Askew become the youngest band to ever play at Glastonbury Festival
Askew, a group comprised of 15 and 16-year-old boys, have become the youngest band to ever play at Glastonbury Festival.
This follows an Island Records label representative watching them play at their school’s talent show, who contacted someone in the orbit of festival co-organiser Emily Eavis afterwards. Until the group played on the Rabbit Hole stage on Friday, the biggest show the Chiswick group had played was at their “local pub in front of a few parents”.
Askew formed six years ago and also features Alfie Lewis, 15, Freddie Wormleighton, 16, Jay Guru-Murthy, 16 and Will Ponds, 16. Guru-Murthy is the son of Channel 4 news anchor Krishnan Guru-Murthy.
The band’s frontman, Eli Crossley, has Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a progressive muscle-wasting disease that has seen him use a wheelchair since 2022. There is no cure for the disease, but in an interview, Crossley says music has become therapy for him.
He said: “It’s like a therapy for me. At the end of the day Duchenne is who I am and I wouldn’t change it – I won’t let it hold me back.” Eli’s mother, Emily, founder and CEO of charity Duchenne UK, said: “It’s hard to put into words how proud I am”.
“It’s a crazy experience. We were very nervous with the excitement playing on a Glastonbury stage when we haven’t really done a proper gig before,” the 16-year-old continued. “The biggest we’ve done is in a pub in front of parents so this is a big step up. Being the youngest band to play Glastonbury us crazy. It’s unexpected and I never in a million years thought this would happen.”
Adding: “We only finished exams last week so it’s been pretty hectic. It’s really special and I hope we can show people what we’re about as a band.”
The band’s journey to playing at Glastonbury started earlier this year when Crossley appeared on BBC Breakfast alongside his mother, Emily Reuben, to discuss his condition. There, he detailed his ‘Smart Suit’, a technology that allows him to move his upper body as he develops. When on the show, he explained that he hoped the suit would help him one day play Glastonbury. After the interview, viewers tried contacting Eavis, asking for Askew to be booked for a slot at the 2023 edition of the festival.
“I said out of the blue that my dream was to play Glastonbury. Lots of people saw it and tagged Emily Eavis. It was a very nice gesture and I really appreciate everyone who helped,” Crossley said. “After the buzz died down a bit, my mum emailed Jon Turner at Island Records because he’s a dad at our school. At first we didn’t hear anything, but then he saw us play at a school talent show and got in touch with someone who knew Emily Eavis and that’s how we got our slot.”
He said: “Last year I became a permanent wheelchair user. It’s tough and a challenge but music is one of those things that doesn’t affect me at all. I can get fully involved and do it with my friends. The band are all amazing and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
Prior to Askew playing Glastonbury, Eli’s mum Emily, the founder and CEO of the Duchenne UK charity, expressed: “I’ve been going to Glastonbury for years but never in my wildest dreams would I have thought my son would be playing there. I’m just hoping they all have the most amazing experience – for some of them it’s their first gig.”
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