Glastonbudget Music Festival 2016

30th May 2016

Is it all over already?

Can’t believe Glastonbudget has finished already. It seemed to go very quickly. Our man was there – Pascal Pereira spent three days at the festival with his camera taking literally thousands of photos; so, no shortage of visuals to come in over the next few days. In the meantime, our editor will be writing up what he can glean from the people who did go this year (he was incapacitated, so he had to stay at home.)

29th May

A lot reaction on social media , most of it good, to Gordon Davis’s set, tributing Elvis Presley, such as ‘ I think the phrase is “smashed it”‘ and ‘I always think Elvis tributes are going to be naff, but he was awesome!!!’

and Helen said ‘I just want to thank everyone at Glastonbudget for another fantastic weekend! You work so hard to make it such an enjoyable time for everyone , clean and well supplied toilets, clean arena areas and a well stocked ale tent! Attention to detail , wonderful acts, great atmosphere and it’s very much appreciated, the highlight of mine and all my family and friends year! See you in 2017 btw I’ve been coming every year since it started and it just gets better and better!’

Again this year, lots of fancy dress, some of it being very imaginative. It’s a feature of the festival – wearing fancy dress. Plenty of photos on Facebook showing what people were wearing in the field.

Tributes and more tributes, like David Bowie, Elvis and Queen.  That’s what it’s all about.

And Oasish, a band that supported the festival for a long time

The Cloned Roses was on the main stage

One thing that always pulls a big crowd is Abba

Jukebox on Twitter said ‘What a weekend love the festival ,love the music,love the people, love the name @glastonbudget Big well done’

and Tweedle dee said ‘What a amazing weekend at @glastonbudget. As always it never fails to deliver. We love you guys for putting on this fantastic festival #hug’

Of course it was not all about Tributes because there were plenty of Leicester bands playing their own music, like: The Ladz from BKK, Aztec Temples,

Ash Mammal, Alligatr,

and one of our favourite bands from out of town, well known here in Leicester, Chasing Deer

and from Birmingham Mia and the Blackhawks

and established local bands like The Fores

and The Big Bad

Leicester’s Goldstein were there too

and The Lids made their debute at the festival this year

and several articles in the Leicester Mercury although eclipsed by coverage of the Kasabian gig at King Power on 30th May

“On behalf of all the team I’d like to thank everyone who attended Glastonbudget 2016. We’re so lucky to have such wonderful customers. Your commitment to having fun is what makes our festival so special. It makes all the hard work in putting on the event very rewarding.  Tickets for 2017 will go on sale within the next couple of weeks, so hopefully we’ll see you all again next year. Thank you.” Nick Tanner, organiser.

Festival preview

22nd April 2016

I was invited to interview Krusher. So I did. It turned out to be a very interesting session. So who is he? Steve Krusher Joule is an MC and DJ; among many other things. Back in the 70s, Krusher was a designer doing work for bands like Motorhead, Sammy Hagar, Uriah Heep, Gamma, Girlschool, Blondie and The Sex Pistols. In 1982 he became art director for Kerrang. He has designed album sleeves for Iron Maiden ‘Live After Death’, Ozzy Osbourne ‘Diary of a Madman’, ‘Speak of the Devil’ and ‘Bark at the Moon’, Hawkwind ‘Live ’79’, Gary Moore ‘Dirty Fingers’ and ‘Live at the Marquee’, Japan ‘Tin Drum’ and Black Sabbath ‘Born Again’. Whilst still working for Kerrang Krusher designed a series of official biography books including Iron Maiden’s ‘Running Free’, Motley Crue’s ‘The First Five Years’ and Twisted Sister’s ‘The First Official Book’ and not forgetting tour programmes for AC/DC, Deep Purple, Robert Plant, Anthrax, Accept and Europe, to name a few. In 1989 Krusher was offered his own radio rock show, ‘Krusher’s Metal Mayhem’ by the BBC which he presented on Greater London Radio. In 1992 Krusher became co-presenter along with his Jack Russell terrier/Heavy Metal Hunting Hound Bullseye of ‘Raw Power’ the UK’s only terrestrial TV rock show and voted best TV show in the Kerrang Readers’ poll in both 1992 and 93.

That is a very potted version of much longer biographies that are easy enough to find on the Internet. So why did I interview him? Glastonbudget. If you are going to the music festival over the May bank holiday you will almost certainly see Krusher in action. He will be on the main stage introducing some of the acts.

I asked Krusher to tell me what he has been doing today. Had to break the ice somehow. Well, it’s what I call a ‘warm up’ question.

Krusher: Today I have been having my exceptionally Olympian features photographed and speaking to nice people like yourself about Glastonbudget.

Trevor: You are going to be at Glastonbudget festival, in May, which over the bank holiday, so tell me a bit about what you are going to do at Glastonbudget.

Krusher: I am going to be the MC on the big stage introducing many rock legends and will be corrupting the 28 to 45 year olds [as opposed to the youth] and giving some words of advice on how to survive a three day festival.

Trevor: You have been to a lot of festivals; you are well known on the festivals circuits. Give me some idea of the festivals you remember most.

Krusher: The first big festivals I used to do were Monsters of Rock in the early 90s. I was the MC and DJ for those. Then, I did a couple of Oz Fests and through those I then went over to America for Ozzy’s Ozz Fest tour in 2000. Going all over America with twenty one bands. The only one I have never been to, even as a punter, is Glastonbury. I remember the very first Glastonbury – I was at University – in 71 to 73 – and remember it happening and I think its too late now.

Trevor: Tell me about a few of the acts you have worked live with.

Krusher: Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Rob Zombie, Slayer, Thunder, Choirboys, Kiss… [Kiss played at Monsters of Rock in 1988 and in 1996 with Ozzy Osbourne]

Trevor: Have you ever played in bands?

Krusher: Yes, I have. WVKEAF with Wurzel [Michael Burston] from Motorhead, [best known for a song called Jump originally by Van Halen] in 1996 about 20 years after the original came out.

Trevor: What do you think of today’s rock bands?

Krusher: I am going to be very honest here. I think there are a lot of very good rock bands around and bands that have the potential to be great bands. One band that I do like is called Evil Scarecrow. I think they have got the potential to be huge.

Trevor: What advice would you give to young rock musicians starting out these days?

Krusher: Don’t bother with a booking agent; don’t bother with a manage. Put your money into a good lawyer. If you look back in history, most bands don’t understand about money, like percentages for merchandising, the percentage you are making from music … that is what the band should concentrate on. Also, get out and play, do the pubs circuit, get a support slot (with a big band) … you know when people listen to Black Sabbath, the average fan would not realise that one of the biggest influences of them was The Beatles… and The Shadows.

Trevor: We were talking about metal music. Which bands stood out for you the most?

Krusher: Pantera and Slayer. Slipknot. When I was doing Ozzfest in America, 1999, Slipknot were one of the 21 bands from that line-up. [Slipknot played on the 2nd stage in a line-up that included Fear Factory] Their first album hadn’t been released and I was thinking “that’s something special.” And later they sold a million copies. No one is coming out with anything new.

Trevor: Why do people turn out to see these tribute bands, in such large numbers?

Krusher: Often because the cost of going to see the original is phenomenal. Now that I have been to these tribute festivals I do understand it. It’s a way of getting to see the next best thing. I saw the Rolling Stones doing their come back; they still do it well, and hats off to Jagger! If I am still moving like that at 70, I will be a happy man. But some of the older ones, I really do wish they would call it a day. A lot of them are reforming. Family and Gaye Bikers on Acid, Crazy Head, I remember them [they were bands from Leicester] Roger Chapman of Family had one of the most distinctive, original vocals ever. Very few vocalists these days have an original sound.

I could have talked to Krusher all day; he had a lot to say and his memories of music going back many years would have been fascinating to listen to. Hopefully, I shall see him when I go to Glastonbudget next month.

See also:

Our report on Glastonbudget 2015.

Our listing of festivals for 2016.