Helicopters and cool hotels: forget Winnebagos, this is how the style set really do Glastonbury
I'm not going to Glastonbury this year (U2 aren't performing), but I actually wish I was - not to watch the likes of the 1975 or Olivia Rodrigo, but to stay for a few days (and nights) in The Newt. There really is nowhere else like it in the country. When we left, we were transported in some style (they have branded Newt Landies) to Castle Cary station, where you are encouraged to loiter in the Creamery café until your train arrives, an upscale restaurant and shop owned by The Newt, and which acts as some kind of luxury holding pen bookending your experience. Thinking it would be rude not to, I bought two cases of the fine cider produced by the estate and started to wonder how I'm going to headline Glastonbury next year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
21 minutes ago
- Metro
Steps narrowly missed out on Glastonbury legends slot for devastating reason
For almost 30 years, Ian Watkins has been affectionately known as 'H', an acronym for Hyperactive – his energetic character being an instrumental part of Steps' success when personalities in pop weren't just all the rage, they were essential. It's a moniker which is a lot to live up to, though, particularly when you're in a band as exposed as Steps were. If they weren't playing to a sell-out arena, they were rarely off television, almost on SM:TV as much as Ant and Dec. In 1997, 5,6,7,8 was unleashed on the world to moderate success in the charts, but ruled school discos. It was a steady rise to the top of the charts for Steps when their fourth single, a cover of The Bee Gees' hit Tragedy, and a B Side of ballad Heartbeat got to number one in such an extraordinary fashion. It's sold more than 1.2million copies in the UK alone, a remarkable feat for any pop act from the Smash Hits era, and almost got them a spot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury when it was saturated with nothing but guitar bands and 90s house DJs. 'The Bee Gees asked us to join them on stage,' Ian tells Metro. 'But it was a really late request, and we literally couldn't get it all together in time. Of course, some of them have passed away now, so that will never happen again. But that's another little jewel in the Steps crown.' With their own critically acclaimed musical, Here and Now, about to tour the UK and eventually make it to the West End, there are few things left on the Steps bucket list to tick off but they're not deterred from one day getting on that coveted Glastonbury bill, either in the Legends slot or the festival's first pop-friendly stage, Avalon. 'We're the only ones, really, from that era that have all the original members and are still going, so it feels like we've earned our stripes by now.' More than earning their stripes, Steps are still headlining festivals and breaking records. In 2022, they joined an exclusive club of bands to score a number one album across four decades. But now Watkins is on stage and topping charts as his true, authentic self. He has nothing to hide anymore – it's not the 90s when, if you were a good-looking male, the press was frothing to uncover secrets about your sex life. For Ian, there was always an underlying fear that they would discover he was gay when the press had a field day outing gay pop stars like Will Young and Stephen Gately. During one holiday with his then-boyfriend, Ian got the call he'd been dreading. 'They knew where I was, who I was with, and why I was there – I had a boyfriend. Immediately, I flew back from holiday, told my loved ones, told my family, told my parents, and then the next day, they didn't run the story, because I didn't give them quotes. 'But they threatened me for many years, and I felt like my coming out story was taken from me; my power was taken away, so it was a really emotional, dark time for me.' He wasn't alone, though. There were several pop stars gathered in the same closet, cautiously able to give solace to one another. Ian became particularly close with Lance Bass of N'SYNC and Boyzone's Gateley, but concedes: 'If the press knew you were gay, it was a really tricky thing to be seen together or to even admit that you were friends with another closeted gay person.' Instead, he clung to his closest straight women. His bandmate Lisa Scott-Lee, the girls from Liberty X and S Club… and Britney Spears. 'All of her dancers were gay anyway,' he says. 'People thought I was dating Brittany a long time ago, but that obviously wasn't the case – that was strange.' Ian is about to turn 50. Hyperactivity is no longer the personality he's defined by. His life is calmer, albeit busy with running his two children to school, walking the dogs, building a home, and organising his local annual Pride with his partner. 'Since having children, I've realised that education starts really early on, and it drowns out the bigotry,' he says. 'I go to all of the local schools and talk about how being different is something to be celebrated. My partner and I organise Cowbridge Pride, which is in its fifth year now. 'Cowbridge used to be the most conservative, laidback town, but now we have 2000 people marching every year, and we raise money for all of the schools to have LGBT resources in all of their libraries.' Ian is exactly where he's meant to be in life, and with Steps on a hiatus, he's finally managed to turn his passion project into a reality – a children's book, Pride and The Rainbow Warriors, educating children (and some parents) about LGBTQ+ history. All of the main characters represent a different colour in the original Pride flag, and all have traits corresponding to the original meaning. More importantly, Ian is finally cool to his children. 'Two of them are named after my kids – it's lush,' he grins. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video For those of us old enough to remember sneakily watching Queer As Folk with the volume turned down to one and one eye on the bedroom door in case anyone walked in, a children's book about LGBTQ+ was inconceivable. More Trending Now, with shows like Heartstopper becoming so hugely popular and a plethora of openly LGBTQ+ popstars ruling the charts, the world feels unrecognisable compared to just a few years ago. How children look at and look up to LGBTQ+ people is completely different today. 'It's something that I felt we needed, because there's a real lack of resources for children of all ages, also parents to be educated too,' he says. 'It's all about celebrating your superpower, and being different is an amazing thing. 'I was bullied terribly growing up because I was different, and I didn't know at that time what that different was. Luckily, I had an amazing art teacher, Mr. Owen, who is still one of my dear friends today, but if it wasn't for that man, who knows where I would have ended up.' Pride and The Rainbow Warriors is available in paperback now . Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: For the latest Glastonbury weather forecast you need to follow a guy called Gav MORE: Drug warning issued ahead of Glastonbury after high-strength MDMA found at Parklife MORE: Glastonbury boss confirms 'exciting plans' for Worthy Farm in 2026 despite fallow year
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Sir Rod Stewart hopes for Celtic FC flags at Glastonbury
Appearing on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, the music legend chatted about his highly anticipated set at the iconic festival, where he will perform during the iconic Legends Slot on Sunday, June 29. The BBC radio host asked Sir Rod about his Glastonbury set and, with history showing that fans dress up for the legends slot, she asked if he was expecting to see wigs and leopard print. READ MORE: Sir Rod Stewart pictured donning fancy chains at Celtic Park on trophy day Sir Rod joked: "My fans usually wear Celtic shirts now. "They're all, you know, in Las Vegas in the front row with their Celtic shirts—most of them don't know what the goalkeeper's name is, but their intention is good. "I do hope there are a few Celtic flags up at Glastonbury." The Da Ya Think I'm Sexy singer has recently been forced to cancel several shows in Las Vegas due to health issues. READ MORE: Sir Rod Stewart pulls out of second gig amid health concerns The Glasgow Times has reported that the rocker took to Instagram to share the sad news, sparking concern among fans. Despite the setbacks, Sir Rod assured Zoe he has no plans to call it quits anytime soon. When she joked she couldn't picture him retiring to play golf, he replied: "No, no, I think I'll keep singing until I fall flat dead on the stage like Tommy Cooper." With a laugh, he added, there's only one other way he'd want to go: "Or watching Celtic win another trophy in the stands." Sir Rod revealed his Glastonbury set will run for 90 minutes after saying to festival bosses that "it wouldn't be fair to his mates in the crowd" to perform for the original hour and fifteen-minute slot. He revealed that his set will feature three surprise guests. However, he remained tight-lipped on who they might be, leaving fans to speculate ahead of the big day. After the interview, the Maggie May singer took to Instagram to thank Zoe. He captioned the post: "Enjoyed speaking with Zoe Bell around my upcoming Glastonbury Legend Slot, my new Ultimate Hits, and so much more! "In case you missed it, you can listen back on BBC Sounds." Fans quickly flooded the comments with one saying: "I listened last night. Love you, Rod." Another commented: "Glad you're feeling better, Rod Stewart."
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Home Bargains brings back 'the best' 99p festival essential
People spotted the hygiene products that would be perfect for anyone going to events like Glastonbury or Creamfields this summer With the summer warming up, millions will be looking forward to major festivals right across the UK. With major events like Glastonbury, Creamfields and more happening this summer, more people will be planning to rough it and gain the full festival experience. However, for some, the basic washrooms will be less than ideal. If the sound of a festival shower isn't very appealing, Home Bargains has brought back what some have deemed a festival essential just in time. They were posted online by the Dansway Gifts and Bargains Facebook page. They wrote: "Festival Essentials Body Wipes, Deodorant and Face & Body Wipes BACK at Home Bargains." In the post, the shopper showed off the three different packs that would handily fit into most bags. Packets included 'Face & Body' as well as 'Deodorant' that came in packs of 25 and cost 49p. And, for those keen to avoid the festival shower zone, there are 99p 'Body Wipes' which claim to be "towel sized." These come in two packs and offer a metre-long wipe, claiming on the packet to be "perfect for when you can't shower." People were quick to react online after spotting these affordable finds. One said: "The best big body wipes invented! Never get rid of them!" Another added: "These wipes are the best!" A third wrote: "The face & body ones smell divine!" Someone else posted: "Can't stand the thought of festival showers. These will be a great compromise." A fifth commented: "I swear by the body wipes!" The wipes were last available in summer 2024. A TikTok user (@kembows) claimed they were "the Rolls-Royce of baby wipes." Someone commented on her video that they're not just good for festivals, adding: "They are absolutely amazing. I've used them loads when camping." In other Home Bargains news, shoppers were left swooning over a massive 2ft, "rustic" candle that was featured on the Home Bargains Instagram feed alongside other products in a new outdoor range. Fans of the discount store were quickly impressed by the size of the candle and its promise of bug-free evenings in the garden this summer. One said: "The long candle! Perfect for the garden table!" Also, in more recent offers, shoppers were thrilled with the option to pick up £87 worth of make-up that had been reduced to just 99p each. The latest StarBuy deals have seen the store slash a whopping 96% off three products from the same brand.
