Glastonbury?

[Rich]

Now, the one and only time I ventured to that world famous festival was either '84 or '85 - I can't for the life of me remember which. As you can probably appreciate, nigh on 20 years is half my life, and a lot has happened since then, so I am finding it difficult to truly remember that weekend with any form of clarity. I remember, quite vividly, seeing Elvis Costello and the Attractions and something deep down in my memory banks tells me I also witnessed The Triffids. Can someone help me out? Am I dreaming this or did they 'do' Glasto on one of those two years? If they did, that was the only time I saw them live, so I hope so.

Rich.

[pherron]

I know I saw the Triffids at Glastonbury in 1987. However they definitely played in 1985:

Glastonbury 23 June 1985

1. I am a lonesome hobo
2. Hell of a summer
3. Chicken killer
4. Property is condemned
5. Lonely stretch
6. Raining pleasure (without bass guitar)
7. chat with the audience while they fix the bass
8. Jesus calling
9. Red pony
10. Stolen property
11. Monkey on my back
12. Field of glass
13. You don't miss your water 'til your well runs dry
14. I can't help falling in love
 

[Rich]

Thanks, Pherron, I thought my mind wasn't deceiving me.

Rich.

[Urpal]

It was a grey and cold Sunday morning at Glastonbury in 1985. It had stopped raining for the first time in three days. The ground was knee high in mud. By this stage, the Glastonbury experience felt something like it might have felt at the Somme without the bullets, explosions and fear. Not exactly fun.

Only a handful of people were gathered in the mud for The Triffids performance, most sleeping off the hangover from the night before. It was a good performance, but I have an idea even the band had difficulty "getting it up" under the circumstances.

I think Costello played, as did Mr Rhythm Stick aka Ian Dury & The Blockheads. The Bunnymen were flown in by helicopter to headline the main stage on the Sunday evening, which was their first live gig of any consequence for some time.

[robweb]

I went to Glast first in 1989. There were three off us travelling by bus from Barrow in furness to Glastonbury. I am sure that it was easier to get to the fuckin moon.

We arrived in a parched field. Wilf had the tent. It was a one man tent with  no cross bar. The sag draped  on the ground. We put our bags in. We couldn't zip it up. For the duration Wilf slept outside guarding our bags.

The cops had been allowed in for the first year ever. The sun shone. We all got stoned on grass and cider. It was fucking brilliant. On the way home we stopped after  100 hours without a wash and caught ourselves in the cafe window at Bristol.

He he he he he he he he he he he ehe he

When I got home my mam said - are you on drugs?

[Urpal]

I was up in the attic getting the Christmas decorations out today and took the opportunity to sift through some folders of paper clippings and the like. Here is a photo of the Glastonbury festival '85 wristband I came across.

I also found a Bleddyn Butcher penned NME review of the '85 festival, which I can post if anyone's interested. It doesn't mention The Triffids Sunday morning stint, but covers the Bunnymen's headline and other acts as well as the more than slightly inclement weather.

I found one other rarity on The Triffids which I'll try to scan and post in the press section in the next day or two.

[baldd]

I was one of that handful of people gathered for the Triffids - I think they were billed for 11:30am, but it was on the Main stage.
I can never forget that I had downed most of a bottle of wine by that ungodly hour and stood in the mud in my nettle green wool suit (which I was determined to trash over the course of the weekend). At one point I shouted out "Nothing can take your place", not so much as a request but as a statement of fact, but to my joy Alsy gave me a big thumbs up (he was probably embarrassed at the prospect of singing it to such a large arena - anyway, it didn't happen).
Later that day, Echo and the Bunnymen hit the stage to the first ray of sunshine of the whole weekend. Then it rained some more.
Still, not a bad way to spend my 21st birthday.....

[Urpal]

Welcome baldd. That Glastonbury was terrible weatherwise wasn't it. I went with my brother. I remember we went to sleep in a tent the first night and woke up a few hours later in a water filled trench. And that was probably the most comfortable part of the weekend. From there on it was just wading through mud up to your knees in driving rain for the best part of three days.

It may be rose tinted spectacularity, but I've an idea it stopped raining momentarily when The Triffids played the graveyard shift just after or before morning prayers on Sunday. The slop filled arena was a bad enough paddling experience though, and it may be that it felt dry just because the rain had slackened to something less torrential.

[baldd]

It's no fun putting up a tent in driving rain, is it? Or putting on wet clothes to start the day? I wasn't complaining though - it was the nearest I got to a proper wash in the 4 Glastonburys I attended. I think I can safely say they're behind me now.
Other bands on that day were Hugh Masekela, Green on Red, James (before you had to sit down), Joe Cocker, Dr. and the Medics, Billy Bragg and the Colourfield (Terry Hall's band).
Unfortunately, they didn't all play on the main stage so it really had to be worth your while to make the journey through the worst of the mud, which was in the passageway that connected the main stage to the other stages.
Happy days....

[SpikeyMikey65]

I know this is an old topic but reading through these posts reminded me of the following sorry tale from Glastonbury 1987:

I vaguely remember (not sure which day) that the Triffids were billed in the program to play the main stage, mid afternoon. For some reason this didn't happen?  With some time to kill I accepted my friends offer of some tea that she was brewing. Mushroom tea that is. After imbibing the foul liquid things became a bit hazy and, to put it mildly, I lost a few hours. I do remember hiding in the back a van suffering from acute paranoia. Eventually, when I'd got it together, I ventured back to the main market area via the second stage. As I was passing I caught the last crashing chords and feedback of a band finishing their set. I was mortified to discovering it was the Triffids. Arrrrhhh! This is the closest to seeing the band that I ever got. Boy, did I feel stupid :-(

Just say no...

[Urpal]

The same thing happened to me last weekend, only it was Guinness and John Cale .

[Cassiel]

The same thing happened to me last weekend, only it was Guinness and John Cale .

Good night was it?

[Urpal]

It was a good night. Kieren, Annie and her husband linked up at Britton Street. Jerusalem was deserted. The building abandoned. So we headed to another pub and supped several Guinness to celebrate St Paddy's. The company was so warm and the atmosphere sufficiently buzzing that we missed the time slot for heading off to find John Cale's gig, so Kieren and I ended up in a small Italian restaurant in the Farringdon quarter. Only problem being the tube stopped running part way through my trip hotel bound at the end of the night so it proved a fairly expensive return journey.

We have some good people about these parts.

[SpikeyMikey65]

A reasonable consolation for missing Cale, Urpal :-)   I take it you had seen him before?   I would quite gladly swap seeing the VU at Glastonbury to have seen the Triffids.

[Urpal]

I didn't realise the VU played Glastonbury as part of the reunion. It sounds wrong somehow. A bit like VU playing Woodstock or the like. What were they like? I expect your preference would be well placed.

I saw Cale in Manchester a short while back on this tour. So you're right, Spikey - spending some time in the company of a few mates in what has become a magical location for me was fine and dandy.