Ten Artists Not To Miss At Glastonbury: Volumes 3 & 4

3. Goldfrapp
There is an undoubtable prescence of summer in Seventh Tree, the latest from Goldfrapp, and if I were a documentary maker I'd be setting up camp front row of the band's Glastonbury set this year. Simply put, Seventh Tree is the music of Glastonbury, grand, swooping and Romantic with a big 'R'. Alison Goldfrapp is herself renowned for putting on a mesmerising live show, and I doubt it'll be any different a week from today. The downside of Goldfrapp's set, if indeed you consider it one, is that the bad will be performing on the Pyramid Stage the same night that The Verve headline. It'll be packed, rammed and generally giving everyone empathy for the sardine. It has the potential to be hypnotic and one of those great musical moments where 70,000 people all fall into a slow-motion unison, lost in the music. Until the twat with the huge umbrella shuffles up into the row just in front of you...
See them: Sunday on the Pyramid Stage

4. The Swell Season
After finally seeing Once a few weeks back, I've not taken the soundtrack, nor the semi-separate Swell Season album off of rotation. To explain to those who have not heard of Once (though, seriously, where have been?): Once is a fantastic independent film from Ireland that cost 100,000 Euros to make and won the Best Song award at the Oscars this year, beating off competition from no less than 3 songs from Disney's Enchanted. It follows two struggling musicians in Dublin, and is sprinkled with some of the sweetest songs to have arisen from Ireland since The Cake Sale album (and, indeed, features one song from said album). Since the film, the two lead actors (Glen Hansard and Marketa Iglova, though the second of the two names requires some squiggles above letters) have continued musically together and released an album under the moniker The Swell Season. Their album features some songs featured in the film and some that were not. They are terribly lovely and ever so slightly incredible.
See them: Saturday on the Acoustic Stage

mp3: 'Cologne Cerrone Houdini' by Goldfrapp
mp3: 'Lies' by The Swell Season

Buy Goldfrapp
Buy The Swell Season
Go to Glastonbury