Glastonbury 'Loses Its Soul'
Author: Jonty Skrufff
Friday, February 8, 2008
The Independent's 'Lost spirit of Glastonbury' article spoke of undisclosed disagreements prompting LV's unexpected departure, pointing out that organiser Michael Eavis' daughter Emily 'once used the presence of LV as a defence against those who asked whether Glastonbury had lost its soul'.
'That's my argument when people say 'Where are the travellers now-' she said. 'When Roy (Gurvitz) came down and said he wanted to do something Michael said yes. Lost Vagueness has come in and it's brilliant for its aesthetic and entertainment value,' she reportedly said some years ago.
Announcing their departure on their website, LV also labelled themselves the 'festival within the festival' and urged fans to be beware of imitators.
'It is rumoured that the vacuum created by the Lost Vagueness departure, will be filled by some ex Lost Vagueness crew and others, attempting to re-create a similar production in the same area. In the absence of any Glastonbury festival press release on this matter, we do not want you to be misled by this omission. Reproduction of our shows, without our permission or endorsement has been tried before, and however flattering these imitations may be, they will never come close to the real thing,' they claimed.
Michael Eavis subsequently announced to the press that the Lost Vagueness space is to be handled by (unconnected) burlesque-bizarre- circus events company Continental Drifts and appeared sanguine at LV's departure.
"We brought a brand new area into Glastonbury Festival last year when my daughter Emily created The Park, which was a major addition to the festival,' he told reporters.
'As part of that progressive change this year we have asked Debs Armstrong and Chris Tofu (of Continental Drifts) to program the William's Field areas of the site, previously occupied by Lost Vagueness.
'They (Continental Drifts) have a new vision that I find inspiring, but the whole area will be divided into three separate fields and run by different individuals to produce a stunning result,' he added, 'After six festivals with Lost Vagueness it is time to move on. I wish Roy and his team well in their future activities but for Glastonbury it is another step forward in bringing in new ideas and creative thought". (NME). Tags