Banksy Responds After James Cleverly Brands His Glastonbury Stunt ‘Vile And Unacceptable’

Posted on 04/07/2024 by Boris Clair

Banksy has issued a response to home secretary James Cleverly’s claim that his recent stunt at Glastonbury was “vile and unacceptable”.

During a performance by Idles at the music event on Friday night, an inflatable boat filled with dummies wearing orange life jackets, intended to represent refugees trying to pass through treacherous seas, was passed out to the crowd.

The band had initially been unaware of the stunt that was carried out during their song Danny Nedelko, which opens with the lines: “My blood brother is an immigrant. A beautiful immigrant.”

An Idles spokesperson later confirmed the boat was, indeed, a Banksy piece.

According to a photo shared on X by Glastonbury Live, the boat also returned to the crowd for Little Simz’s set on the Pyramid Stage the following day.

The stunt was met with condemnation from the Home Secretary, who told Sky News: “People die in the Mediterranean, they die on the Channel. This is not funny. It is vile. This is a celebration of the loss of life in the Channel.”

He added: “To joke about it, to celebrate it at a pop festival when there have been children dying in the Channel, is completely unacceptable.”

Now, the anonymous street artist has responded to Cleverly’s comments on Instagram.

“The home secretary called my Glastonbury boat vile and unacceptable’ which seemed a bit over the top,” Banksy wrote.

“The real boat I fund, the MV Louise Michel rescued 17 unaccompanied children from the central Med on Monday night.

“As punishment the Italian authorities have detained it – which seems vile and unacceptable to me.”

The MV Louise Michel, provides life-saving support to those in distress crossing the Mediterranean, and was purchased with the proceeds from the sale of Banksy artwork.

Banksy’s Glastonbury stunt comes after he returned with his first art instalment of 2024 back in March.

The mural featured a stencil of a woman who had sprayed green paint over a white wall behind a pollarded tree, which gave the illusion of leaves.

Last year, he also unveiled a divisive new piece of street artwork centring around domestic violence against women.

Glastonbury 2024: What Will The Weather (And The Traffic) Will Be Like This Year?

Posted on 25/06/2024 by Boris Clair

Planning for any big festival takes a sufficient amount of organising before the partying starts, but Glastonbury is an entirely different beast.

The UK’s world famous music festival returns for yet another year from Wednesday 26 to Sunday 30 June, where Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA are all set to headline on the iconic Pyramid stage.

With the annual bash kicking off this week, some 200,000 festival goers are preparing to descend on Worthy Farm.

Here’s everything you need to know to prepare – including the weather forecast…

When is the best time to travel to Glastonbury?

Most car parks at the festival will be open from 9pm on Tuesday 25 June, although it’s worth pointing out that festival-goers are not allowed to camp in them. If you’re willing, you could get there nice and early to secure a good parking spot – but that will mean waiting in either your vehicle or the entrance queue overnight.

Most people travel to the site on Wednesday, which is why it’s usually the worst day of the five-day stretch in terms of traffic delays. Thursday is significantly quieter, but that does mean you would miss the initial excitement of the festival, and, of course, potentially your preferred camping spot.

Entering and leaving the festival on Friday and Saturday is usually quite easy because it’s already the middle of the extravaganza, so traffic levels are quite low.

The National Highways’ emergency planner for the South West, John Ingram has previously encouraged festival-goers to “check our traffic and travel information channels” and to “set off early and allow plenty of time”.

He added that warm weather means it’s worth “pre-checking your vehicles for oil, fuel and coolant levels” as well as correctly inflated tyres.

Travel with drinking water too, and don’t forget to take breaks!

What is the best route to get into Glastonbury?

The busiest road is usually the M5, particularly junctions 25 and 23.

But, the A39 and A361 get pretty full too on the peak travel days.

The A303 and A37 are the main ways for drivers to travel from London too, especially the A303 eastbound.

However, the actual village of Glastonbury is five miles away from the site meaning it’s normally pretty undisturbed by the excitement of the music festival.

If you’re dropping people off, try to avoid doing so on local roads as that can lead to more build-ups (and can mean a long trek to the actual event).

Instead, try using the Bath and West Showground as a drop-off spot – festival-goers can jump on the free bus to Pedestrian Gate A.

When is the best time to leave Glastonbury?

Traffic starts to build up again on Sunday, with many choosing to leave after the headline act finishes up.

And this congestion only gets worse through Monday, with experts arriving setting off at around 6am as the optimum time (4pm is apparently the “worst time” to start that long journey home).

What will the weather be like at Glastonbury?

What will the weather be like at Glastonbury 2024?

According to the Met Office, Glastonbury is looking like a dry one this year. For the most part, at least…

Wednesday

You’re going to need to lay sunscreen on thick for day one, as sunny intervals are expected throughout the day – with highs of 27°C.

Thursday

Things will cool down by Thursday, with highs of 19°C, and cloud cover forecasted for most of the day (still, don’t forget that SPF!). There’s also a 50% chance of rain from around 1pm.

Friday

The Met predicts “sunny intervals changing to partly cloudy” and a high of 17°C by 1pm, but the farm should remain dry as Dua Lipa takes to the stage as the festival’s first headliner.

Saturday

There should be some sun early Saturday, but cloud cover is expected by late morning. However, there will still be highs of 20°C and – thankfully! – no rain predicted.

Sunday

The final day of the festival might just be the most pleasant weather-wise, as temperatures are expected to reach 19°C at 1pm and the sun is out for most of the day.

Monday

Thankfully things are looking dry for the packing up too, and by midday there will probably be some cloud cover. But still expect sunny intervals and a temperature high of 19°C by 1pm.

8 Most Egregious Clashes To Watch Out For As This Year’s Glastonbury Stage Times Are Revealed

Posted on 04/06/2024 by Boris Clair

The festival of the summer is almost upon us once again, as music fans prepare to head to Glastonbury to watch headline performances from Dua Lipa, Coldplay, SZA and more.

This year’s festivities take place between 26 and 30 June at Worthy Farm, where there will also be performances from the likes of Avril Lavigne, Little Simz, Shania Twain, Burna Boy and many more.

Those who were lucky enough to secure the ever-so-coveted tickets to this year’s event can get their highlighter pens at the ready, as the full line-ups and stage times for this year have finally been revealed.

But with that announcement also comes the dreaded clashes, as festival-goers will now have to make tough choices and decide who they want to prioritise later this month.

Here are the set clashes that have left us completely torn…

Sugababes and The Vaccines (Friday)

You might remember that the Sugababes quite literally shut down the Avalon stage two years ago, so you can guarantee their Friday performance on the West Holts Stage from 4:55pm to 5:55pm is going to be another to remember.

However, they’re also set to clash with indie rockers The Vaccines’ performance at Woodsies from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

Jamie xx and Jungle (Friday)

Dance fans are going to have to decide where to take their boogie shoes on on Friday night, as Jamie xx will be performing on the Woodsies stage from 10:30pm to 11:45pm, while Jungle will be headlining the West Holts stage around the same time from 10:15pm to 11:45pm.

Both acts will no doubt bring the revelry and escapism attendees will be looking for, but it’s a matter of whether you’re leaning towards electronic or something a little more funky. Oh, and as if that wasn’t enough, Fontaines D.C. are also on at 11pm on The Park Stage, too.

Cyndi Lauper and Tems (Saturday)

A tough one for girls who just want to have fun.

Both sets from US pop star Cyndi Lauper and Nigerian R&B star Tems on Saturday are set to be big weekend highlights. Cyndi will be on the Pyramid Stage from 2:30pm to 3:30pm (marking her Glasto debut more than 40 years into her music career), while Tems will be on The Other Stage from 2:15pm to 3:15pm.

Disclosure and Jessie Ware (Saturday)

This one is more of a triple clash, as Coldplay, Disclosure and Jessie Ware will be performing on the Pyramid stage, Other stage and West Holts stage, respectively, at the same time on Saturday.

While the start times are slightly staggered, each of the acts is due to finish up at 11:45pm. The euphoria of A Sky Full Of Stars, thumping basslines of Latch or the hip-shaking abandon of Free Yourself? Take your pick…

SZA and The National (Sunday)

Of course, we know that the simultaneous evening headliners on the Pyramid and Other stage always make for a tough choice. But while they may be intended to suit different tastes, what about those of us who like to get deep in our feels to a range of genres?

SZA and The National’s headlining set will be a tough one for eclectic music fans to decide between, with the Kill Bill singer’s performance beginning at 9.30pm, before the Brooklyn alternative rock band take to the Other stage just 15 minutes later.

Avril Lavigne and Janelle Monáe (Sunday)

Sk8ter bois and and pleasure seekers will have to make a difficult decision on Sunday night, as Avril Lavigne and Janelle Monáe’s performances are set to very much overlap.

Janelle will be on the Pyramid Stage from 5:45pm to 6:45pm, while Avril will take to the Other stage from 6pm to 7pm. Maybe see how fast those legs can move if you want to try and catch the first 15 minutes of Janelle’s set before bolting over for some pop punk.

Romy and Nia Archives (Sunday)

Dance or jungle? The xx solo star Romy will be performing one of her joyful sets with songs like Enjoy Your Life and Strong over on the Woodsies stage from 8pm until 9pm on the Sunday, while Nia Archives (who was handpicked by Beyoncé to open one of her London Renaissance shows last year), will be tearing up the decks at, yes, exactly the same time, on the West Holts stage.

The good thing is, though, Romy will also be doing a DJ set at Levels on the Friday afternoon if you want to make it to that instead.

Burna Boy and Ghetts (Sunday)

Burna Boy and Ghetts are set to take to the stage as the penultimate Sunday night acts on the Pyramid Stage and The Park Stage, respectively, both taking place in the one hour slot of 7:30pm to 8:30pm.

Given the amount of collaborations that the two artists have racked up, their sets are both ripe for at least one surprise guest performer.

Glastonbury Ticket Sale Delayed By Two Weeks, Organisers Confirm

Posted on 02/11/2023 by Boris Clair

The sale of this year’s Glastonbury tickets has been pushed back just hours before they were due to be released.

On Thursday evening, tickets including coach travel for the annual music event were supposed to go on sale at 6pm, with general sale tickets scheduled to be available from Sunday 5 November.

However, organisers confirmed in the afternoon that the sale had been delayed by two weeks to “ensure that everyone who would like to buy a ticket is registered and therefore eligible to purchase one”.

It’s also been confirmed that coach tickets will go on sale from Thursday 16 November at 6pm, followed by general release on Sunday 19 November at 9am.

In a lengthy statement, the festival explained: “Following this year’s Festival, we alerted everyone with a registration which pre-dated 2020 of a scheduled review of the details held by See Tickets in the Glastonbury Festival registration database.

“This was in order to ensure that the details we hold are current and that we do not store individuals’ information for any longer than is necessary.”

Elton John closed the show on the Pyramid Stage in 2023

“These registrants were asked to take action to confirm their registration if they wished to keep it,” the statement continued.

“As always, registration was then closed on Monday (30 October) ahead of the ticket sale. Unfortunately, it has come to light that some individuals hoping to buy tickets for 2024 have discovered after Monday’s registration deadline that they are no longer registered, despite believing they were.

“Out of fairness to those individuals, we will be re-opening the window for registration at 12 noon on Monday, 6 November. It will remain open until 5pm on Monday, 13 November.

“We urge everyone hoping to buy a ticket to Glastonbury 2024 to either check their existing registration now or submit new registration, which remains free of charge […] from 12 noon on Monday.”

This year’s Glastonbury ticket sale has been moved back by two weeks. This is to ensure that everyone who would like to buy a ticket is registered and therefore eligible to purchase one.

The new dates for Glastonbury ticket sale are as follows:

TICKETS PLUS COACH TRAVEL ON… pic.twitter.com/LL5m3HmuQf

— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) November 2, 2023

They added: “We apologise for the late change to the ticket sale dates, but we want to ensure that everyone who would like to buy a ticket for next year’s Festival is able to confirm their registration ahead of the sale.”

Next year’s Glastonbury event will take place from 26-30 June 2024, at the event’s usual site, Worthy Farm.

Information about which acts will be taking to the stage is yet to be confirmed, but that hasn’t stopped rumours from swirling, with Bruce Springsteen and Madonna among the latest stars tipped to be performing.

Emily Eavis previously teased that two of next year’s Pyramid Stage headliners are women, neither of whom have performed at the event before, after the festival was criticised over its line-up in 2023.

Foo Fighters Reveal Themselves To Be Glastonbury’s Mystery Band ‘The Churnups’

Posted on 23/06/2023 by Boris Clair

Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters have been unmasked as the mystery band playing the main stage at Glastonbury festival.

Rumours were flying around after an unfamiliar name appeared on Friday’s schedule to play the Pyramid Stage at 6.15pm – after Texas and ahead of Royal Blood and headline act Arctic Monkeys. Pulp were another name in the mix.

The game was given away shortly before the big reveal on the Foo Fighters official UK Twitter account (and perhaps Grohl being spotted backstage).

The set opened with the 2002 hit, All My Life.

“You guys knew it was us the whole time, didn’t you?” laughed Grohl. “It’s nice to see your faces again.”

A mini-greatest hits set also included Learn To Fly, The Pretender and Best Of You.

Of Hawkins, Grohl told the audience: “We wouldn’t be here without him.”

The American rock band are also dropping a brand new album in June, titled But Here We Are, and coincidentally had a huge Glastonbury-sized hole in their touring schedule.

Glastonbury Fans Have A Theory Over Mysterious Act On Line-Up

Posted on 30/05/2023 by Boris Clair

Eagle-eyed Glastonbury fans have noticed there’s an unusual band name on the bill at this year’s festival – and they’re convinced they already know who is behind the alias.

But some have spotted an unfamiliar group – The Churnups – are scheduled to play the Pyramid Stage on Friday, ahead of Royal Blood and headline act Arctic Monkeys.

While some have been stumped at just who The Churnups could be, many suspect that its actually the English rock band, Pulp.

Famed for their hits Common People and Disco 2000, Pulp isn’t officially on the line-up for this year’s Glastonbury, although they have many festival dates across summer.

Could the group be about to surprise festival-goers with a secret set?

Alas, Pulp isn’t the only group that fans have guessed could be performing.

Foo Fighters have also been thrown into the mix, with one pointing out that lead singer and guitarist Dave Grohl used to be in a band called Churn.

The American rock band are also dropping a brand new album in June, titled But Here We Are, and coincidentally have a huge Glastonbury-sized hole in their touring schedule.

6 Things People Leave Behind At Festivals (And Really, Really Shouldn’t)

Posted on 27/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Glastonbury is over, but the big cleanup has just begun. Collecting waste abandoned by festival-goers has taken between four and six weeks in previous years.

Now, a new survey has revealed the items people are most likely to leave behind, lose or break at festivals, despite 81% of people saying they think festivals generate too much waste, and 89% claiming they want to be more responsible.

Over half (58%) of those surveyed by gifgaf said they have left, lost or broken something at a festival before. The most common items are:

The findings also show that waste isn’t confined to what’s left behind on the site, with 79% of festival-goers buying new items ahead of the festival season. New outfits and wellies come top of the ‘must have’ list, with 49% and 41% respectively making the purchases. Around one in three (30%) buy a new tent and 15% also pick up a spare phone.

But festival organisers say they’re doing their bit to encourage environmentally-friendly habits. Glastonbury has launched the Love Worthy Farm, Leave No Trace campaign, for example, urging ticket holders not to pack anything they won’t be taking home with them again.

“There are now 15,000 very well signposted and beautifully painted bins (colour-coded for recycled and other rubbish) virtually everywhere on site for your rubbish,” the festival organisers say on their website.

“As you enter the site, stewards will hand you a green bag for recyclables and a clear bag for general waste – please help us look after the land by correctly filling them up as you go!”

In 2019 – the last pre-pandemic festival – organiser Emily Eavis said on Instagram that “93.3% of all tents were taken home”, calling it a “massive improvement” on previous years.

Waste left by festival goers waiting to be cleared at Worthy Farm on the Monday after Glastonbury Festival.

The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), a membership body for 60 independent festivals including Boardmasters, Boomtown and Kendal Calling, previously called on people to take their tents home with them.

The AIF said it wants to reduce the estimated 250,000 tents that are left at music festivals across the UK every year – most of which aren’t collected by charities and can’t be recycled, meaning they end up in landfill.

The average tent weighs 3.5kg and is mostly made of plastic – the equivalent of 8,750 straws or 250 pint cups, the AIF said.

In 2021, photos showed the mass waste left behind by revellers at Reading Festival. After seeing the images, Clean Up Britain founder John Read said: “Leaving behind tents seems like self-indulgent, first world and lazy behaviour.”

Abandoned tents at the Reading Festival campsite after the event in August 2021.

He continued: “All of us must become more aware of the need to protect and cherish the environment. Dumping perfectly good tents runs contrary to this. Festival organisers need to get more socially responsible too, and insist on festival goers taking tents home with them.

“Some sort of deposit return scheme is required, but they have been very slow to act on this.”

Charities such as New Beginnings in Reading collect some of the abandoned tents and donate them to the homeless community, according to Berkshire Live.

Lily Robbins, the Reading festival’s sustainability manager, said: “We have loads of different teams working together this year to actually get the site back to what it was looking like before we arrived.

She added the clear up “always takes time, because we want to do it properly”.

‘Heartbroken’ Lauren Laverne Pulls Out Of Hosting Glastonbury Coverage Following Mother’s Death

Posted on 25/06/2022 by Boris Clair

Lauren Laverne has paid tribute to her mum Celia, following her death on Friday.

The presenter was part of the BBC’s presenting team for this year’s Glastonbury, but the broadcaster confirmed she had pulled out due to “personal reasons”.

The Desert Island Discs host said she was “utterly heartbroken” in a post shared on Instagram on Saturday morning.

“Yesterday I lost my Mam, Celia,” she wrote alongside a photo of her with her mum.

“She was the kindest, most compassionate and most tenacious person I have ever met. Born in the middle of nine kids, she was a master peacemaker and persuader.”

She continued: “She passed her 11+ and went to grammar school which changed our family’s direction forever. Met my Dad at 16 and loved him every day of her life. She ran the only reggae club night in the NE and told me that being young in the 60s felt like that line in Mr Tambourine Man “to dance beneath the diamond sky with one hand waving free”.

“She worked as a seamstress and a casino dancer (also making costumes for the troupe) to pay her way through college and became a wonderful teacher, eventually managing all Sunderland’s colleges.”

Lauren went on to recall her mum’s involvement in politics, adding: “Somewhere along the line she had me and my brother and got political (she once chased someone from the BNP down our garden path with a rolling pin in one hand and me in the other arm) protested at Greenham Common and eventually became a city councillor. She delighted in helping people, especially those who like her knew what it was like to grow up without.”

The presenter also paid tribute to her mum’s role as a mother and grandmother, continuing: “She had watched so many decades of history documentaries that when we met historian Michael Wood they chatted away like colleagues. She loved children and was the most devoted and adored mother and grandmother you could ever meet. But she also knew that mother is a verb as well as a noun and mothered so many others along the way who needed love and support throughout her life.

“She made connections wherever she went including with the incredible teams at UCLH who cared for her – and us – at the end of her life. Thank you to them for everything. We are all utterly heartbroken to lose her. She had just given the kids their Glastonbury spending money and was looking forward to watching Paulie (as he was always known in our house – her favourite Beatle) tonight.

“She’d been a fan ever since she saw him at the Sunderland Empire in 1963 (and later met him later with me – he was just lovely to her). Mam, I love you forever. Thank you for my fantastic life. I have no idea what I’m going to do without you, but I’m going to try to make it interesting and you will be in my heart, always XXX.”

I lost my Mam yesterday. I posted a little bit about her on Instagram because I want to acknowledge her amazing life, so that’s there. Here I’d just like to thank my truly astounding family, friends and colleagues for their support – especially lately. X

— Lauren Laverne (@laurenlaverne) June 25, 2022

Sophie Ellis-Bextor was amongst those sending their love and support on social media, writing: “Your ma sounds like the most amazing woman. So sorry, Lauren. Sending lots of love xxx.”

Lauren’s fellow Glastonbury presenter Clara Amfo wrote: “What a woman she was, what a woman you are. Sending you and the rest of the family infinite love.”

Lauren’s loss comes nearly four years after her dad passed away in 2018.

Other faces who will be presenting BBC’s Glastonbury coverage include Jo Whiley, Cerys Matthews and Jack Saunders.

Billie Eilish Confirms Glastonbury 2022 Headlining Slot

Posted on 04/10/2021 by Boris Clair

Billie Eilish has confirmed herself as the first of next year’s Glastonbury headliners.

The chart-topping singer will make history at the music event in 2022, becoming the youngest headliner in the festival’s history.

On Sunday night, Billie teased the news by posting a selfie in a Glastonbury hoodie on her Instagram story, along with the cryptic caption “2022”.

Festival organiser Emily Eavis then confirmed that Billie will be closing the show on the Pyramid Stage, stating: “This feels like the perfect way for us to return and I cannot wait.”

Billie previously made her debut at the festival in 2019, months after the release of her first album When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?.

In the time since, she’s won six Grammys – including Best New Artist and Album Of The Year for her debut collection – and been awarded Best International Female at the Brits for two years running.

Earlier this year, she topped the UK albums chart for the second time with her latest release Happier Than Ever.

Billie Eilish performing at the ACL Music Festival over the weekend

The Glastonbury music festival will return to Worthy Farm in 2022 after a two-year absence, due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift and Sir Paul McCartney had all been scheduled to headline in 2020, until the event was cancelled, with organisers deciding that because of the coronavirus crisis, they would not be going ahead in 2021 either.

Diana Ross had also been scheduled to perform in the iconic Sunday afternoon “legends” slot, which has previously featured appearances from Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie and Kylie Minogue.

While Billie is the first act confirmed for Glastonbury 2022, Aerosmith appeared to let slip that they were also on the bill when the festival was featured in a list of tour dates they released earlier this year, with the event mysteriously disappearing from their schedule shortly afterwards.

Glastonbury Bosses Reveal They’ve Put The Wheels In Motion For A September Event

Posted on 20/03/2021 by Boris Clair

Harry Durrant via Getty Images

Glastonbury’s iconic Pyramid stage in 2019

“For those asking for an update on our plans later this year, we have put an application in for a licence for a concert at the farm in September,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Of course, we’ve no idea yet whether we’ll able to do that, but we wanted to get the application in to be in with a chance. Unlikely we’ll have any news for a couple of months – but will let you know right here when we do.”

Emily noted that the Eavis family had also “put an application in for a family-friendly (ie not for partying!) campsite at the farm for this summer”.

“Again, it’s not definite that it’ll go ahead, but needed to set the early wheels in motion now,” she added.

“It’s so good to dream up plans and hope that some of these things could potentially happen later this year.”

Announcing Glasto’s cancellation earlier in the year, organisers said that “tickets for this year will roll over to next year”, and thanked those who had already paid deposits for their “faith and trust placed in us”.

“We are very confident we can deliver something really special for us all in 2022,” they said.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar, Beatles star Paul McCartney and chart-topping singer Taylor Swift had all been booked to headline what would have been Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary festival last year, before the event was eventually scrapped.

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