Coachella vs. Glastonbury: The great festival face-off

Festivals are my favourite thing in the world. The anticipation, the music, the atmosphere, the fun – all these things smash together for a few days to provide memories and stories that last forever.

I experienced my first Glastonbury in 2016, before watching the following year on television in a state of bitter regret at not being there again. I decided I wasn’t going to repeat that mistake.

Unfortunately, I’d chosen a bad time for my new stance – every four years the ground at Worthy Farm needs a festival-free summer to recover, and 2018 was to be that year.

With no Glasto, I decided it was the perfect time to try another festival I had long eyed with interest, and made plans to cross the Atlantic (and most of America) to the Californian desert and Coachella.

Having now returned with slightly darker skin and a considerably lighter wallet, it only feels right to compare the premier festivals of the UK and the US of A.

Setting

Whenever I’m asked about Glastonbury by people yet to experience it, my first response is that it feels like its own country. The unique atmosphere and sheer size of it makes it feel like no other place on earth. It’s like a nation within a nation. England’s Vatican City.

Stretching over 900 acres, it can take hours to get from one side to the other. This has its pros and cons. Even without any music, you can wander across the site discovering fascinating new spots around every corner. There’s always something new to try.

Of course, this has its drawbacks once the music starts. In 2016 the adverse weather (more on that later) meant it could take an hour to get between stages that weren’t even that far apart. Not ideal when you’re hopping between Foals and Disclosure.

Nonetheless, there are few finer experiences than sitting atop the hill, in front of the iconic Glastonbury sign, as the sun rises and you’re yet to sleep.

Coachella is every bit as glorious as it appears in the photos. Sitting in a vast valley, the horizon is punctured through 360 degrees by a stunning ring of mountains. Perfectly groomed palm trees decorate the site, and the lush green grass puts a genuine spring in your step.

Compared to Glastonbury the site is considerably smaller, making getting between stages much easier. We spent much of our weekend jumping between the Coachella Stage and the Outdoor Theatre (the backless stage of which provides stunning views of the mountains behind the performing artists), a stroll which can easily be done in five minutes.

Winner: Tie

Music

While I was actually quietly disappointed upon seeing the line-ups for both festivals, it really doesn’t matter that much. There will always be enough good music to go around, and you’re unlikely to see more than five acts in a day wherever you are.

Glastonbury 2016 and Coachella 2018 provided me with two headline acts that were both very comparable and very different.

Going into their respective shows, I wasn’t at all interested in the music of Adele or Beyonce. But for two memorable hours two years apart, that didn’t mean anything.

When Adele said Hello and 100,000 people of all ages and genders burst into tears, it felt like the world was revolving around the Pyramid Stage.

That feeling was replicated at Coachella when Beyonce took to the stage and produced the most incredible show I have ever witnessed. A college band that must have included over a hundred members supported her throughout, while Jay-Z and the rest of Destiny’s Child joined ‘Queen B’ as she delivered a performance which dominated the talk of the Western world.

The moods may have differed, but both events created the feeling that I was at the centre of the world for a few brief hours.

Otherwise, Glastonbury offers a far greater variety in terms of acts. Coachella caters towards its largely 18-25 demographic, with rap and hip-hop artists dominating the bill.

Winner: Glastonbury

Weather

You won’t be surprised to hear that Coachella comes out on top for this one. “It was nice to go to a festival and not worry about rain and mud,” has been my go to response when asked about my weekend, and that pretty much sums it up. There’s no denying the obvious – festivals are much more fun when the sun is shining and it’s 30C every day.

It probably didn’t help that I experienced the muddiest Glastonbury of all time (“In all 46 years, it hasn’t been as bad as this,” Michael Eavis, 2016). But that’s part of the Glasto experience…

Winner: Coachella

Crowd and atmosphere

If you’re currently occupying your mid-20s and harbour dreams of getting out to Coachella, I’d advise you do it sooner rather than later. The festival is dominated by youngsters from well-to-do backgrounds, working outfits that have clearly been months in the making.

In terms of age this means Coachella compares readier with Reading/Leeds, though that’s probably where the comparisons end. On the plus side, the 21 drinking age makes getting a drink a fair bit easier.

Glastonbury, on the other hand, draws in people from all ages and backgrounds, with an undeniable bias towards those of a left-wing political nature. The 2016 edition coincided with the Brexit referendum (*shivers*), the result to which produced a collective state of mourning across the site the following day.

2017 appeared to be no different, as song of the summer “Oh Jeremy Corbyn” dominated the vocals of those in attendance.

Winner: Glastonbury

Overall

Both festivals fully live up to the hype that prompts hundreds of thousands of people to compete for tickets each year, and anyone lucky enough to have the opportunity should jump at the chance to do both.

But while the weather does make a big difference, the unique atmosphere and variety one experiences at Glastonbury means there can only be one winner. And it is sunny in England sometimes…

Overall winner: Glastonbury

Drinkwater steps up but midfield role is primed for Loftus-Cheek return

Chelsea continued their solid run of results in the Premier League on Saturday with an eventually comfortable 3-1 win over Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues started slowly and went behind to a deserved Dwight Gayle goal, but an Eden Hazard inspired comeback saw them wrap up the three points long before the final whistle.

The Belgian’s ever-improving form continued with another two goals here, but another noteworthy performance also caught the eye.

Danny Drinkwater’s Chelsea career has taken a while to get going following his summer move from Leicester City, a muscle injury delaying his debut until October 25, but he has since put together a string of impressive performances in the middle of the pitch.

Against Liverpool last week, the former Manchester United youth player occupied a surprisingly forward position, coming close to a goal with a number of late runs into the box.

That trend continued against the Magpies on Saturday, as Drinkwater pushed further forward than Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante to link up regularly with Hazard and Alvaro Morata up top.

And while he did another solid job linking the midfield and attack, the position screams for a player with a little more threat to his game—a player like Ruben Loftus-Cheek, currently impressing on loan with Crystal Palace.

The 21-year-old made his senior England debut against Germany last month as a reward for his strong start in south London.

And while he left the Blues in the summer as a result of a lack of opportunities at the Bridge, much of that was down to successive managers being unsure of his best position on the field.

A powerful figure with good feet for someone of his size, Loftus-Cheek had failed to exhibit the positional discipline to play as an outright defensive midfielder or the creative nous to play as a playmaker. With Chelsea playing just two centre-midfielders for most of the past three seasons, that left little room for an unproven youngster whose exact role was yet to be established.

This season, however, that has changed, as Antonio Conte’s switch to a preferred 3-5-2 formation has resulted in an extra spot for a midfielder who offers something a little different.

Drinkwater has occupied that position effectively since coming into the side, but the former Leicester man lacks the goal threat that Chelsea’s midfield is crying out for.

That’s where Loftus-Cheek could come in. He scored regularly while dominating the pitch throughout the Chelsea youth groups, regularly receiving the ball in his own half before striding forward with a combination of power and control that opposition teams simply couldn’t handle. He scored his first goals for the first team in the second half of the 2015/16 season, and netted his first for Palace against Stoke City last weekend.

There is almost no chance of cutting short his season-long loan at Selhurst Park, and it is vitally important he gets a full season of regular Premier League football under his belt, but come next season, there may finally be a place in the Chelsea side for a player who has been at the club since the age of eight.

Until then, Drinkwater will hope he can put together enough performances like today’s to earn a place in England’s World Cup squad—where he might just be joined by Loftus-Cheek.

 

London Grammar provide a study of intimacy

O2 Academy Brixton
★★★★☆

There are musicians who want to be rock stars, and there are musicians who want anything but.

London Grammar firmly belong in the latter category, and they demonstrated that with an intimate set at Brixton’s O2 Academy on Monday that felt like it could have been delivered in any student bar across the country.

But that’s no bad thing, and with London Grammar it’s very much a part of the charm. The capital trio possess a personable and down to earth aura, something that plays to the strengths of their raw and emotionally intense music.

Those vibes were ever-present on Monday, as they serenaded an adoring and often hypnotised audience. Their music presents an unusual meeting of acoustic and bass – it shouldn’t work but it just does.

Led by the stunning vocals of Hannah Reid, the band worked their way through a growing collection of favourites including Wasting My Young Years, Oh Woman, Oh Man, and the song that first brought them to the public’s attention, the mesmerising Hey Now.

They took turns to thank their fans throughout the gig, something which often comes across as an obligation from other acts but feels genuine and authentic here.

In the past, the band have spoken of fatigue and touring troubles, while Reid has a habit of playing down expectation before attempting songs which push her to hit the high notes. But such down-playing is consistently unnecessary, as was the case here, where she demonstrated the incredible range which immediately captures the attention of anyone new to the band.

They finished with a lively rendition of Metal and Dust, allowing the multi-instrumental Dominic ‘Dot’ Major to show off his prowess on the drums once more.

Natural entertainers London Grammar may not be, but that only contributes to the warm feeling their shows provide for all present.

Instant Karma for Indie’s newest hit-makers

For any up-and-coming rock act from London or nearby, headlining Brixton’s o2 Academy is a watershed moment.

That honour befell to Sundara Karma on Thursday night, as the Reading rockers headlined south London’s premier arena with a confident performance that gave full voice to one of the catchiest indie debut albums in recent years.

After a slow start, in which opener Another Word for Beautiful struggled to stir a crowd that had begun to grow impatient with the band’s late entry, the four piece soon found their stride with teenage anthems A Young Understanding and Loveblood.

Kitted out in matching shirts and trousers, the band made full (perhaps too much use) of the regularly released dry ice, while frontman Oscar “Lulu” Pollock took every opportunity to get close to a young and energetic crowd.

Despite only releasing their debut album in January this year, Sundara Karma already possess an impressive collection of singalong-ready tracks, ensuring the 75-minute set never went too long without giving the crowd the chance to throw their palms to the roof and open their lungs.

Album highlights Flame and She Said were neatly spread out across the duration of the show, before an encore predictably occupied with passionate crowd chants of ‘Oh, Jeremy Corbyn’ – something heard almost without fail across the summer’s festivals.

The band returned to finish with Explore, a song of Killers-esque infectiousness, leaving a satisfied crowd confident of seeing their new favourites on big stages aplenty in the coming years.

Kind Words in abundance as The Maccabees say goodbye with triumphant farewell show

There was sweat and tears aplenty at Alexandra Palace on Saturday night as The Maccabees bowed out with an emotional final show in front of a packed and adoring crowd in the venue’s old hall.

Opening with ‘Wall of Arms’, Orlando Weeks and co. regularly took the time to thank their fans and to savour the adoring and nostalgic atmosphere that resonated throughout the last of five farewell shows.

Microphones were shared and guitars squared up as the Londoners revelled through a setlist that brought together the best of their 13 years as a band, including angry bouncers ‘Spit It Out’ and ‘No Kind Words’ alongside heartstring-tuggers such as ‘Love You Better’ and ‘Grew Up At Midnight’.

The main support was provided by long-term accomplices Mystery Jets, who later returned to the stage for a fittingly stirring rendition of ‘Something Like Happiness’. The well-received Jamie T also made an appearance, joining the hosts for ‘Marks To Prove It’ on what was now a rather busy front-line.

That kicked off a four-song encore for a crowd that included Marcus Mumford and was now evenly split between the shirtless and dripping wet and the teary-eyed and also dripping wet, the balmy July weather further contributing to a feverish atmosphere.

Finally it was left to radio favourite ‘Pelican’ to conclude The Maccabees tenure, with shoulders aplenty mounted by girlfriends and boyfriends and boys that are friends and girls that are friends and all that’s in between as one of the 2000’s most-loved indie bands bowed out in style.

Erratic Chelsea Find a Way Past Impressive Watford

It’s been quite a week at Stamford Bridge. Just three days after Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Roma, Chelsea got back to winning ways in the Premier League with a rollercoaster 4-2 win over Watford.

The visitors went into the game in fantastic form off the back of a fine win over Arsenal last time out, and their tenacious start hinted at more of the same.

But it was the home side who struck first. Eden Hazard’s pullback following a corner found Pedro lurking just outside the box, and the Spaniard’s sublime first time effort found the far corner via the very top of the post. It was a goal worthy of Chelsea’s 8,000th since their inception.

The breakthrough sparked life into a Blues side that had been showing signs of lethargy from their midweek battle, and Cesc Fabregas soon had a clear chance to double the early lead. Good link up play between Hazard and Morata found the midfielder one-on-one with Huerelho Gomes, but the keeper stood his ground and raised a hand to block the attempted chip.

Watford refused to crumble, and they snatched an equaliser just before half-time when Chelsea failed to clear Jose Holebas’ long throw, allowing Abdoulaye Doucouré to lash past Thibaut Courtois.

Marco Silva’s side were buoyant, and they wasted no time going ahead following the resumption. Seconds after Richarlison had somehow missed with the net at his mercy, Roberto Pereyra made it 1-2 at the end of a neat passing move.

It came after Alvaro Morata and Tiemoue Bakayoko had both failed to hold onto the ball, a regular sight on a difficult afternoon for Chelsea’s costliest summer signings.

Richarlison missed another golden chance minutes later, and the visitors were soon made to pay for their profligacy. A quickly taken Chelsea free-kick found Pedro in space on the right wing, and the Spaniard’s whipped cross found the head of Michy Batshuayi, on for Morata, to bring the home side level.

A frantic finale followed in which both sides strived for a winner, with the eventual claimant an unlikely one.

Another forage down the right saw Willian direct a superb cross into the box, gleefully nodded home by Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post.

Batshuayi added another deep into added time, capping off a vital and much-needed cameo from the Belgian. That’s about where the positives end for Chelsea, who once again looked a pale imitation of the side that romped to the title last season.

Defeat will have been deeply felt by Silva and his Watford side, but the Hornets can take heart from a 90 minutes in which they more than matched the champions.

Why can’t England win? It’s all in the head.

I managed to sit through an hour of England’s humiliating defeat to New Zealand, before deciding the inevitable steady procession of England wickets wasn’t worth bamboozling my body clock for.

At this point, I was expecting to wake up to find New Zealand had chased down a humble England total of 240 with six wickets and 6.2 overs to spare.

Instead, myself and the rest of the cricket following public were greeted by the news that England had mustered a paltry 123 all out, a total surpassed by the Kiwis in a frankly ridiculous 12.2 overs.

Former England all-rounder Ian Botham described it as “the worst performance in 40 years”, whilst Jonathan Agnew labelled it “the most one-sided one-day international between test-playing nations that I can remember seeing”.

Yet, despite the shocking nature of the defeat and the records broken (Tim Southee’s 7-33 were the best ODI figures ever for a NZ bowler and the third best in World Cup history, Brendon McCullum’s 54 off 18 balls was the quickest in WC history), there was something queasily familiar about England’s latest humiliation.

New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum cracks another boundary on his way to 77 off 25 balls.

Such defeats, especially at World Cup’s are now expected of the England cricket team, and competition after competition, they duly oblige. But why is this? Ally the technical ability of Moeen Ali and Joe Root with the boundary-hitting prowess of Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler, and England possess a batting line up capable of posting 300+ regularly. The bowling isn’t quite as strong but in Anderson, Broad, Finn and Woakes England possess a healthy enough blend of wicket-taking and run-stifling options.

The answer is psychological. English cricket carries an unshakable aura of defeatism, long established by regular early exits from international tournaments and countless hammerings (normally by the Aussies). Despite all the talk of being capable of beating anyone (not untrue), none of us really expect it to happen. We expect to lose, and so do the players. So they do.

To a certain extent, the same thing applies in football. There has always been enormous pressure on England team’s competing in World Cup’s and European Championships. In tournaments such as the World Cup of 1986 and the Euro’s of 1996, England were expected to succeed. So they did, to the limits of their ability and fortune. In recent years, the level of expectancy has plummeted. In 2014, England weren’t expected to do anything at the World Cup in Brazil. So they didn’t. These are two different forms of pressure. Pressure to succeed, pressure to fail – both fulfilled.

English defeatism isn’t exclusive to cricket.

In the case of cricket, this state of mind is even more damaging because so much of the game is played ‘in the head’. Confidence focuses concentration, a hugely important part of the game, especially when batting. This confidence in one’s ability to hit any ball for a boundary, or put any ball on a spot at pace, is evident in almost every Australian cricketer, and was violently evident in McCullum’s breathtaking innings on Friday.

English cricketers lack this unequivocal believe that they will succeed, and so generation after generation, tournament after tournament, team after team, they fail. In recent years, there has of course been one exception to this rule – Kevin Pietersen.

Pietersen possessed that deep-rooted confidence in his own ability, that he would succeed, that he could hit any ball for four, that he would win. In England, young cricketers grow up in an environment that does not instill this kind of unwavering belief in ones own ability. That’s not to say they’re not confident, many – Surrey’s Jason Roy being the first example to come to mind – possess a confidence that borders on arrogance. But it’s not the same thing. It is no coincidence that Pietersen grew up in South Africa, a country who’s bullish confidence when it comes to cricket puts them somewhat closer to Australia than England. And it’s no coincidence that Pietersen didn’t ‘fit in’ with the current England team.

Pietersen possessed a typically un-English believe in his own ability.

What is needed to curb this inferiority complex is hard to say. It’s not as if the last decade of English cricket has been without success. Far from it, since 2005 England have won four Ashes series (losing only two) and the T20 World Cup, their first ever triumph in an international tournament. But most of these successes were achieved with Andy Flower at the helm, a man who possessed the typically un-English believe and determination to win.

Perhaps this is what England need. The role of the coach can often be overstated in cricket, but a good one, the right one, can instill an unshakable belief in the team. If Flower was typically un-English, Peter Moores is every bit English, and it’s hard to see him giving the England team the deep-rooted belief they need.

It could be that what England need is an Australian at the helm. It’s hard to look beyond Jason Gillespie, the former fast-bowler who last seasoned led Yorkshire to their first County Championship win since 2001. He knows English cricket, and the recent flood of England cricketers coming out of Yorkshire is no coincidence.

Gillespie for England?

With Paul Downton, Managing Director of the England and Wales Cricket Board, recently labelling Moores “the coach of his generation”, a change seems unlikely anytime soon. So we might have to consider this World Cup (and maybe the next couple) a write-off, but if the ECB eventually see sense, it shouldn’t be too long before Australian Gillespie is given the chance to rediscover the belief in the English cricket.

Dry January: Financial Unfair Play and the dullest transfer window in recent memory

This January transfer window was a notable one. Not because there were many major moves, or any records smashed. It was notable because it was bloody boring.

The biggest deal of the entire window was Wilfred Bony’s £28m move from Swansea to Manchester City, whilst the only big money #DeadlineDay purchase by British clubs was Juan Cuadrado’s £26.1m transfer from Fiorentina to Chelsea.

Juan Cuadrado adds to the growing list of players who look like they’ve been made to move with a gun held to their head.

This was a rather drawn-out transfer which had seemed all-but confirmed the previous Saturday (taking away much of its #DeadlineDay drama), but seemed to rumble on until relatively late on the Monday as it became apparent that Chelsea were waiting to confirm Andre Schurrle’s departure to Wolfsburg.

For a club that had a net spend of over £200m in the first two seasons alone of Abramovich’s ownership, this was a curiously cautious tactic.

The reason for Chelsea’s, and many other clubs, caution in the last few transfer windows has been the need to ‘balance the books’ in mind of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

The regulations were brought in for the 2011/12 season in an attempt to close the gap and theoretically increase competition between Europe’s mega-rich clubs and those operating on far less of a budget, by limiting the losses clubs were allowed to run up. In practice, a club like Chelsea would be unable to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on new players, without facing sanctions that include heavy fines and squad limitations.

FFP was meant as an attempt to level the playing field that clubs were competing on, but the truth is it has actually made it harder for poorer clubs to catch up with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.

The latter such clubs have spent the last few years stockpiling players and resources, providing them with vast assets which can be sold off when deemed expendable to fund new purchases. Chelsea executed this almost to perfection in the summer of 2014, using the sales of David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku and (from the previous January) Juan Mata to fund the signings of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and Loic Remy for a net spend of only £11.1m.

£40m man David Luiz alongside PSG teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Whilst this is all well and good for the top clubs with vast reserves of talent (/assets), it is not so easy for the not so well stocked clubs, who can only buy as they sell with numbers far inferior to those exchanged by the bigger clubs. This ensures that clubs are self-sufficient and do not repeat the financial mistakes made by clubs such as Portsmouth, but what about the ambitious clubs with a bit of financial backing who can afford to run up losses in an attempt to break into the big time?

Roman Abramovich’s huge outlay upon purchasing Chelsea in 2003 was possible because he could afford the huge losses he was raking up as Chelsea owner. Through this, he transformed an ambitious club into a global superpower.

Under FFP, such an ascendance is no longer possible. Whilst many fans of clubs further down the league table might initially think of this as a good thing, what is has actually done is establish a status quo in which smaller, ambitious clubs are unable to break into the top-of-the-table domain reserved for the already mega rich clubs.

Even with significant investment, clubs such as Crystal Palace (for example) would be unable to significantly bolster their squad, even if they were taken over by a multi-billionaire oligarch tomorrow, because they do not possess the expendable assets to fund significant new signings, without acquiring considerable losses.

There are other ways to achieve this, of course. Southampton are currently enjoying a place normally reserved for the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, due largely to a fantastic scouting network that allowed them to make a number of bargain deals last summer, but how long can it last? Can they continue to operate (a system that still relies on a fair degree of good fortune) season after season, transfer window after transfer window? It is too early to say.

Southampton summer signing Dusan Tadic was a relative bargain at £10.9m.

If they do, and they establish a sustainable model for growth that can be reproduced by clubs everywhere, then that is all for the better of football. And as the example of their close neighbours Portsmouth will testify, if FFP can prevent clubs going out of business, then it is surely for the best. It just needs tweaking a little.

Terror and Religion as Fundamental Opposites

Recent terrorist attacks including the Peshawar school massacre and, this week, the attack on the Parisian satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo have once again brought to our inescapable attention the threat of supposed religious extremists.

These most recent acts of terrorism have been carried out by so-called Islamist’s, referred to as such due to their insane believe that what they are doing fulfills some almighty act of faith. Such acts have established a connection in the public consciousness between religion and terror. This is a grossly inaccurate link that falsely influences people’s understanding of religion and faith.

Such terrorists claim they carry out these horrifying acts of murder in order to please their respective deity. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that they are wrong in this belief. What they do, they do for hate.

Religion is so many different things to so many different people but ultimately it’s about – excuse the cringe – love. Count the mentions of ‘love’ compared to ‘hate’ in any religious text and I think you know which one comes out on top, by a long way.

So do not be fooled into thinking that these terrorists carry out these acts because of religion. These are hateful people, for whom perhaps life has been hard. But life is hard for most people – fortunately the absolute majority of the population find better ways of dealing with it.

The overwhelming minority use religion as an excuse to spread the hate that drives them. That does not mean religion is to blame. You can use a hammer as a weapon, but it’s not meant to be used in this way – it’s meant to build.

In the wake of these attacks, many people have jumped on the anti-religion bandwagon, claiming ‘we wouldn’t have these problems if it wasn’t for religion’. I’ve even heard the lyrics to John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ flung around to suggest we’d all live in some sort of utopia if it there was no such thing as religion.

This is not the case. I could harp on about how the universe wouldn’t exist without religion and God, but that’s a debate for another time. Religion is responsible for so much good in the world, it is only the insane that use it as a weapon of terror. Religion is many things, but it is not terror.

If there were no such thing as religion, these terrorists would find another excuse to commit atrocities and spread hate. They are insane. No sane person walks into a school and guns down 141 children and teachers. No sane person murders another because they drew a cartoon. You can’t take an insane persons reasoning seriously, so don’t take let yourself be fooled by their supposed believe that they do what they do for religion.

The attacks in Paris this week have sadly led to a flurry of revenge attacks against Muslims. This is a immediate example of terrorism fulfilling it’s purpose of spreading hate. It’s not always that obvious. Religious and ethnic tolerance has improved markedly in the last century, but such attacks can damage this progress by pitting communities and groups against each other and driving them apart.

These are difficult and highly sensitive times to be living in a multicultural society. There is so much good in the world, but there is also evil. It is the evil that are responsible for these attacks, the evil and their hatred for people, life, and religion. Don’t let them win.