Watch Underworld perform ‘Born Slippy’ at Glastonbury Festival 2016
In 2016, Welsh electronic outfit Underworld made their second trip to Worthy Farm, headlining the West Holts Stage on Friday night. They closed their set with an extended version of the electronic anthem ‘Born Slippy’, a track popularised by Danny Boyle movie Trainspotting in 1996.
Opening with a pulsing cymbal, frontman Karl Hyde tells the crowd, “We wrote a little tune backstage, brand new, never been heard before, but we thought you might wanna give us an idea of something we might sing with it…” As the kick drum comes in, the crowd instantly recognise the track and cheers rumble through the thousands of people who watch on. The song’s title appears on the screen behind the duo as Hyde begins jumping in time with the beat.
The vocalist throws his arms about and swings his hips across the colourfully lit stage for an extended three-minute introduction, beaming as he hypes up the audience. The excitement and anticipation for Hyde to utter his opening lyric is palpable, with countless hands raised to the sky and red flares adding to the atmosphere.
When Hyde’s distinctive voice finally declares, “Drive boy dive boy dirty numb angel boy”, the dedicated crowd sings along to every lyric, and the flashing lights fade to a soft glow. Hanging on his every word, the audience’s enthusiasm only increases as Hyde repeats “lager” over and over.
The euphoria of the performance spreads from the band to the audience as Hyde asks, “I feel like dancing, do you wanna dance with me? Let’s dance.” The pumping beat kicks in once more, and Hyde’s limbs go wild as he loses himself in Smith’s instrumentals.
The performance closes with glowing lights accompanying those final, blissful synths. Hyde blows kisses at a satisfied crowd while Smith effortlessly shrugs off their performance of the rave classic. Hyde leaves the stage with the closing statement, “Me and my brother Rick, thank you so much for a fantastic homecoming. Have a great festival.”
Though the performance is full of joy, Hyde has previously noted the discomfort that came with the band’s first performance of the track when the crowd lifted their lager cans to the refrain. He told The Guardian, “I was still deep into alcoholism. It was never meant to be a drinking anthem; it was a cry for help.” Hyde wrote the lyrics on a night out in Soho, observing the scenes around him with a camera and a notebook. After his bandmate Rick Smith came up with the beat, Hyde recorded the vocal track in one take.
The song became a widely loved electronic classic after it featured in Trainspotting, Danny Boyle’s raw exploration of drug abuse in Scotland. The track accompanied the film’s final moments and end credits. Underworld first played Glastonbury three years later, in 1999, when they appeared on the iconic Pyramid Stage. Their return over 15 years later shows their enduring influence on music and is a must-see for 90s electronic fans
Watch Underworld perform ‘Born Slippy’ at Glastonbury Festival 2016 below.
