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mandssisters · 5 years

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Go APE. 1.6.19

Well, what a day! 27 degrees in London Town.

With the top logistical team on hand to work out how it is physically safe legal and possible to leave DDD on a Friday night and arrive in Liverpool Sunday evening pre show, via London. Car 🚗 was the chosen method of transport for this final delta phase tour leg. Parked (abandoned) in Shepherd’s Bush and a tube ride to the hotel on Friday night. Let the games begin.

Saturday morning. Arrival at the closest tube station Mile End. There was indeed a ‘Mile’ End to walk to the outer entrance of Victoria Park.

First excitement of the day was purchasing food (McDonalds) from Uber Eats, let’s hope number 354 Old Ford Road didn’t mind me hijacking their address! On the ‘rate my food’ app we gave the five thumbs rating 👍👍👍👍👍 for hotness delivery and all round service. It was indeed the filth on a *plate we needed to survive the day. *plate not included. Nor napkins.

We meet a lovely new couple, Seth and Linda all the way from New Jersey. Flying in for the gig and anniversary weekend! Waves hello to both. A sneaky croissant 🥐 consumed and we were ready to rumble.

The gate time was 1pm the lanes in snaked about 1/2 mile. Tickets scanned body wanded and I was in. Everyone seemed to have a different security experience. Mine was easy others less so.... no outside food allowed inside the park. Security questioned the validity of a tube of factor 50 sunscreen with the need to squeeze some out to validate that it was not food! And I had to pass the sniffer dog twice once on the right side but that was wrong, so had to come in from the left! But the good news was we got the Bourbon biscuits and haribo sweets in. Result. As we walked and not ran towards East Stage there was not a throng of us, just a few trickling through.

Stage set up with the runway style. Barrier spot secured we all set up camp for the day. It was such a relaxed day. Toilet breaks, American Express upgrade wrist bands, 99 Mr Whippy, water from security staff, and Tango all purchased. It was a hot and dusty day. Hay fever aplenty for some. *sneeze*

At 1.45, Mosa Wild opens up the day: great band. And a great 👍 cover of ‘the whole of the moon’.

It was like a flash back to Australia as next was GRETTA RAY and band. Yes, you’ve guessed it, sporting a lacey, off the shoulder red top with cropped flared jeans (newly purchased that day, and Greta commented ‘hard to sit in’! ). Gretta and new band sound great. I should point out that the crowd was still on the light side...... still good access to all amenities!

Tamino Amir brought a different sound to the afternoon. Personally I liked it, others less so. I found the Egyptian style chanting relaxing and rather haunting. The keyboard player borrowed my look for the show.... the problem was the drum was so loud it vibrated down to the field (to the core of the earth in-fact) and even the confetti on the floor was in ear pain.

Post Tamino we had to seek out an emergency round of slush puppies. E numbers and coolness in a plastic cup personified! Lifesavers. Shame about the sturdiness of the paper straw. FYI don’t go for strawberry 🍓! Stick with “raspberry”. Blue is best.

Jade Bird was the up beat kinda gal we needed. Clearly she missed the memo on the weather, wearing a baby blue two piece suit. Belting out some great tunes and loving every minute of it. There was a good crowd for Jade and lots of fans.

Has anyone seen the Vaccines!? They brought it to the park. The party was really warming up. Justin prowling the stage like the true front man he is. They have some anthems. It was during this performance that a chant of ‘ooooh Jeremy Corbynn!’ started behind us, as we turn around there was this 60 something bloke up on the shoulders of someone, virtually crowd surfing! Funny as! His appearance was akin to the Labour Party leader hence the chanting! Funny. Security quickly beckoned him down!

Ok now brace yourself and batten down the hatches. It’s Dizzee Rascal time. By now the pit was 50% fuller of security.... be prepared. Dizzee’s dj was setting up with large screen backdrop for visual effects. Screen number 2.7 clearly giving issues! Well. What a party 🥳 Dizzee knows how to throw it! We did indeed dance and throw some serious moves. It was a little “bonkers” with some serious moshing happening. A few drinks flying around. But security had it all covered. I have to say I loved it. Not really my scene but what a great 60 mins. Never seen so many security staff ‘secretly’ videoing Dizzee during the set!!

The madness ebbed away after Dizzee and normality resumed. All was well.

And we’ve made it to showtime!!!!! Having sneaked a look at a security list we could see Guiding Light was the opener, so no 42, despite the runway.

As the sun set the show starts! A feel-good vibe from the start. Marcus leapt from the amp down along the runway for the end of Guiding light. The chaps soon followed for LLM, straight into the Cave.

Believe had pyro action. And many lights around the crowd quite a spectacle. Ditmas run, Marcus helped out a female member of the audience who either got caught up in the action or felt faint.

Lots of signs, lots of wings, some of them 🦇 bat wings.

Beloved was played with The Staves and sounded particularly emotional. What a sweet sound.

B stage at the end of the runway. Marcus saying they hadn’t done a quiet B stage at a festival before, (memories of Hyde Park?!) Wild Heart, White Blank into Forever, joined by Gretta.

Picture you and Darkness Visible were dropped from the setlist and the pyro! I guess to keep the pace up.

Woman! Seems to be staying in the set. One comment, the red stage lights make it really hard to satisfactorily video!

Rose of Sharon! We loved it. They band looked like they were having a blast playing it. Marcus dancing and spinning and smiling away. It was special.

Marcus saying cover your ears if you don’t want to know the football result.....Liverpool won 2 nil! We have mixed emotions about this news...but that’s so tomorrow.

‘Friends’ popped back into the setlist to round off the night with Gretta, Jade, Leanne Lehavas, The Staves, some vaccines, Dermot Kennedy all joining in the singsong! Such a warm ending to a FAB day!

After a long day, what we really needed was a long sit down on a comfy sofa. What we got was a 1 and a half hours walk to the tube station one stop down from Mile End. Mike End was rammed and the queue was epically long. And not a fake merch seller in sight.

We bid a fond farewell to Seth and Linda. Thanks for your company and kindness. See you again sometime somewhere on the road (hopefully soon). What an epic day!

#mumford and sons #mumford & sons #marcus mumford #mumfordandsons #winston marshall #ted dwane #sotr #ben lovett #mumford&sons #gotr #london #ape

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