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Glastonbury - 1992 to 2007. A British Asian Perspective

• Bobby Friction
• 18 Jun 07, 06:16 PM

Glastonbury, the world’s largest and most famous music festival returns this year and I have seen my teenage dreams come true. For the first time the Asian Network, and Brit-Asian music has a massive presence as we take over the Roots stage on the Friday night. I’ll be hosting the stage and DJ’ing alongside all the other DJ’s and bands as well as doing Friday nights ‘Friction’ show live from backstage!

It’s been a long journey as I went to my first Glasto in 1992, 15 years ago and found myself part of a handful of Desi music fans amongst the 100,000 people there. I was instantly hit by the fact that this was not just a music festival but a festival of alternative culture. It’s hard to explain its enormity in size, but the majority of the festival alongside the music stages is full of stalls selling weird and wonderful things, alternative therapies, massage tents, poetry readings, religious stalls and food from EVERY country. In the past I’ve been to a séance, seen outdoor plays and watched hundreds of people run round stark naked in the naked field. It’s not an exaggeration to say you will find every kind of behaviour, every kind of music and every kind of nationality at Glastonbury.

So in 1992 I was a Glastonbury virgin (like Sonia Deol will be this year!) and had to get used to not washing, living in a tent and letting go of any inhibitions I had for 3 days. It was a revelation – people talk about the Glastonbury spirit infecting them when they get there – I caught it big-time. It means talking to complete strangers and sharing your food and goodwill with them…sometimes even your tent. It also meant that I lost any sense of impatience and just took it easy. This can have profound affects like instead of rushing around at 100mph and seeing all the bands I wanted to see I stumbled across a small tea tent with live acoustic musicians (playing sitar and tabla!). The Glastonbury spirit meant I ended up staying there for nine hours watching musician after musician and talking to anyone in the tent – which only had enough room for thirty people. It also meant I had to get used to living without hair gel (impossible at the time) and my bed (I slept on a blanket in a 1 man tent for 3 days!). I wonder if Sonia Deol will handle the lack of toiletries and clothes changes plus the legendary outdoor ‘pind’ like atomically smelly toilets?

By about 1995 I would see more Desi music fans and the majority of them would end up in the same field when bands like Asian Dub Foundation came on – or you’d bump into them in hippy fields full of ‘chai’ stalls and ‘mehndi’ artists. It was at this Glastonbury that seeing Talvin Singh happened. Massive Attack were headliners in the Dance Tent (These tents can hold up to 15000 people!) on the Friday night and I was at the front to watch them. Before they came on they announced that one more act would come on and on walked Talvin Singh. In this massive arena he was centre stage with only two Tabla’s and a small box of tricks – and within a few minutes the sound of sonically effected tabla’s rang out and had the whole crowd screaming in appreciation. He played the Tabla’s like a Punjabi Jimi Hendrix and it was awesome. I remember thinking that an Asian Music stage at Glastonbury would be an amazing idea and hoped that I would see it one day, and maybe even DJ on it…..And it’s happening this year!!

After 1995 the festival expanded massively and came part of the UK summer season, but sadly lost a lot of its hippy leanings. BUT made up for that loss by expanding the music side of the festival, and the amount of people who could get in.

In 2002 I got booked alongside DJ Swami to DJ in dance tent on the Friday night and we celebrated by playing in your face Punjabi Beats for 3 hours. It was great but the feeling that we needed more as Desi Music fans still hung around. Then in 2004 a company called ‘Brasian’ got the use of a small stage for a night and we had the first proper Desi Music event at Glastonbury. My dream had come true but I spoiled it by getting so drunk that I can’t remember much and fell off the stage in front of thousands of people!

Anyway – in 2007 the circle has been squared and we have the Friday night on the massive roots stage with the following artists:-

Swami (Live)
Asian Dub Foundation Sound System
Catch22
Nerm
Bandish Project
And the brilliant Midival Punditz LIVE!!!!!

If you’re going down I’ll see you there Friday night, and if you’re a Glastonbury virgin like Sonia Deol then take these tips from me:

1. Take waterproof clothing as well as hot summer clothes as you will need BOTH.
2. Try loads of different food and buy from small independent stalls.
3. Take enough Toilet paper for the weekend! (you DO NOT want to run out).
4. Get out your comfort zone musically.
5. Talk to strangers – it will reaffirm your belief in people again.
6. CHILLLLLLLLLLLLL (it’s better than two weeks in the sun as a chilled experience!).
7. Run around Naked in the Naked field (That’s for Sonia Deol!).