Music : Glastonbury 2007 - Iggy Pop & The Stooges

The Other Stage - Saturday, 23rd June 11pm

At Glastonbury the nearest you can usually get to a headliner is around 30 feet. And that's if you've been on the barrier since before lunchtime - sacrificing food, drink and basic sanitation - and you're the sort of fanboy/fangirl lunatic that goes through rock stars' rubbish bins and sends them death threats.

Not when that headliner is Iggy Pop though.

This guy's been breaking down the barrier between band and fan years before Pete Doherty or Dominic Masters had even invented the concept of a guerilla gig a couple of years ago. Tonight was no different, as he beckoned up hundreds of drunken, muddy devotees during a raucous ‘No Fun'. “These are the world champion Glastonbury dancers,” Iggy said of his temporary new bandmates. “We're having a moment here”.

When he wasn't filling the stage with fans, he and his band tore through a peerless greatest hits set – including ‘TV Eye', ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog' and ‘LA Blues' – that proved that Iggy's still punk's top dog. His torso is as deliciously ripped-to-the-core as ever – you have to say he looks fantastic for 60 – he's still the ultimate rock'n'roll performer , charging round the stage like a man a tenth of his age, diving into the crowd and proving that the modest crowd that turned out were right to forgo bowing down at the church of Brandon on the Pyramid Stage in favour of these punk legends .

All hail king Iggy: the coolest man onsite – nay the planet – by an absolute freaking mile.

Best Song: ‘No Fun'.

Best Moment: The stage invasion.

The Stooges played:

‘Loose' ‘Down On The Street' ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog' ‘TV Eye' ‘My Idea Of Fun' ‘Dirt' ‘Real Cool Time'' ‘No Fun' ‘1970' ‘Mindroom' ‘Fun House' ‘LA Blues' ‘Skull Ring' ‘Trollin'' ‘1969' ‘She Took My Money' ‘Not Right' ‘I'm Fried' ‘Little Electric Chair'

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Music : Glastonbury 2007 - Interview with KT Tunstall

So the line-up's been announced, the pre-Festival excitement's mounting and the Official Glastonbury website can reveal the first in a series of exclusive interviews with performers at this year's Festival. What more could you ask for to whet your appetite for the feast of music, arts and (don't hold your breath but do cross your fingers!) glorious weather that is to come?

First to bite the bullet and answer the Webteam's questions is Scottish singer/songwriter K.T. Tunstall , who will be returning this year after a storming set at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival clutching a brace of new songs from her forthcoming album. Want to know what the Rum Run is? K.T.'s weather forecast? Her tips for the finest food to be found at Glastonbury?
Read on...

Have you been to the Festival before?

The first time I came to Glasto was three years ago. I was singing with a Jewish hip-hop band called Oi Va Voi - I played one gig and stayed for five days! It was one of the best times I've ever had - 10 of us set up a little circle camp in the Green Fields. One of my favourite bits was down at Lost Vagueness watching a trumpet/clarinet combo, being served pink gin in a tea cup by a 50s beauty salon lady. I love the food there too, bloody lovely porridge!

Do you have any memories of previous Glastonbury Festivals that you wish (or are able!) to share?

Being taught complex reggae moves in the pissing rain by my best buddy whilst watching Toots + the Maytals, listening to the 'bollocks' game throughout the night (someone shouts 'bollocks' and you wait for a reply; beautifully simple) My friend Kev also invented a very dangerous game called the 'Rum Run'...
But the highlight had to be a group of people who found a pushchair and started trying to persuade strangers to get in and be pushed down the steeply sloping metal walkway. “Tall Man in the chair! Tall man in the chair!” (Cheers as tall man agrees). “Ginger man in the chair!” (Boos as ginger man declines etc). A zenith was reached when they successfully managed to persuade a copper to get in the chair.

Have you ever seen in the sunrise at the Stone Circle on a Sunday morning?

I think I did! I certainly saw a few from somewhere.

What is your drink of choice at Glastonbury?

Red wine, rum for the rum run obviously, and a hip-flask of good single malt whisky.

Do you spend the Festival living in luxury, or down with the masses in a tent?

Tent every time!! However, a choicy £20 air bed with the nice soft felty stuff on the top, and a backstage pass to get to the posh bogs make it considerably more classy.

Who do you most want to see of the other performers appearing at this year's Festival?

I would have paid double to see Bjork - she's such a phenomenal live act. But won't get there in time. I'm going to try and see Willy Mason and The Who , and get some beany stew and then I'll be well happy.

How do you choose what to play at a Festival? Do you play your favourites or the crowds'?

My favourites and the crowd pleasers are usually the same. The fast, loud, catchy ones. We'll definitely be going for a whip-crackin' set list! A lot of my new stuff is a lot faster, but no one will have heard most of it so fingers crossed we don't get egged.

Who's influenced your performance/on stage style?

I couldn't say anyone in particular, I'm not very good at the old tricky dicky moves - tend to end up getting over-involved in my guitar lead or falling over the monitor. Must get some jumping lessons from Ricky Kaiser...

What is it like playing open air gigs as opposed to arenas/clubs/indoor venues?

The crowd are really far away so I tend to shout very loudly when I speak between songs... I'm learning the physics of amplification slowly but surely. I do love a little club, but you don't get the euphoria of a festival. There's an awful lot of love in the air when you're outside.

How will you be dressing at the Festival? T-shirt and shorts or Sunday best?

I haven't decided yet - there's got to be a healthy degree of pikeyness whichever I choose. Wee dress if it's hot, tights if not.

No sleep until Monday or tucked-up in bed with your ear-plugs every night?

A few hours with the plugs definitely enhances my experience of life in general, and particularly when one must dance maniacally. Between 8am and 1pm I find to be the most helpful.

Given Glastonbury's reputation, will you be buying crystals and looking for ley lines?

Absolutely. You'll find me getting my hair read whilst asking the standing stones for new harmonies.

Will you be hanging about backstage, or out and about with the crowds?

Both I expect, it's lovely to get to say hello to people you've always admired from afar, but the fun really starts out front with people going commando whilst wearing daring mud suits.

What was the first song you ever wrote? And how old were you?

Only You , about being cheated on, which had never actually happened to me, when I was 14. I think Myles had just been unfaithful to Claudia on Dynasty .

What one song – by another performer – do you wish you had written?

Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who

How is your record collection made up; vinyl, CD or download?

CDs and about 3 downloads.

Assuming you're not a fully trained meteorologist, what's your gut instinct on this year's Festival weather? Sunshine or rain?

Ahhh... the great stones tell me it will be a scorcher! With the odd scattering of biblical floods possible.

If you could ask yourself an interview question, what would it be and what's the answer?

“What is your favourite sweetie?” It's a toss up between lemon bons bons and kola kubes.

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Music : Guilfest 2007 - The booking ordeal

If you are an 'unsigned' artist or band and want to get a gig at Guilfest this year - you better have a few quid in your pocket, as it is not cheap- money is the magic word here !

This is what happens when you call Guilfest to talk about the possibility of having your act on one of the unsigned stages; you will need to persevere and be very patient ! Keep calling and you might be lucky to speak with the not so very friendly Suzie Pile - the woman in charge of the pre-selection of 'unsigned acts'. She lays out all of the terms and conditions, which as you might guess are 99.9% financial. Out of curiosity when we asked her for a definition of an 'unsigned band', she replied saying that a signed act is a ‘big name'. I must admit that this didn't make any sense to me at the time and it still doesn't !

Anyhow, back to the financial aspect. If you want to play at Guilfest on one of the 'unsigned stages' you have to buy at least 50 one-day tickets at a minimum cost of £35 each or a combination of week-end tickets, each costing £90 and having a total minimum spend of £1,750.
All of this is on the basis of an upfront payment once you are selected and approved before the actual gig takes place. You will be getting a discount of £5 ONLY for each ticket on those costing £35 and a £10 reduction on the £90 week-end tickets. This is your ONLY option and this was heavily emphasised 3 times by Suzie Pile during the course of the telephone conversation.

So, fellow musicians, be prepared : you won' t be able to negotiate and if you do go for it and they ultimately accept you, you won't be able to offer your fans a real deal by selling the Guilfest tickets much cheaper unless you sell them at cost price or at a loss.

After having spoken with Suzie Pile, you will need to send her an email suzy@guilfest.co.uk (feel free to bombard her - she loves 'unsigned bands'), and afterwards you have to fill in an application form and send her a demo.

And then, you may just get a chance to perform at Guilfest 2007 and if you are lucky you will have to lay down the bank notes. Don't forget, it's £1,750 minimum to play ! This all leads me to believe that Guilfest might decide to put the bids up - it could easily end up costing a band between £2,000 and £2,500 if not more just to get a 30 minutes slot. Does this sound like the e-bay of music ?

Let's have a look at the figures now; How much do Guilfest actually make just on the unsigned acts ? Based on last year's line-up for the unsigned stages (The Rock Cave + the 2 Live Club stages), I counted a total of 100 bands. That's 100 bands all paying a minimum of £1,750 = £175,000 ! There is another stage called The Funky End Tent, which I suspect could be another unsigned stage and if so, we can then add another 30 or so bands paying £1,750.

Total : 130 unsigned bands x £1,750 = £227,500 !

Wow, that's what I call a real result ! For the Guilfest organisers, of course. The way this is going, Guilfest will in future be running their business purely on unsigned bands over the next few years.

Now let's go back to Suzie Pile's definition of a signed band being a big name' - it is very clear to me that without the unsigned bands, she wouldn't have a job. In fact, the unsigned acts are paying her wages not the big names. Therefore Miss Pile, you could at least be friendly when on the phone to your wage payers and not treat them like cattle, after all, unsigned bands are YOUR ONLY OPTION !!

If you do want to get your band on the Guilfest line-up, you can call Suzie Pile on 01483 454 159 and don't forget to give her my best regards !

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Real Estate : Is a UK house price crash about to occur ?

Of natural concern to most people living in the UK (especially homeowners) is the subject of house prices and the possibility of a UK housing price crash; recently there has been considerable media speculation and debate leaving a somewhat mixed and divided opinion.

Recent figures announced by the Halifax mortgage lender together with other data, appear to suggest that UK house prices are already falling in certain parts of the country and that there are several regional variations. The falls to date however have been relatively small and the south appears to be most noticeably affected, especially around London and the South East. Also large parts of the Midlands have been affected and this is spreading northwards yet there are exceptions, with certain parts within specific regions also experiencing minor price rises.

In contrast house sales and prices further north appear to have recently slowed and to date there have been no real noticeable drop in prices; the slowdown however does seem to suggest a strong reason for suspecting that a price decline will shortly follow.

Most economists recognise that a house price fall is occurring although various opinions exist as to the scale of any possible future reduction.

A rapid decline in house prices is the definition of a “house price crash” and to date there is no indication that this will occur; there have however been several suggestions that the recent decline in sales and house prices is merely a temporary glitch and some media reports have even been described as “sensationalism and scare mongering”; the price falls have definitely been moderate and much more sporadic than widespread and some pundits consider that any further falls will be relatively slow & will involve a steady process.

There are others though who believe that we are at the start of a housing price crash, which could leave those who have recently chosen to invest with severe consequences.

For the many hundreds of thousands who have already invested in the UK housing market an underlying belief that house prices will continue to rise has existed; for many such a positive opinion has been greatly influenced by the UK's economic prosperity, for the past few years has resulted in an easy spending attitude that has been encouraged by a sustained period of low interest rates.

Is this about to change?

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