Noel Gallagher has celebrated Glastonbury for being the world’s only ‘festival of the arts.’
Glastonbury returned for 2022 following cancellations over the past two years due to the pandemic, with over 200,000 festival goers expected on the grounds this weekend.
Performers so far have included headliner , and Sam Fender, with and Diana Ross still to come, before Kendrick Lamar closes on Sunday.
Glasto is famous for bringing people together and that’s something Noel, 55, loves more than anything, as the event doesn’t have a ‘corporate tie in.’
While chatting with Dermot O’Leary on BBC Radio 2 ahead of his fifth time performing at Glastonbury, the singer was asked whether he thinks the festival is ‘unique’ and why he keeps coming back.
‘It is the only festival in the world, in the truest sense of the word, I’ve done them all, they’re all big gigs in fields, sponsored by tech companies. This is the only one where it’s a festival of the arts.’
He continued: ‘You can watch a film, see a comedian, you can go to a knitting circle. I’m telling you, I’ve done them all and some of them have their own merits, but this is the one that stands out in the entire world. It’s an amazing thing and it’s one of the great things about this country.’
‘Yes, absolutely,’ he quickly responded when presenter Dermot asked if his love for Glasto stems from the fact that big companies aren’t profiting from it.
‘I come here more often than I play here, I’ve played here five times but I come every year, it affects your experience when you come to hang out because you’re not being handed flyers being trying to sold insurance.
‘You bump into the locals here, you know, you bump into the locals here, a fella with a sailor’s hat on and a woman carrying a picture of a pet that died 30 years ago saying, “Ooh this is my little ruffy boy, he died this time last year,” and you’re like, “Ok, do you know where the John Peel tent is?”.’
‘If you’re listening and you’ve never been to Glastonbury, you’ve no idea how accurate that description is. You never know who you’re gonna bump into, and everyone’s interesting,’ laughed Dermot in response.
Noel added that he brought his kids with him to the festival this year and it’s his daughter’s first time.
He recalled is words of wisdom to daughter Anais, who asked what it was going to be like.
The musician told her to not ‘try to see all of it’ but instead to see ‘one thing in the day and one thing in the night, and just wander around.’
He added that he likes to just walk around and ‘follow the music’ as that’s how he has the ‘best experience.’
Noel made his debut at the Somerset festival alongside brother Liam, 49, with Oasis in 1994.
Tonight, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will take to the Pyramid stage at 7.15pm until 8.30pm, with coverage available to watch on BBC.
