‘We thought hippies would throw mud at us': Billy Bragg, Kate Nash and other stars on their Glastonbury debuts

The Guardian

3 hours ago

You can tell it's 1984 by my shirt. I'd just played the Jobs for a Change festival, in the middle of London, easy to get to by tube. But Glastonbury was like being on an island. You had to deal with the weather, the food and the toilets. It was also mainly populated by Bristolians. I performed once solo, but also got up on the Pyramid stage with [country and western singer] Hank Wangford to do (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66. The original Pyramid was made from corrugated iron and doubled as a cowshed. I remember it being swampy backstage. There were no bars, you had to bring in your own beer. Keith Allen and [Scottish poet] Jock Scott blagged their way in, pretending to be a Belgian film crew, and sold cans of Red Stripe for 50p.
Glastonbury's still an island. You can't just walk down to the tube station and grab a Greggs The thing I look most forward to is the Crumble Shack [food stall], which you can see when you're performing on the Left Field stage, and for a man of my age, is very distracting. Instead of the great issues of the day to speak about, all I'm thinking is: 'Shall I have ice-cream or custard with my rhubarb crumble?'
Norman Cook The first time I played Glastonbury was with the Housemartins. We'd never played to a crowd that large before, let alone played during daylight. We also thought it would be full of bearded hippies who'd throw mud and piss at us. Instead, the sun shone, we made lots of new friends, and I fell in love with the festival. I still have a bootleg of the performance. You can hear the nerves and excitement in our voices: we're generally in tune, but we play everything way too fast. The crowd seemed to grow organically: people wanted to see for themselves what four spotty boys from Hull had to say about the state of the nation. It took me 38 years and 98 DJ sets to get back on the Pyramid stage. Last year I joined [former Housemartins bandmate] Paul Heaton to reprise Happy Hour and celebrate our good fortune to still be allowed to play at the best festival in the world.
Rick McMurray (drummer) Our singer Tim [Wheeler] had finished school days earlier. Kung Fu had topped the indie chart and nearly cracked the Top 40, but Glastonbury was the first time we felt its impact live. It was also the first time we played Girl from Mars. That Glastonbury performance helped launch it skywards, into the charts, and into a wild few years that took us from indie clubs to something close to Beatlemania in Japan. Our Glastonbury set was the moment we stopped being a part-time school band and became a full-time touring machine. Two years later, we were back, headlining the Other stage on Friday. Then came a knock on the bus: Emily Eavis asking us to step in as Sunday headliner on the Pyramid stage. Just like that, we'd headlined both stages in one year. It was mind-blowing. You can even spot my future wife in the crowd during Kung Fu in 95. It's our 10th anniversary this year – I need to dash to the petrol station for some flowers!
Rick Witter We've only played Glastonbury once – 30 years ago, in 1995, the year it was boiling hot. Oasis were there and Robbie Williams in his red Adidas tracky top and peroxide blond hair. I don't remember watching any of the bands. I think I got caught in the fact that we were playing Glastonbury. It's hard not feel like a small cog in this huge music event, but the crowd were amazing. It's funny when you write a set of songs and then you start getting noticed: loads of things just suddenly fall into place, like getting booked to play Glastonbury. It was a bit like the first time we were played on the radio; we pulled the car over to the side of the motorway to listen to ourselves. Glastonbury was like that. It's not often you get to appreciate those moments as perhaps you should. We can't wait to go back!
Jake Shears I remember how excited we were. We didn't have a notion of how large it was going to be. I remember our drum tech, Nigel – this amazing soul – giving us a pep talk, saying: 'This is yours for the taking.' It rained during our afternoon show, but we still had a blast. Our second show in the Dance tent is still one of my favourite sets ever. It was truly electric. There was something magical in the air. It felt as if the whole world had spun around. Then our debut album went to No 1. Really magical things happen at Glastonbury. The madness and magnitude still blows my mind to this very day.
Babydaddy It was a moment of synergy. It felt like the stars were aligning. We played twice on the Saturday: the Pyramid stage mid-afternoon, and the Dance tent early evening. I think we realised for the first time that this was going to be something that, as New Yorkers, we were going to be accepted for. I also remember the mud. I wore wellies for the first time, trying keep our stage clothes intact and look as glamorous as we possibly could. Glastonbury isn't just a music festival. It's a party, an art installation, a cultural touchstone, a spiritual destination. It remains one of the most special memories in our career.
I was in awe of Glastonbury because I'd never been before. We set up our tents and stayed the whole weekend. It was a muddy year: I remember buying a red poncho, and I did an interview with NME wearing a bright yellow American Apparel hoodie. I remember seeing Lily Cole at a coffee stand and thinking she was so beautiful, and admiring Lovefoxxx from CSS's sequined bodysuit. I also got 'married' to my best friend when Iggy Pop played I Wanne Be Your Dog. I stole a chicken ornament with Emmy the Great, which I ended up gifting to Amy Winehouse on Jack White's tour bus. Playing Merry Happy on the Park stage, as I sang the lyrics 'I can watch a sunset on my own', the sun came out and it felt magical.
Rebecca Lucy Taylor The first time I performed as Self Esteem was on the BBC Introducing Stage in 2019. But I'd performed with my previous duo Slow Club in 2009, 10 years earlier. We played the Guardian lounge, so we did our little trick of leaving the stage and coming into the middle of the room, because the tent was quite big and there weren't very many people. I remember thinking: 'I wish we were playing on a bigger stage,' and felt really jealous of everyone that got to. It was also around the time of swine flu, so I spent most of that Glastonbury very poorly in a tent, while everyone else had fun. I'm looking forward to going back this year and making some new memories.
Harley Sylvester We were playing a secret set, so we weren't allowed to announce it until a few hours before. It was a super-fun set, and the crowd was packed. After that, it all gets a little bit blurry. I remember we had some TV interviews to do. Our TV rep – who still to this day is one of my favourite people – said: 'All right boys, you've got an interview in four hours. I want you to come back nice and calm and relaxed.' You can't say that to two 21-year-old boys who are experiencing Glastonbury for the first time. The interview we did isn't fun to watch. Well, it's hilarious to watch if you're not me or Jordan. But we were young and at Glastonbury, so we were going to take advantage. We're super gassed to be playing again, and even better that we are properly on the bill this time.
Jordan Stephens I was not sober. I vaguely remember watching Primal Scream and the Rolling Stones. I then spent three days in the late-night area, Shangri-La. I'm not sure if I slept. I was in this whirlwind vortex of drum'n'bass and deep house. I spent a whole morning at the Stone Circle feeling spiritually uplifted by the coming together of wonderful people and the rising of the sun. I felt so at one with nature, I refused to sleep in a tent, but ended up getting a rash over the whole of my body and then couldn't leave my house for a week.
Georgia Ellery: It was the first time I'd been to Glastonbury. I was lucky enough to be playing twice, on Saturday with Jockstrap and on Sunday with Black Country, New Road. So technically my first performance was with Jockstrap! I was very nervous, knowing everyone at home would be watching on telly and some of the songs would live on YouTube forever. I'd sprained my ankle the night before, so I had to ice my foot before we went on. We walked on stage to the theme tune to Succession. I also remember how hot it was – luckily I was wearing my gold hot pants and top. I came off stage thinking we'd butchered it and it had gone terribly. But all our friends and family ensured us that the vibes in the crowd had been great. I wanted to celebrate, but I couldn't exactly have the biggest night in the world because I had another show to play the next day.