Got assigned Glastonbury again. Although it seems to be the case that I'm doing more and more client facing commercial work and less and less editorial, it's hard not go get excited about doing Glasto as, from a photographic standpoint, it's such a target rich environment.

Kinda got off on the wrong foot this year as the accounts division in the office completely overlooked paying for my parking pass. This meant I had to go down the A303 a day early and get a serious amount of logistical grief. As I didn't have the required hospitality parking sticker in the windscreen I was not permitted in anywhere to access the on site cabin where I had to pick up my pass. With the Glasto traffic wardens so intent on keeping traffic moving along the A361  they refused to even look at my paperwork or even let me speak. I finally stashed my car and had to walk about 40 minutes across to the cabin where, after a right polava, I finally got my hospitality parking pass.

There was a terrifying amount of people already on site the Wednesday night and, after pitching up my humble little tent, I reacquainted  myself with the personable and gifted Lord Yui Mok of Her Majesty's Press Association and set off to sample and record the atmosphere.

Years from now, I guess it's fair to say the one thing that I'll recall very vividly is The Rolling Stones headlining the Saturday night. I've done Glasto a few times before this but nothing was remotely as hotly anticipated or as big as this. After the usual pit work and a frantic filing of frames I headed to the back of the arena with my buddy Baron Von Spicer from Alpha Press. With so many people in the ubiquitous 'Hail Mary" camera phone pose it was hard to get a shot to encompass the scope of the event. Spotting an ice cream van like an island in the crowd I managed a bit of a blag and got permissions to climb up on top of the thing. All around and beyond my 180 peripheral vision was easily the most colossal crowd of people I've ever seen. Enough to make me mutter several monosyllabic expletives as Keith was playing the opening riff to "Start Me Up". So, with a brace of dirty Nikons, I set about doing the location justice. 

Rather happy to get the Independent on Sunday front the next morning. 

The Sunday Saw Mumford & Sons giving it the beans on the Pyramid. Couldn't help but be impressed at the joie de vivre of their bassist, Ted Dwane, playing himself into utter oblivion and really enjoying himself after brain surgery only 2 weeks prior to the gig....

My good friend and fellow photographer Brian Rasic announced it's probably going to be his final Glasto so, I asked Jeff for a frame of him and I as a memento....