It's now nearly five weeks since this year's Glastonbury festival took place, or I'm sure as most are looking at it 47 weeks to the next one! This year's has been noted as one of the best due to the amazing weather, but for me it was one of the best for its representation of UK urban music, its mass inclusion signifying the importance and popularity of these genres and proving their place alongside those genres that have controlled dominance of music culture for so many years.  

Most people who have never visited the festival will probably associate it with the typical BBC footage of major label bands cranking through the tracks from their two previous top ten albums, littered with performances by a few people you have never heard and a handful of people your parents possibly listened to before you were born.

Granted there is this side to the festival but this only exemplifies the diversity of the event, it's what you don't see that makes a difference, one of the best things about most dance music is that it remains fresh by remaining non-mainstream and this is the same at Glastonbury. This year's festival was a mecca for urban and underground artists and I can guarantee that Glastonbury had one of (if not the) best line-ups of any festival you could attend this year.

Every angle was covered across the whole spectrum of the music we know and love: drum & bass, dubstep, grime, breaks, hip hop, reggae and the festival now features a second area for after hours partying including Arcadia (which seriously needs to be seen to be believed, check the video at the top of the page), The Unfair Ground, Shangri-La and the amazing Block 9. If you've never been due to thinking the festival doesn't cover the music you like, guess again, it does so in abundance...

The action is spread widely over ever single corner of the festival centralizing in the Dance Village, which on its own is the size of most normal dance festivals like Global Gathering. In this field alone (there are about 12 in total plus other areas!) there are tree giant dance tents plus Cube Henge which is a recreation of stone Henge in giant plastic squares that change colour at night... complete with massive sound system and the Pussy Parlour arena. You could pay your money and go nowhere else other than this field and you would still have one of the best festival experiences of your life.

I could go into individual performance details here but most would read the same, there is something special about the festival that seems to bring out the best in both the crowd and the performers. I have never yet experienced a festival with a better vibe as a punter and I'm sure due all artists raise their game by another 100% to rise to the challenge of the festival. The result is certainly something unique and amazing, I witnessed things I know I wouldn't anywhere else.

I saw Nero and DC Breaks absolutely destroy a crowd of the then fresh partygoers on the first night signaling the carnage and onslaught of things to come over the next four days. Sub Focus Live under the cover of large trees deep in the woodland of the Glade, Skepta and Giggs whipping up a UK grime frenzy in the middle of the baking heat on a Saturday afternoon, part of a whole day dedicated to UK music hosted by Ras Kwame. I bounced off walls to the mighty Congo Natty with Top Cat and Tenor Fly at midnight to the backdrop of the head twisting surroundings of the Unfair Ground and on the final night watched the festival brought to an amazing close by the Ragga Twins, Aquasky, Concord Dawn, SP and Stamina accompanied by electrified Javelin fighters and 30 foot flame throwers. Glastonbury offers a lot more than a few DJs in a tent like most festivals, a lot more!
 
A massive thanks to Ed and all at Glastonbury, can't wait to for next year!  

Words: Jon Swan

 

Related Links:

• Love Saves The Day Festival Preview
• Mutoid Waste At Glastonbury 2010
• Magnetic Man - I Need Air
• Glastonbury 2011 Review
• Extalgic Festival 2011

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