Glastonbury Festival 1990

With the kind permission of Michael Eavis, this video was made by film students from Plymouth College of Art and Design, on location at Glastonbury Festival Of Performing Arts, at Pilton Farm, near Glastonbury, Somerset, England, 22 to 24 June 1990.
Camera: Paul Wilkinson
Film Sequences: Tim Farthing
Sound: Suki Hughes
Editor: Paul Edwards
Director: Matt Kirby
Produced by Matt Kirby and Paul Wilkinson
This version edited and produced by Paul Wilkinson ARPS 2013.
Title music 'Mando Fire' and 'Shallow Breathing' by kind permission of Assassins Of Sound from their latest album 'Waltz Song', available for download from:
assassinsofsound.bandcamp.com/
/ assassins-of-sound
'Shallow Breathing' is based on 'Jiz Hop' by Vamanos, available for free download from:
/ vamanos-samba
Videos of 'Jiz Hop' and 'Shallow Breathing' are also available on You Tube:
• Jiz Hop
• Assassins Of Sound & V...
Vamanos website: www.vamanossamba.com/
'Like' Vamanos on FaceBook for a chance to win one of their unique T Shirts:
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Note on technical quality and artistic content:
The footage was originally shot on U-Matic video and 16mm film, the video in particular is showing its age and is of very poor technical quality. The original film included recordings of live performances by James, Pale Saints, Boo Yaa T.R.I.B.E., Outback, Hothouse Flowers and World Party (amongst others); however, these had to be removed after a perfectly justified and completely reasonable notification of copyright infringement from World Party. Fortunately those lovely people from Assassins Of Sound graciously allowed the use of some of their wonderful music - thanks to Lydia, Alex, Rob and Steve.
No part of this film or its soundtrack may be reproduced without the permission of the copyright holders. Copyright on this version Paul Wilkinson ARPS 2013.

[@deanlatimer2323]

So fkn good ...Hitchin from Newcastle 2 days.. shagging in the bushes with my girl, free entry, strawberry acid, no police, riots with angry full stroppy travellers, learning that real freedom was leaving avalon and heading east to Goa..i loved my reckless youth. Married the same girl and now 57 & still happy today! LOVE XX

[@danielmiley1340]

was it free entry? or bunk job haha

[@deanlatimer2323]

@@danielmiley1340 bunk job ..fair cop !

[@sarahharris6536]

16 years old in the April. Passionately in love with my 21 year old musician boyfriend and we hitched there, it was my 1st festival ever and we rolled under the electric fence. I spent £10 all weekend, ate in the hare Krishna tent and left halfway through the Happy Mondays as I was coming up on acid and wandered off to watch either Bluurt or Lush? The best days of my life 💗

[@spacemanoflondon1464]

I loved this weekend, took out a bank loan and bought myself a full face of trips to sell but ended up getting on one and giving them nearly all away to"Really nice people"....what a great time in life!!

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Haha 😀 I done shit like that too much at festys and after rave party's that went on 4 days and that, fuckin time to be alive in the 90s bro, respect 🙏 the love of it brother

[@JohnJohn-qq1cw]

I was there in 90 I was 19 with three of my friends. We bumped into a guy who didn't live that far from us. He was selling acid, they were thick and had a luminous yellow star on them. We tripped balls ALL DAY Saturday. Adamski was awesome and the afterglow lasted well into the early hours. There was a sound system playing Eek-a-Mouse dub all night near where we set up our tents it was easily the best day of my life and I'm 52 now.Nothing in the last thirty three years has come even close.

[@ianmoran2419]

Me n my mate went with Oz redseal n crate of Stella,then used our friends(who actually bought tickets) wristbands to take ppl thru at half price! Yes we made money but more importantly we had the time of our lives! Got on Mondays tour bus,blacking out in Phil cools show and extreme mud are a few of my other memories lol

[@Kiyarose3999]

Oh, Face of trips, never heard that term, only sheet of blotters or strip of Dots, as far as I remember we took a strip ( in Sellotape) of Blue Dots they were full on, tripped all weekend as usual at Glastonbury. I started going in 1980 when it was more like a village community atmosphere like you felt you new everyone after the second day, of course we didn’t though haha. The tickets back then were only £8 which we bought directly from the main guy of CND at the London office, fuck knows how others got their tickets haha 🌻🌎✊🏽

[@spacemanoflondon1464]

@@Kiyarose3999 sorry you’re right, what I had was a sheet of trips that were one giant picture of a face, real work of art, deserved to be framed! Nevertheless best of times!

[@user-te3jl6qs7v]

Great little film! Lucky to have it in the days before moblie phones. I was there, visiting from canada, my only glasto. What a time! I don’t even remember the rain. Bought live tapes of the festival performances on site at a booth called Glastonbury Tapes where they were cranking out cassettes of the previous day’s performances. I bought the Cure and Sinead. They didn’t record World Party i think they said. Bummer. A couple years ago i came across a bootleg CD of Hawkwind at Glastonbury 90. What?! Turns out they played the travellers field in the middle of the night. I had no idea until i found the CD!. Also i was super keen to see Green On Red and Julian Cope but they both cancelled! Can’t believe it was 35 years ago!

[@pete7825]

My first Glastonbury. Treworgy was my first official festival in '89 and then this in '90... and then more followed. These experiences changed my life and I'm forever thankful.

[@thenandnow111]

I moved to Glastonbury that year. Changed my way of life forever and my clothing.

[@OlafProt]

What great days. As I said in the video on her for 1986. One of my great gig regrets that I didn't go. I was going to gigs left right and centre 1988-1992. I could've actually experienced the real last throes of Glastonbury. When things only existed if you were in the know, and prepared to go. You can still smell the crusties in their holey jumpers and patchouli.

[@awall7635]

Mad weekend this was, remember watching crusties getting down to De La Soul which i found surreal.

[@rongeotom6]

Remember being caught by security trying to jump fence. I ended up giving them a fiver and they let me in. I enterd just as Happy Mondays were playing. So many memories

[@stivklif]

Same here but for me it was a £20 contribution to Greenpeace

[@teresa701]

Lol Cloudzy, your comment bought back fond memories so thanks for that 👍... long gone are the fence jumping days ....sadly

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Haha yeah that was so cool when u cud do that! Hope u enjoyed the mondays bro 😁👌

[@miketunky2277]

Thanks for posting, brings back memories. This was the only time i went there ( to see The Cure ) and it was excellent. The weather was great too and the ticket for the whole festival cost about £60 !

[@leehazlewoodism]

First one I went to. Bit of an eye opener. "Hash for cash", "speed, trips, weed".

[@stivklif]

Hashacidees, hashacidees

[@suzyqualcast6269]

Effin wish., (worthy) bill n 25, ta.,...

[@markb9064]

I was at this one. It was my second of four Glastonburys and it rain non stop. I remember seeing people in football boots getting around in the mud while I destroyed my brand new green kicker boots. I miss those hedonistic days.

[@elliemccarthy3487]

Smile just thinking about those happy days

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

I remember 1989 and 1990 being excellent festivals, though 1990 was pretty wet and muddy. When I went back in 1992 the festival had totally changed. I never bothered going back after that, it got way too big, way too expensive and the vibe had changed. Some nice memories here, thanks.

[@markb9064]

Same for me although I went in '93 as well. '89 was was freedom and '93 was controlled by The Man.

[@mrtambourineman6107]

Them old festys were something else, I don't recognise the Glastonbury of today tbh, but thank fuck I was alive back in the day!!! 😁👌

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

@@markb9064 1989 was an excellent festival. Incredible weather. Very loose and relaxed atmosphere. We arrived three days before it started and walked in. A great crowd, bands and no Police that I can recall. A year later it was grim. Changed beyond all recognition. Heavy security. Bad drugs. Violence and Police. Festivals became commercial very quickly. Ruined the experience. Cheers

[@MrWayout74]

@@markb9064 '93 was my first and got in over the fence.

[@BYNYBOO]

I Love this video.

[@elliemccarthy3487]

Week of heaven , use to go up on a Tuesday back the next Tuesday back as Brown as a berry and high as sky

[@petermarshall1221]

I was there just for the Sunday. Thanks for posting this.

[@leefielder5001]

Totally Awesome 🤪,I wished I went,Didn,t start going to 2 years later!!,

[@paulox1271]

I have tried contacting both Paul and Ted Devoux (Boo Yah T.R.I.BE.) asking for permission to upload their music, but had no response. I have also asked Martin Cradick from Outback, but again no answer. If you recognise any of the people we interviewed, please let me know; the only one I know for sure is Louisa who counted seventy-ten million people (she was my ex-gf's best friend). Shame I can't upload the original film, but thanks for all the nice comments :-)

[@ragatwins69]

I was there all weekend. Messy lol but something you must do during your lifetime.

[@getvar]

great video thanks

[@lolitalemons5457]

I was 5 when my mum brought me here. I vaguely remember some caravan fight??

[@therealcatweazle1]

Good work

[@northelondonivaders]

I was there !

[@rachaelfreeman613]

I was there that year and remember the helicopter coming down cause people were getting crushed,I think the cure were playing at the time,hard to remember cause I was tripping most of the festival, it was fantastic. I also think it was the last year the travellers field was there,that's were we camped.

[@elliemccarthy3487]

OMG I was a kid in 1990 , turn 50. With the festival this year

[@TpXThinner]

didn't really enjoy 1990 Glastonbury compared to previous years and haven't been back since. 84-87 were my favourite years...

[@JohnJohn-qq1cw]

I saw dancing guy at 1:01 that weekend smashed every time, legend.

[@deanlatimer2323]

Same..what a face..mushrooms & speed, scrumpy with hash chillums shouting 1/2 a mix so someone could help fill the mixing bowl ! Best times before we had to move abroad

[@carlholleran2037]

Is that Keith Allen with the backward cap?? 😂😂

[@ianjapp9805]

this was the festival where Mindscape - a rave unit located bang opposite our stall gave me some ideas for the future .. they were like totally quiet in the day like some submarine hiding in the depths then bang on 22:00hrs they would kick off with the cry "lets all go radio rental" .. I don't think we actually saw anyone .. anyhow the problem was that 'they kept playing what sEEmed to be eXactly the same tune all night .. Rebel MC or something like that .. a decent tune but there was no variation .. if it had been say a reggae sound system and three times as loud I would have been in heaven but no .. "lets all go radio rental" .. it was proper messy .. uneXpected and for someone who seriously likes great dance mUsic it was like appalling .. I used to work on a stall called Moussa Direct - a big desert Nomad tent and in 1987 and 1989 we had a really gOOd time with a reggae tent from Bristol as a neighbour and then playing our own tunes ..

[@OlafProt]

3:50 the toilets were just a standing joke. But imagine people now 😂😂😂😂 my shoes my shoes . 4:37 is that Keith Allen?!?

[@jimgreene951]

then security took a beating ✊

[@sratus]

Any party Keith Allen is at, I don't want to be at

[@mattiemclean9882]

Sure he feels the same about you!

[@PistonBlown]

Thanks for sharing this, bought back a lot of memories. Funny seeing that queue of traffic at the start - we spent the night in that in our ratty yellow Renault 4. At some point around dawn we were stopped next to a layby where the Police were doing spot searches. I said to my gf of the time "See told you, just as well we didn't bring anything with us". She replied "Oh I did but don't worry I'll just drop it in this coke can, they'll not search that". With that one of the cops walks away from the car they were searching with a drink can in a plastic evidence bag. Fortunately as one of the cops walks to get another car (us), the traffic edged forward and the car behind us copped it instead. Yes this was the year of the munters on security. We were camped near the entrance on the right of the main stage and in the early hours heard the security 'deal' with someone. But mainly I remember the music (and perhaps a little mud) and above all The Cure.

[@Rurupy]

Hmmm, wasn't 1990 the year Eavis's security went nuts and some of them got prosecuted for having molatov cocktails lined up in their billet at Eavis's farmhouse? And ever since Eavis has propagated the lie that the travellers were throwing molatovs rather than his security who had them? And if I remember correctly, his security stole a truck after beating up the owner- a bloke from the Green Field- and all the Rainbow types from the Green Field mobilised into an enraged, meat deprived, stick-wielding and extremely angry lynch mob? And the travellers joined them in amazement and solidarity, and were ultimately blamed for the whole thing? Hmmm, Yes it was.

[@paulox1271]

OK Rurupy, I must have missed all that! We were all a bit preoccupied with making the film and enjoying the music, blissfully unaware of any of the events you talk about. It's a shame that your experience of the festival was so negative; I hope you enjoyed SOME of it!

[@Psymon-F-C]

Good to see someone else with a memory...

[@sampad123]

+Paulo X It didn't stop it from being fun, but it did stop it from being the same level of fun ever again :-(

[@joolsfreeman4359]

Yep,the same security who did the Treworgey tree fayre in 89, who tried robbing the farmhouse, but got trashed by the Brew crew, not before they( the security) dumped dead sheep in the water supply and made half the site sick tho, Eavis hired them against police advice knowing it would kick off, basically set it up to give the convoy s bad name and provide an excuse to ban us, or to try anyway!

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

This is all a proper story. If anyone can expand it please do. Molotov cocktails (petrol bombs) and dead sheep in the water supply?

[@trinderfilms1357]

Hi - I'm making a documentary on the free party story and Glastonbury 1990 is a part of it. Do you still have the originals of this footage? Would love to chat to you about it if so!!

[@georgedrum1299]

@ TRINDER FILMS, I am able to assist you with the story of Stonehenge travellers- free parties and the Glastonbury festival traveller field event, reclaim the streets, etc etc,

[@elliottsilverman7931]

407 I was mistaken that it was John power with t shirt and that but not as big and the tattoo s

[@roseylee291]

I was there in 90 im sure i saw keith Allen getting bummed in the Hari krishna tent by some hippie with a courgette .

[@matmc71]

Bit rude.

[@delwynhodder]

Guilty. I bummed the fuck out of him all weekend tripping my tits off on luminious shooting stars. Aceeeeeeeeed.

[@keithallen7517]

@@delwynhodder no you didnt

[@Surv1ve_Thrive]

Keith Allen is well known for being a weirdo. I myself have seen his ego ridden, aggressive BS on a film set every evening. He wasnt even in the film! Even Bob Mortimer will contend to severely disliking him. That bloody song of his 'Vindaloo' should have put him away.

[@martinmcfred6758]

I put it down to the Bart Simpsons but you've just confirmed it, it did happen. Bottle of brown sauce and to the krishna's for tea, only at pilton.

[@newforestpixie5297]

The difference between 86 and 90 is astonishing cos everyone in 90 is Stylised where 86 are scruffs and a few goths .

[@celtickshatriya4306]

Totally changed arnd early 90s,b4 that best fedtival in Europe.

[@martinmcfred6758]

Pre rave you mean. Reading 87 was like that but a lot smaller.

[@meateatingplant4830]

5.20 Russel brands biological father?

[@stivklif]

5:20

[@ianmoran2419]

Guy at 5.40 is a advert for drug abstinence

[@deanlatimer2323]

No fake drugs back then bro! 😂

[@joolsfreeman4359]

1990 wad a great year, last proper festival before the Gentrification began and any flavour or colour was filtered out to accommodate the Rich kids, the beginning of the end really, so sad, just a nasty commercial Circus now.

[@elliemccarthy3487]

We’re the so called travellers riot , it was meant to be the year of the riot , no problems as said by the security

[@nottmfunguy]

I went there in 90, waste of money, Should have broke in. It was full of bullshitters and tossers.