Yelling About Glastonbury 2022!
Let me freak out about my favourite artists for once!!!1!1!1!!!
In lieu of highlighting a few random songs this month I figured I’d yell at you all about the wonderfulness that was Glasto ‘22 and highlight some of my favourite artists who played it this year.
For those of you who are unaware, the Glastonbury Festival is one of, if not the biggest music festival on the planet, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans every year to this random, big-ass farm in the middle of England. Mind you, I myself would never attend a festival of any kind in-person. That to me sounds like torture because of all those people and the weed and the noise and the mud and the mud and the mud and the tents and the overpriced food. Maybe one day I’ll go to a festival, but it would only be for a single day because I just could not handle three consecutively. Like, I just want the experience, to say that I’ve been there, you know?
The good thing about Glasto is that the BBC does a live broadcast every year where they feature some of the big acts that are playing. Kinda like what they do for Coachella on YouTube every year. Unfortunately if you’re outside of the U.K. you can’t access that footage, but you can LISTEN to a bunch of live sets (often the same as the ones that are televised) on BBC Radio! Let me tell ya, British radio friggin RULES. They play actual good music! And they expose you to so many new artists, especially U.K. ones, of course. On BBC Sounds, which is a very handy app that gives you easy access to every BBC Radio station, I was literally flipping back and forth between the Paul McCartney headlining set that was on Radio 1 and Mitski’s set on Radio 6. It was wild. You ever tried going from “Hey Jude” to “Townie” in the span of 2 minutes?
Over the course of this post I am going to be embedding a bunch of videos that the BBC Music YouTube channel was kind enough to post online of a bunch of different artists playing a bunch of different songs at Glasto. It’s like the music section of my Otterbiographies, but on acid. Enjoy.
Wolf Alice, “The Last Man on Earth”
Figured we should start with a band some of you might know. I am so pissed that I missed seeing Wolf Alice in Toronto earlier this year. (With Charlie Hickey opening for them! That guy RULES!) Most people know them from “Moaning Lisa Smile” or whatever, but their latest album, Blue Weekend, is so good. One of my favourites of last year, actually. This song is the emotional centrepiece of that album and it kinda sounds like Arcade Fire? Or maybe like X&Y era Coldplay? And Ellie Rowsell’s voice is gorgeous. Super feathery, but she can get rowdy when she feels like it.
Phoebe Bridgers, “I Know the End”
What can be said about Phoebe that hasn’t already been said by someone way smarter than me over the last two years? Punisher is probably one of my favourite albums ever, honestly. Phoebe is going to go down as the de facto leader of the current indie movement and probably the best songwriter of our generation in terms of how she’s managed to create new fans through this songwriting style of hers that is so brutally honest and image-heavy and evocative. So I’ll put it simply and just say that this song is great. Arlo Parks, if you know her, sings backup in this video. She’s also great.
A bit of an aside here before we move on—have you noticed that EVERYONE is copying Phoebe’s songwriting style now? I think it kick-started when “Drivers Licence” blew up, because that is essentially a Phoebe Bridgers song. Now you’re getting even MORE of these artists trying to blow up and/or revive their careers by writing songs that go something like, “Do you remember / when we first listened to John Mayer / in the back of your mother’s 1997 Chevrolet Equinox / You told me he sucked / and I didn’t believe you / so you put on “Your Body is a Wonderland” / and it was the worst three minutes and forty-six seconds of my liiiiiiiffffffe.” Sounds like a hit to me!
Wet Leg, “Chaise Longue”
I’m including this one to anger you all and admit to the world that I just don’t like Wet Leg. I don’t get the appeal. They blew up because of this song but the zaniness of it just goes completely over my head. Besides, in terms of indie rock-adjacent joke songs, nobody is touching “Peaches” by the Presidents of the United States of America (and yes, that is a real band name). No one. Like, “On the chaise long on the chaise long on the chaise long all day long on the chaise long”? OK, buddy, whatever you say…
TLC, “Waterfalls”
Great arrangement of an evergreen classic. Those low notes in the verses are bloody hard! They’re crushing it, their band is crushing it. That snare sound is dope. And the bassist is on another level. When they start doing the choreography during Left Eye’s part it’s sick and also doubles as a nice little tribute to her.
Anyways, your grandkids are going to be singing this song in the car someday, so just shut up and enjoy this.
Inhaler, “These Are The Days”
I despise this term, but Inhaler is…mid? Which is a little ironic of me to say, considering the fact that I’ve been following them since they started out, and that was only a few years ago. I was in a massive U2 phase at the time, so when Inhaler formed and started dropping music it was a big deal since their singer, Eli Hewson, is the son of the guy from U2. Yep, imagine having that glasses-wearing, tax-evading, all-time great singer and frontman as your DAD. And then taking a page out of his book and starting a band of your own! And, much like your dad, wanting it to be the biggest band on the planet! I have to admire them for their ambition. Your dad’s a near-billionaire, why not just rest on his laurels? I know I would! But instead of getting Eli to ask his dad if they could open for U2, Inhaler grew their fanbase organically by playing pubs and clubs like any other band (or at least I think they did). That surely must teach you something about humility and decency and hard work.
Unfortunately, there are a few differences between U2’s first record and Inhaler’s first record. The first is that it took Bono four albums before he figured out how to sing. (Dude was shouting more than singing up until The Unforgettable Fire) His son doesn’t have that problem. He’s really not that bad! And he’s a far better guitar player than his dad, too. The main difference, though, is the songs. There’s like 2 totally great songs on Inhaler’s first album: “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” and “My Honest Face”. Which I bet sound great live. But U2’s first record, which came out like 40 years ago, has the eternal jumparounder in “I Will Follow,” as well as “Twilight,” “An Cat Dubh,” “Into the Heart,” and “Out of Control.” THOSE ARE THE FIRST FIVE SONGS ON BOY. ARE YOU KIDDING ME.
The song in this Inhaler video, “These Are The Days,” just came out a few weeks ago. It’s not on the album and it’s nothing special. Let’s be real, I only put it in here so I could talk about U2.
Self Esteem, “I Do This All The Time”
Now here’s an artist I had never heard of up until I heard them do this song at Glasto. Radio 6 Music was playing it. I heard it that one time and I was like, “this is so good, who is this?!” It was one of those songs where you hear it once and you’re like, yep, that’s it. This is probably a song about an ex but the way it’s written is so unique and the way Rebecca DELIVERS it is esPECIALLY unique. It’s almost like spoken word. When she does the choruses I was kinda taken aback at how good of a singer she was? And the singalong parts at the end coupled with the entrance of the violins makes for the perfect finale. She’s probably quite big in Britain because the crowd knew every lyric to this song. As they should! Like, at one point she’s like,
Don’t send those long-paragraph texts.
Stop it, don’t.
Getting married isn’t the biggest day of your life.
All the days of your life are big.
How many women out there need a message like that in their lives? I know I will. Eventually. All this to say that this is my new feminist anthem and it should be yours as well. Probably my favourite new discovery that came out of Glasto this year.
Holly Humberstone, “Scarlett”
Speaking of badass British women! Holly Humberstone has the X factor. She opened for Olivia Rodrigo on her North American tour earlier this year, so maybe some of you have seen her live already. Holly is just 22 but has already dropped 2 EPs, with a debut full-length hopefully on the way. I found out about her around the Inaugural Summer of COVID through this impeccably well-crafted pop banger called “Falling Asleep at the Wheel.” I feel like a lot of you Otters out there would love it. I hope every club in Britain has played that song at least once.
This song, “Scarlett” is nowhere near as good as “Falling Asleep” —personally I think it’s trying to shove in too much at once—but you can tell that she’s the future of British pop if she isn’t already. Go Holly! (She’s got a good name, too. Is that a stage name or the real shebang? It rolls off the tongue real good.)
beabadoobee, “Talk”
Badass British women galore! I do not listen to beabadoobee but I am aware of her. Unfortunately after I heard her and her band do this song I spent 20 minutes trying to Google the words in an attempt to figure out what song it was. Not once did the name “beabadoobee” cross my mind during that time. I guess I had just forgotten what she sounded like? Regardless, this is another one of those songs where I heard it once and I was like, “This is pretty sweet!” I think the best part about it is how the chorus enters with that little drum fill thing. It’s very replayable. And I really like power-pop songs so this is right up my alley. I would take a listen to the studio version of “Talk” because the mix of it here in this video is honestly atrocious and tinny and no-thank-you. Bea’s new album is called Beatopia, and it came out a few weeks ago. I haven’t listened to it but I think I will eventually just because this song is on it.
Big Thief, “Change”
Big Thief are the best indie band around by a country mile. Remarkably consistent and always breathtaking. This one’s from their new album that I really have not spent enough time with. But back in 2020 they dropped two fantastic albums, UFOF and Two Hands, both of which I listened to non-stop over the initial quarantine that took place that year. Adrienne Lenker has one of the most mystifying voices in music, full stop. And she writes some damn pretty lyrics, too. Now, would I call this their best song? No. It’s a little too straightforward and pedestrian for me. But it sure is pretty! I feel like it would be a nice mood-setter for a Sunday afternoon. I hear they go off live. They were in Toronto a while back and - no surprise here - I missed out on seeing them. Eh. One day!
Mitski, “Washing Machine Heart”
She’s not an artist that I regularly listen to, but I have so much respect for the intense commitment that Mitski brings to her live performances. As I mentioned off the top, I got to listen to the last third of her set on Radio 6. I remember she did “The Only Heartbreaker,” “Your Best American Girl” and “Francis Forever” (all great songs). Missed this one, although I don’t think it gives you enough of a glimpse into how captivating it is to watch her. Although it is important to note that she maintains this intensity through the entirety of her set. I have a bunch of writer friends who are big Mitski fans and got to see her live. What an experience that must’ve been.
Olivia Rodrigo (with Lily Allen), “Fuck You”
Have I ever said the F word on Things You Otter Know before? Fuck it, I guess now’s the time!
Olivia is big enough to headline the Pyramid/main stage at Glastonbury but I guess her booking agent decided otherwise. Regardless, she still drew a huge crowd. At one point in her set she brought out this British singer named Lily Allen, who I have never heard of, to play a song called “Fuck You,” which I have also never heard of. But what a song! I vibe with it, personally. It must’ve been a big hit in the UK, because when the opening piano jingle-jangle started, the crowd went NUTS. It must act as the “A Thousand Miles” of Great Britain.
I know I’ve embedded a gazillion videos in this post, but this one is totally worth a watch just for how fun and petty it is. Olivia dedicates it to the U.S. Supreme Court, specifically the justices who are responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade. And EVERYONE knows the words, and they’re alllllll jumping around during the chorus, not a single middle finger left unpointed.
girl in red, “i wanna be your girlfriend”
Do you listen to girl in red? Of course you do! It’s honestly incredible how far Marie Ringheim has come in just a few short years. She’s gone from making lo-fi pop in her bedroom in friggin Norway to playing Glastonbury for thousands of people. I can’t imagine what it must be like for her to take these early intimate and personal songs she did in GarageBand or Logic Pro or whatever and have all these people sing along to them. This is one of them, actually. The first song she ever put out under the name girl in red. One could argue that it’s her best. There’s just something about it. It has a different sound than the stuff on her debut album, because she recorded it when she was so young. But it’s anthemic and honest and raw. Which is usually part of the recipe that makes up a hit song.
To me she’s a testament to how far the music industry has come. There’s still plenty of work to be done, which goes without saying, but her stuff is connecting with so many people, so many women, so many LGBTQ2A+ people. And she hasn’t let the fame get to her head all that much! As you’ll see in this clip, she absolutely takes advantage of the increasingly huge crowds that are coming to see her play. She’s confident on stage but she’s also cracking jokes, swearing, getting into it, even forcing the crowd to split up in half for a Wall of Death. The authenticity reminds me of Billie, actually. The joy, too. I am all in.
Sam Fender, “Seventeen Going Under”
This dude is one of, if not the biggest bloody rock act in Britain and nobody on the other side of the Atlantic, save for a few people with good taste in music like myself, knows who he is. He plays to 40,000 in the UK and then to a thousand or so in North America. A damn shame, since he’s the closest thing we have to a Springsteen since probably Springsteen himself.
Sam Fender is 28 and has two albums under his belt, both of which have a few singles that are total bangers and then pretty much nothing else. This song is the title track of his sophomore album and it won a big songwriting award in the UK. It also became a big sleeper hit in the UK, hitting #3 in January. Nuts, innit? It’s a very good song though. Got saxophone and everything. It’s about the time when Sam was 17 and his mom had to quit her job because of her health and then they were super poor and the government was coming after them. Dude had a very rough childhood. Wikipedia it. He is the living embodiment of a rags-to-riches story. I hope he finds some success in North America with his next record, whenever that comes out. I’m sure there were some people like me who saw this in their YouTube and were blown away by this performance and the scope of it. Britain’s really connected with the Britishness of this guy. And how real he is. Look at how they sing along to this firecracker of a tune! It’s really quite something.
Turnstile, “Blackout”
Here are two things about me that I’ve turned into personality traits: I love post-hardcore, and I’m very into the rock/indie/alt/hardcore/post-hardcore scene here in Toronto. And I swear to God, EVERYONE I know within that scene listens to Turnstile.
I get the appeal, I totally do, but I haven’t really tested the waters yet. I think I will one day. They seem like a band I would be into. They’re in the same modern sphere as some of my favourites: Touché Amoré, La Dispute, Defeater, Alexisonfire, and Fiddlehead. I love post-hardcore because it strikes a balance. Regular hardcore is a bit too much for me, although there are certain days where I can tolerate. (If you need an example, one of my favourites is this song by a band named Downset called “Pure Trauma”.) And then post-punk is sometimes a little bit too out-of-the-box for me. But post-hardcore blends both in the best way. It’s heavy without being overbearingly so.
The thing with Turnstile is that they’re bigger than hardcore at this point. Way bigger. Like, they’re playing Glastonbury! AND they played Coachella earlier this year! Their latest album got some insanely favourable reviews, and they go very hard live. The energy in this performance of “BLACKOUT” is ridiculous. I guarantee you every member of this band has a six-pack.
Jack White, “Seven Nation Army”
Jack White is so goddamned pretentious and annoying and ugly. But he also wrote “Seven Nation Army.” So there’s that.
Paul McCartney, “I’ve Got A Feeling”
The BBC Music YouTube channel posted two videos of Paul McCartney’s Glastonbury headline set so of course I’m posting both.
You all know how I feel about Paul. This is him doing probably the…fifth or sixth best song on Let It Be? And considering the plethora of hits this man could choose to play instead of “I’ve Got A Feeling” (“Yesterday” wasn’t even in the setlist!) the thing that sets this performance apart is roughly three quarters of the way through the song, when Paul turns around to face the giant screens just before the start of the next verse, and in pops John Lennon! You might’ve heard about the new Beatles documentary series on Disney+, which includes a feature on the famous rooftop performance that the Beatles did in early 1969. They just isolated his vocals from a performance they did of that song on that day and stuck some video of him doing that song on that day and boom, Paul is dueting with his former songwriting partner! The duality of it is interesting, how John’s voice is trapped in time while Paul’s voice sounds weathered and fragile. You have to hand it to him for playing a show of this stature at 80 years old. How many 80 year olds can do that? It’s astounding.
Paul McCartney (with Dave Grohl), “Band on the Run”
Here’s the other Paul video. This one is special for different reasons. Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins passed away a few months ago, and this was Dave’s first performance since that tragedy. The Foos were my foray into rock, honestly, and finding out that Dave was one of Paul’s surprise guests during this set made my heart VERY happy. Not just because it’s Dave friggin Grohl, but also just to see that he’s doing ok. I hope he and the rest of the band take the time they need to rest and recuperate. No one should be rushing them back into performing if they don’t want to.
Kendrick Lamar, “HUMBLE"
My left stroke just went viral! Is that about golf?
I don’t listen to hip-hop but I try to stay in the loop about it enough so that if people talk about it I can contribute to the conversation in some tiny little way. Everyone knows “Humble” though. That’s an all-timer. Sometimes people just need to be told to sit down and be humble, you know? You’d think he’d be sick of it by now, seeing as it was a massive hit in the States, but I guess he isn’t. Or maybe he just knows what gets the crowd hyped up. Both can be true, I suppose.
I heard his new album hasn’t landed with people the way DAMN. did. At least he’s smart enough to know that he now transcends the culture. He’s built up his catalogue to the point where even if he keeps releasing duds people will still love him and pay to come to his concerts. Or at least I think so. Maybe because Kendrick has more respect critically than some of his peers. Like, look at Drake. Let me see if I can name one song off that new album of his…honestly, nevermind.
Kacey Musgraves, “Rainbow”
Figured we’d end this off with a sweet, pretty little song. You might know Kacey Musgraves for winning Album of the Year a few years back. Let me tell you, she deserved it. Golden Hour is so good you can almost forget that it’s a country album.
This song, “Rainbow,” ends Golden Hour. It would fit right in on a Coldplay album, but it might also become a new standard in country music a few decades from now because of how simple and universal it is. I know she has a new album out about her divorce but I haven’t bothered to give it a listen yet. Maybe this is the sign that I should.
That wraps this one up. Thanks for reading. I’m off to pack some boxes. New Otterbiography coming Monday.
🦦—O—🦦