Glastonbury 2024: Bombay Bicycle Club share favourite memories and reveal “very special guest” will join them
Bombay Bicycle Club on The Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival in a late afternoon slot is a match made in heaven with the assistance of the blazing Somerset heat. They are set to take to the stage at 17:15 on June 28th, and provide the perfect soundtrack for revellers at Worthy Farm in search of appeasing their souls.
Remarkably, the set at Glastonbury marks their first appearance at the iconic festival in a decade. In that time, they parted ways in 2016 to pursue solo projects and other interests with frontman Jack Steadman re-emerging under the moniker of Mr Jukes. Thankfully, the hiatus didn’t last forever, and in 2019, they announced plans to make new music.
However, in the five years since they re-emerged, Glastonbury Festival has evaded them, but now they are set to right that wrong. It’s an event which is extremely close to their hearts, having made their debut 15 years ago. They now have six albums to their name, and have grown from boys to men, but the fondness for Glastonbury remains as potent.
Ahead of their appearance at Glastonbury, Far Out had a quick catch up with guitarist Jamie MacColl about his relationship with the festival, memories of the event, and returning to Worthy Farm after a decade away with the help of a “very special guest”. While no name was revealed, Damon Albarn and Chaka Khan both appeared on their most recent album.
Fresh from releasing their latest album, My Big Day, Bombay Bicycle Club are traipsing new ground with new-found maturity, but also retaining the key elements that made the band so alluring all those years ago.
In a four-star-review of the album, Far Out wrote: My Big Day isn’t a huge departure from the band’s core sonic principles, yet it sounds and feels as fresh as warm bread. Whether it is through a deliberate return to their original creative constitution, a lack of care for the reception the record will receive or simply that the band are back to their best, this album feels like a maturation of the original starter kit that saw them turn into ready-baked brilliance 15 years ago.
Glastonbury Festival is currently underway until June 30th and Far Out is on the ground at Worthy Farm to provide coverage directly from Pilton. This year’s event will be headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA.
Bombay Bicycle Club’s favourite memories of Glastonbury:
Far Out: What are your memories from the special occasion when Bombay Bicycle Club made their Glastonbury Festival debut?
Jamie MacColl: “We actually first played in 2009 on the Park Stage. My memories of that gig are quite bad… It was a very sunny day, and I managed to detune the bottom string on my guitar by a semitone for most of the first song, which sounded terrible. The John Peel Stage in 2010 was much happier — we brought out the London School of Samba for ‘Always Like This’, and it was joyful.”
Far Out: What’s Glastonbury’s best-kept-secret?
Jamie MacColl: “There’s not necessarily a specific place. The secret to having a good time is trying not to control your own experience too much. You have to let yourself go where the journey takes you and not get too hung up on seeing specific things.”
Far Out: Favourite set you’ve witnessed at Worthy Farm?
Jamie MacColl: “Blur in 2009. It was very emotional for the crowd and the band.”
Far Out: Dream headliner? Feel free to say yourselves…
Jamie MacColl: “Dead, I’d say Johnny Cash. Alive, I’d love to see an electronic artist – maybe Daft Punk.”
Far Out: It’s been a decade since Bombay Bicycle Club last played Glastonbury, also on The Other Stage, how does it feel to be returning to Worthy Farm after ten years and what have you got in-store for the show?
Jamie MacColl: “It feels like coming home after being away for a long time. We’re bringing a very special guest, but we can’t tell you who…”
Bombay Bicycle Club take to the stage at 17:15 on June 28th, their set is available to stream live in the United Kingdom on BBC iPlayer.
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