The Ned Wood Archive

Sam

Straight after Yardbirds, Sam heads down through Theatre Field and Circus Field and Cabaret Field and from there into West Holts from the back.  He gets there in plenty of time for Mavis Staples.  There’s a good crowd, but it’s never tightly packed at West Holts, so he can make his way fairly close to the stage.  You’ve always got to spend sometime here during the festival.  And at this time of day, West Holts is a very fine place indeed.  They always seem to have a great act on.  If it’s a clear day, when the sun starts dropping down low behind you, it can be transcendental.  Even today, with the cloud, Mavis Staples is electric.  She mixes Staples Singers standards like City in the Sky, Respect Yourself, and the Weight with her own newer stuff.  She finishes with I’ll Take You There. Sam’s transported.

Sam leaves promptly after she’s finished.  He’s in his Friday frame of mind.  He’s always a bit over excited on the Friday at Glastonbury, so he gets into this mode where he rushes from one stage to another trying to fit one more band in.  By Sunday, he’ll be much more relaxed.  He’ll have absorbed that Glastonbury chill.  He’ll be able to take it easy.  Now, however, he’s on a mission.  One band after another.  He’s decided to see Billy Bragg after all.  Old habits and that. Bragg is scheduled to start at the same time as Mavis Staples finishes, so Sam’s resigned to missing the first two or three songs in Billy Bragg’s set.  When he gets to Left Field, the tent’s crowded.  He’s farther back than he’d like to be but the atmosphere’s still good.  Everyone’s joining in with the classics and cheering on to whatever Billy says between his songs.  He always picks some pertinent songs from his catalogue: Take Down the Union Jack; Help Save the Youth of America; England, Half English; and The Boy Done Good for the football.  A reference to the Ghana game. He does Sat’day Boy and Short Answer, and New England for Kirsty.  Sam’ guesses that he missed Sexuality and Power in a Union and probably New Brunette.  He’s probably seen Bragg do them every year the festival’s been on for the past fifteen years.  Surely Billy won’t begrudge him a couple of Mavis Staple numbers.