I’ve had the pleasure of working on Glastonbury for fifteen years. I started as a producer on 主播大秀 Radio 6 Music and now I take a more overarching view as Head of 主播大秀 Music.
My role now means that where I used to concentrate on the output, I now liaise with 主播大秀 and independent production staff who are creating the programming across radio, TV and online, as well as the Glastonbury team outside the 主播大秀, to ensure we give the audience the best coverage possible. It’s a great festival - arguably the best in the world - and we want to make sure as many people get to experience it as possible.
What does the 主播大秀 do at Glastonbury?
Throughout the festival, we will feature over 100 live artists from six different stages. We work closely with artists and their representatives and the fantastic team at Glastonbury to make sure we capture as much of the magic as possible. We know our audience want to see the performances on stage, as well as what goes on behind the scenes to give them a real sense of what happens during this magical time at Worthy Farm. Once I am on site, I'm usually in a broadcast truck watching the output, sitting in on a production meeting or hopefully, watching a live performance as it happens! Our staff, led by Mark Cooper of 主播大秀 Studios for television and Philippa Aylott for 主播大秀 Radio Production are hugely experienced and as so much planning goes into our mammoth broadcast, that it usually runs like clockwork.
But it can be challenging.
We’re in a field in Somerset that, most of the time, doesn’t have any broadcast facilities. Not only that but the Glastonbury site is huge. For one week every year, these unsuspecting fields in Somerset become a small town with a population greater than the city of Bath!
We’re often at the mercy of the weather. I’ve seen broadcast trucks and stages slowly sinking into the mud and witnessed lightning storms and high winds that have threatened to curtail sets. I’ve also been there when the hot weather has created at carnival atmosphere across the site and the dust has to be dampened with sprinklers. But even with all of these challenges, our brilliant teams always ensure the festival still reaches everyone listening and watching.
What makes a great headliner?
One of the seminal Glastonbury headline performances was Beyoncé in 2011, which I watched from the photo pit with 6 Music’s Stuart Maconie. It was the perfect stage for someone so accomplished at connecting with so many people and a great booking. Emily Eavis says Beyoncé was her biggest achievement at the festival - and I love the way Emily has subtly changed the make up of the performers over the years. I'm sure that Stormzy's performance on Friday night will be unforgettable.
I think there are a few key ingredients in creating a great Pyramid Stage headliner. Having anthemic tunes and an audience shouting every lyric back at you goes without saying. Understanding the sense of occasion and feeding off the energy of the amazing crowd goes a long way, as does having a certain swagger. You have to bring your A game and hearing Kylie talk about how nervous she is recently on The One Show just proves that even if you're a legend, you understand how important a Glastonbury performance is.
When I think of dream headliners, it is such a shame that Prince was never able to grace the Pyramid Stage. He encapsulates all of the above and I’m certain it would have gone down in history as one of the greatest Glastonbury moments.
Capturing a great headliner brings out the best in our tv and radio teams and we work closely with the artists to get a sense of their stage plans. A few years ago, Coldplay pulled out all the stops with a show full of pyrotechnics, glow sticks, confetti cannons and fireworks. The beauty of a live show is capturing things as they unfold - and often you get a sense of the excitement from the ecstatic faces in the crowd.
What’s the best way to listen at home?
If you’re listening or watching at home, you are spoilt for choice. Switch on as many devices as you can: TVs, radios, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, anything you can get your hands on. Zoe Ball on Radio 2 will be presenting her breakfast show live from Worthy Farm, so listen out for chats with Kylie, Bjorn Again and Basil Brush! 主播大秀 Red Button will be showing festival highlights throughout the weekend and 主播大秀 One, 主播大秀 Two and 主播大秀 Four will be showing various sets throughout the weekend. You can wander between stages from the comfort of your home and check out over 100 artists at a time of your choosing. A few years ago when my daughter was younger, I stayed at home and had our own festival at home. It was a great fun and even when the FOMO kicked in, the 主播大秀 coverage saved the day. It’s pleasing when people tell me that our programming makes them feel like they don’t need to actually go to Worthy Farm.
What’s new for this year?
The main difference this year is that 主播大秀 Sounds gives us a huge amount of freedom to expand what we offer. This year, we’re going to have a live Radio Glastonbury button on 主播大秀 Sounds, so people can tune in whenever they want. We will have a few bespoke programmes such as a revealing interview with Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis and Lauren Laverne and we’ll be taking a dive into the 主播大秀’s vaults from previous festivals. We also want to give people a deeper look into some of the other stages. We’re planning on creating playlists based on stages like Arcadia’s Pangea and The Glade.
If you are not going, you’ll be able to find so many treats on 主播大秀 iPlayer and 主播大秀 Sounds. And if you are heading to the Farm, you can re-live the experience once again when you finally get home.
Listen and watch Glastonbury 2019 across the 主播大秀 from Friday 28 - Sunday 30 June.