Two Tone Baby, and his Glastonbury Festival 2023 appearance managed to rank in the Guardian guide’s top-six-picks of bands to see at thisyear’s event. Rightly so we say, because having followed and championed Funke for about a decade now, and his alternative take on electro-blues delivers the goods every…
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FLO played Glastonbury Festival 2023 just a couple of weeks after a great performance at the Isle of Wight and have just dropped a new EP – reviewed here by CLASH: https://www.clashmusic.com/news/flo-drop-surprise-ep-3-of-us/ FLO Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The best of the rest of our Glastonbury 2023 photos:
CHVRCHES Glastonbury Festival 2023 appearance included a big ‘up’ to former collaborator and ‘the greatest goth’ – The Cure’s Robert Smith. The band fired a rendition of ‘How Not to Drown‘ at the Other Stage crowd amidst a set that wrapped up with Lauren Mayberry skipping off stage to return covered in fake blood. All…
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Over on The Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2023 we found Fed Again wowing his crowd and impressing the music-techs. https://musictech.com/features/fred-again-glastonbury-2023-review/ Maybe not a traditional Glastonbury booking – but a popular one and proof that the festival has its finger on many a musical pulse. Fred Again Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The…
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Panic Shack took to the Truth Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2023 as if they owned it. This Welsh post-punk outfit have been recieving all the right sorts of reviews over the past year or so, and have had some good rotation on 6Music. Tonight they get rated by MOJO as a contender for ‘band of…
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Kid Kapichi were high on our Glastonbury Festival 2023 tour t-shirt, and for good reason. Playing what we feel is our spiritual home at the festival – the Left Field – the Hastings four-piece pulled in a lot or existings fans but also won new friends with each song. This is music with a social…
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Maisie Peters did her debut at Glastonbury in what might be reverse order. Glastonbury Festival 2023 saw her play her first ever set on the Pyramid stage, before ‘slumming it’ later in the weekend at Strummervill – showing at least that she still has her feet firmly on the ground! Having worked with ed Sheeran…
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For a great blow-by-blow account of the Lil Nas X show at Glastonbury Festival 2023 we’d recommend this NME piece… This may not be traditional Glastonbury fodder, but for a new generation of fans it’s just what the doctor ordered, and was the talk of the press tent… Lil Nas X Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com…
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The Manic Street Preachers set was for many people a high-point of Glastonbury Festival 2023. Joined on stage by The Anchoress, who has just released her own verson of ‘This is Yesterday‘, the band played a near-perfect festival set of iconic classic songs… none of that ‘here’s four or five filler tracks from our new album…
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Seeing Nova Twins up on the Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival 2023 was a real diary moment for us, as we have been championing the band since we first saw them play at a small pub in Hastings (The Carlisle), way back in 2017. The band proved they have the power to win over any…
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The Generation Sex set was a proper Glastonbury Festival 2023 ‘moment’. It was sort of like an alternative ‘legends’ set for the Other Stage crowd – but the antithesis of Cat Stevens / Yusuf. The last time we saw Tony James at the festival was in another punk icon collaboration – as we had the honour…
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A quick scan of the internet shows up no reviews at all for the Grove set at Glastonbury Festival 2023. Which is a shame, because this was a return visit, and here is an artist really worthy of mention. We first stumbled on Grove at end of the Road Festival last year and were blown…
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There is something wrong with the world when we hear from Gaz that Glastonbury Festival 2023 is the first time in SIX years that he has played here! We think there should be a law against things like that, because Gaz and his music epitomize the festival. Gaz Brookfield Photos – by Festival Flyer The…
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Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip had an unusually relaxed Glastonbury Festival 2023, playing a lot fewer sets than their normal doxen or so. We caught up with them for a front-row seat at the packed Croissant Neuf Bandstand, where a delighted (or perhaps sometimes confused) crowd were treated to a greatest-hits set from this archetypically quirky…
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Morning Tourist played Glastonbury Festival 2023 to a passing crowd as they opened The Hive stage. Always a tough gig – but they did it with style… Morning Tourist Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The best of the rest of our Glastonbury 2023 photos:
You are unlikely to find any Enjoyable Listens songs on the BBC iPlayer from Glastonbury Festival 2023. It’s a shame that with all the effort and resources that the Beeb puts into covering the festival, they very rarely (we won’t say never) feature young talent on small stages. And talent is something that Enjoyabale Listens…
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If you know anything about Christine and the Queens and you missed this set, you know you missed something special as a headline for the newly-named ‘Woodsies’ Stage on Saturday night at Glastonbury 2023. Here’s just one review worth reading for a taste of the action: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/glastonbury-2023-watch-christine-and-the-queens-perform-highlight-set/ Christine and The Queens Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com…
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There is always a first time for everything, and this was the first time for Becky Hill to play Glastonbury – as, it turns out, an alternative to Eurovision… https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jun/23/glastonbury-all-star-veterans-advise-festival-first-timers She may have grabbed headlines for the wrong reasons, but she definitely put her marker down and won some new fans along the way. Becky…
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Benefits are not an easy band to book for festivals – they are loud and shouty and in your face. But they are also lovely people with a social message to get across, it’s just they do it with the mics and amps turned up well past 11. We first saw them at Bearded Theory…
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For pop afficionados,this 37-year-old Canadian really was a must-see at Glastonbury 2023, and in particular the queer-crowd, who lap up Carly Rae Jepsen songs at gay clubs across the planet. Attitude magazine sum up het set nicely: https://www.attitude.co.uk/culture/music/carly-rae-jepsen-at-glastonbury-review-polished-and-dynamic-438476/ Carly Rae Jepsen Photos – by http://www.sarabowreyphotos.com for Festival Flyer The best of the rest of our…
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