Taxpayers Alliance reckon that you could do Glastonbury with three blokes and a steadicam

There's been some rumbling that the BBC somehow sent too many people to cover Glastonbury, because, well, 400 people sounds like a large number of people, doesn't it?

The Telegraph had fun with the story, but it seems to have first surfaced in the Standard last Friday when someone called Ben Bailey pretended that he didn't work in the media, and thus couldn't be expected to understand how many people you'd need to feed three separate TV networks, press red, and various TV channels large numbers of hours of coverage from a number of stages in a site the size of a small town.

Indeed, rather than go "they're taking 400 people for audio, video, production, lighting, rigging, running, liaison, production, generating power, playing out, transmission, editorial oversight on a massively complicated live event - wow, what a bloody brilliant feat of organisation" he got someone from the Taxpayer's Alliance to think about the number.

The Taxpayer's Alliance - whose only media experience seems to be from turning up in parts of it with space to fill - well, the reckon that 400 seems a lot, right:

Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "I think the number of staff sent to Glastonbury does smack of it being more of a junket for BBC staff and presenters rather than a serious exercise. There's no way they would need 400 people to record and broadcast an event like Glastonbury.

"I'm afraid we've seen it in the past. At the Olympics there were more BBC staff than British athletes.

"We are seeing a trend here of BBC over-manning. When people combine that with the revelations of expenses last week, it shows the BBC is ready for some cuts."

"There's no way they would need 400 people" - how many, then, Matthew? Six? Two? Thirteen? Forty-seventy-twelve? If those 400 people were there on a junket, who was putting out the hours of broadcasting? Did Elliott even realise the event was being broadcast live?

Bailey decides to chip in, even if it risks making him look a bit of an idiot:

The broadcasts from the festival included Gabby Logan's show on BBC Radio 5 Live - a station known for its focus on news and sport rather than music.

This, presumably, in much the same way that the Standard is known for the desperate men stood outside tube stations trying to give the bloody things away at ten at night rather than the quality of its reporting.

Bailey, presumably, doesn't think that a major cultural event magicking the biggest town in the South West aside from Bristol from thin air isn't a news story; nor, indeed, can he ever have heard Five Live - a station whose news remit includes entertainment stories and whose film reviews are its most popular podcast.

James P - to whom thanks for the story - reckons there might be a need for more BBC staff:

If anything they should've employed more people, specifically someone to sit next to Jo Whiley in the six months before and after the event, poking her in the ribs and saying "Shhh - It's not *that* interesting" every tenth Glastonbury mention.

Personally, I think the Taxpayer's Alliance is overstaffed. They surely don't need any people at all to do what they do; all you need is a bran tub and a box of cut-up Daily Mail editorials and journalists could assemble their responses on the TA's behalf.

Glastonbury 2009: The traditional close

You know, you never can consider the Glastonbury festival closed until... ah yes, until this happens:

Glastonbury hailed as 'best ever' by Michael Eavis closes

Time to take down the tents, then.

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - The last night

I know it's churlish to complain about the BBC's coverage, when it offers up so many riches, but... lets complain anyway.

Every year, I'm left scratching my head wondering why the press red service on the last night is busily churning out Saturday and Friday sets when there's plenty happening on site; I could understand if there was one screen of all-weekend highlights, but at some points yesterday it was a choice of old, or older: Quo today, or Springsteen or Florence or Little Boots from before?

And why can't you bloody stick with a set? If you're going to put on the record label's knuckledusters and issue take-down notices to YouTube, can't you at least push back and not wait until Blur are really getting going before cutting back to Whiley and Lowe, sat around, enthusing over how this is the greatest thing that has ever happened on the pyramid stage since stages began - only to go off and show The Black Eyed Peas instead, while BBC Three - scheduled to show The Black Eyed Peas - slaps on Blur. But the bits that BBC Two had already shown.

The Sunday night coverage is always hyperbolic - it's always the biggest crowd ever seen in front of the stage, always the most extraordinary end to the most extraordinary Glastonbury, but this year it actually felt like it might be true. Apart from the most extraordinary Glastonbury bit - from the sofa it had all the thrill of a well-oiled machine.

But Blur were magnificent. Whoever thought that a bunch of aging indie-kids would outrun Bruce?

What was the name of that group from the North who was meant to be their competition?

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - Tom Jones

"That's a nice shiny shirt Tom Jones is wearing" I think to myself.

He then turns round. His tails, hanging out, are not shiny.

Oh, god. He has sweated his shirt into some sort of shiny fabric.

He then does a cover of Unbelievable. It is, of course, all too believable.

Glastonbury 2009: Bruce costs Eavis

6Music news has just reported that the over-run of the Springsteen set has landed Glastonbury with a £3000 fine, which Michael Eavis is going to pay out of his own farmer's pocket.

Glastonbury 2009: King Charles

Bruce's people were fast, and every single instance of his Glastonbury performance that made it to YouTube in the last ten hours has already been taken down. Sheesh, Bruce, I know it was all a bit underpowered, but it wasn't so awful you need to hide all evidence from the public.

Oh, tell a lie - there's still a version of Born To Run up right now. Be quick.

All Regina Spektor's stuff seems to have been ceased and desisted from the net, too, which is a pity. And the Neil Young video has vanished, with a message saying that this was actually a BBC takedown request.

King Charles' performance is still up, though:



[Part of Glastonbury 2009 video, although since most of it is being taken, there's not much point in linking to it.]

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - Bruce Springsteen

So, as is so often the case, you shouldn't believe anything you read on the internet: BBC 2 has got Bruce.

It's not clear, though, if the steam rising from the man who likes to be called The Boss a little too much is a snazzy, showman's special effect, or if it is just the sweat of hard work leaving his shoulders. Or perhaps his pants are on fire.

We must await the results in the morning.

But, oh, I don't think I've ever heard such an anaemic Born To Run.

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - Saturday night

The simplicity of Esser vocals don't really stand up to not being able to hear the music properly, like being perpetually in the position of a busy room falling quiet just as you say "... and so I had to hit him with the shovel", but, oh, you could eat Esser with a spoon. Of course, it was all shoved away in a corner of Press Red, but it makes it all feel a bit more special.

Florence And The Machine used to be hidden away, too, but look at this, this year - a 6Music pick, no less. Pity the set sounded a bit ropey and overwhelmed, and only really came alive with a Candi Staton cover at the end.

It's turned out to be impossible to avoid both Reggie Yates and Kasabian, so I finally wound up having to watch Reggie get Cerys Matthews in to keep him company in the hovering sky-studio. Matthews put her shoes on the table, which can cause bad luck, but I guess she figured that being interviewed by Reggie is probably one of those situations from which there is no down. Matthews, somewhat oddly, appeared to be wearing exactly the same blazer-and-no-trousers outfit that Edith Bowman was wearing on Friday evening. One presenter at a time is frugal, BBC, but making them share clothes is just going too far. Will Mark Radcliffe be waiting for Zane Lowe to finish with the trousers before he can go on to BBC2?

If, by the way, Mark Radcliffe seemed genuinely bemused by the idea of going on to do a programme without any Neil Young in, tonight he's going to be totally Jack Wooleyed, as it appears the BBC won't be able to show any of Bruce Springsteen's headline set at all.

Glastonbury 2009: In other Glastonbury news...

This is Fake DIY's crack Glastonbury squad disappear from Tweetdom, although Jemima Kiss was saying it was hard to get a data connection there this year.

That'll be all the iPhones. Thank god the 3GS hadn't had much time to propogate.

NME is reporting that Jamie Cullum did a 'tribute' to Jackson as part of his set:

Midway through his performance, the crooner climbed up on top of his grand piano to lead his band through a jazzy version of 'Thriller'.

Clearly reacting to the news of Jackson's death quickly, Cullum relied on a printed out lyric sheet before breaking the song down with some human beatboxing towards the end.

In unrelated news, staff at an exclusive LA funeral home reported that one of their corpses has asked to be hurried to his grave as "he had one fuck of a lot of spinning in it to get done."

Cullum had turned up earlier in a guest capacity with Spinal Tap - along with Jarvis Cocker, presumably canceling each other out.

Bruce Springsteen filled time before headlining tonight by helping out fellow New Jerseyites The Gaslight Anthem on the John Peel stage. It's a nice gesture, but the entire world is hoping they don't feel the need to return the favour.

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - Crosby, Stills & Nash

I'm sure none of them are annoyed that they're on BBC 4 during the evening when Neil got BBC 2 after dark. It's probably just a coincidence that they're doing a Rolling Stones track where Young did a Beatles one.

Although I'm not sure this IS Crosby Stills And Nash. That raincoat with the short arms pushed up, NHS specs and half-assed shave job - isn't this Crosby, Duckworth and Nash?

Glastonbury 2009: Unlikely press releases of our time

Never mind the Jackson tributes, this year's Glastonbury is about the inward investment. According to Into Somerset:

One of the big hits at this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival will not only be its headlining acts – but Somerset itself.

Inward investment organisation Into Somerset says that every year, many of the 180,000 festival-goers have such a great time at Glastonbury that they look to move to Somerset permanently.

Interim CEO Rupert Cox says, “The festival is the catalyst for many of Somerset’s creative businesses. Musicians, artists, actors, designers and many more creatives enjoy Glastonbury so much, that they move here to start their own businesses and capture that unique creative spirit every day of the year.

“I have no doubt that many of the crowd cheering The Boss will, in future, be bosses of their own creative businesses in Somerset.”

Yes. They're right. Indeed, I was so impressed the last time I went to Glastonbury with how well people selling dubious-looking cider in old chemical bottles did, I moved to Somerset and invested heavily in apples and plastic containers. Three bloody months I sat in a lay-by, and I didn't have a single sale. And that was in the run-up to Christmas.

Glastonbury 2009: The Specials

Dammers-less, perhaps, and more jowly, but here's one to go with those free chlamydia tests they're doing at Glastonbury this year:



[Part of Glastonbury 2009 video]

Glastonbury 2009: Neil Young

The ten-minute cut off on Youube videos appears to have resulted in no complete version of Young's Rocking In The Free World making it online yet, so instead: Neil Young does The Beatles:



[Part of Glastonbury 2009 video]

UPDATE:

Glastonbury 2009: Bloc Party

They're not as good as they used to be, you know. Still, Bloc Party managed to pull this out the bag last night:



[Part of Glastonbury 2009 videos]

UPDATE:

Glastonbury 2009: Little Boots

I think Little Boots was the winner of the first day of Glastonbury, at least when viewed through a TV screen. Some bits of her performance have turned up on the Tube - although not Meddle, yet, which might only have aired through the red button - so let's all have a look, shall we?



[Buy Hands or download Hands - somehow for the same price, for some reason]

More video from this year's festival across the next couple of days
The Specials - Too Much Too Young
Neil Young - A Day In The Life
Bloc Party - Two More Years

[UPDATE: This year, the policing of copyright claims on YouTube seems to be taking place in real time, so most of the videos are vanishing before long]

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - BBC 2

Ah, the senior service on BBC 2 gets a full complement of presenters - Radcliffe and Laverne sharing main duties, but throwing to Zane Lowe down in front of The Ting Tings, and Jo Whiley off in the studio.

Jo presents an acoustic performance from Paolo Nutini as if it's some sort of treat, although she does use the phrase "it's the same thing, year after year" so perhaps she was trying to be knowing.

They're currently showing a short film explaining who Neil Young is, rather than showing Neil Young playing live. Is there anyone alive who doesn't know who Young is, who is going to go "oh, if this chap David Crosby says he's worth hearing, maybe I will listen to him?"

Oh. Having spent five minutes of their time talking about Neil Young, Radcliffe is now promising they'll show him "in the next show". After - I kid you not - a Newsnight Michael Jackson special.

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - Ting Tings & Friendly Fires

Edith has now put on a jacket, with a yachting feel to it. It's like she's lost her bags and has had to rely on borrowing stuff from a bunch of Eton schoolboys.

Shouldn't there have been two people presenting this package of programmes? Isn't that an immutable law of Glastonbury coverage? Was Zane Lowe supposed to turn up but was too wrecked by the thought of Michael Jackson's death to go on? Or is this the new, frugal BBC in action - now 50% fewer presenters?

The Ting Tings come on BBC Three, wearing the sort of sunglasses that the makers of Skins give to their cast thinking it makes them look edgy. It seems to be pretty much the same set we were watching last year, so it's off to the red button extra stuff.

Friendly Fires are there, doing a set whose quality cannot quite disguise that Ed is wearing the sort of shirt that Stuart Adamson gave a bad name to.

Glastonbury 2009: View from the sofa - Lady GaGa

If only Corrie had written the Jack and Connie story the way the touching scenes tonight went, instead of as some clumsy explanation for why Connie might have sex with Kevin in the face of all logic, perhaps Weatherfield wouldn't feel like its in such a tailspin right now.

Sorry, that's not BBC Three, is it? Flicking on to the BBC TV coverage for the first time, it's Lady GaGa, with her famous firework bra.

Except on TV, it looks less like she's got pyrotechnic tits, and more like she's strapped a couple of Camping Gaz stoves to her chest. And like camp stoves, although you get the odd spark from them, there's nothing that's going to really get your soup bubbling.

For Poker Face, she removes her apparatus and strips down to flesh-coloured underwear. It might just be me, but knickers the colour of sticking plaster always seem more like support hose than lingerie. Michael Eavis has stopped banging on about trying to bring teenagers back to Worthy Farm, but this sort of adolescent fantasy seems to be perfect for that.

Over, then, to Edith Bowman stood, forlornly, in some glass box hovering in the sky. Edith observes that GaGa's guitarist looked like Jack White and her bassist looked like Kurt Cobain. This is, it seems, "weird" for some reason. Not as weird as Bowman's outfit, which I've been trying to place and can only describe as the sort of thing a British romcom would have the female lead wear for a 'morning after' scene - Hugh Grant's baggy rugby shirt and the boots from the night before.

Glastonbury 2009: Eavis denies own interview

Just before the music news and the proper news collided heavily yesterday evening, 6Music News at 8.30 had a report where Michael Eavis described reports that he was going to retire after 2011 as "rubbish."

Yeah, total rubbish. Where did anyone get such a crazy idea in the first place?

Oh, that's right - it was when Michael Eavis said he was going in 2011 in an interview with The Guardian, who sponsor the festival. Why would anyone trust such a flaky source?

Mini Liveblog: Gambaccini remembers Michael Jackson

BBC News at Midnight puts in a call to The Great Gambo, who points out that he's actually quite in demand right now: "I"m getting calls from news organisations" and confirms that he knows, for a fact, that "this is the number one story in Japan right now."

Gambaccini also confirms that he once met Jackson's llamas - presumably while someone in the gantry was wishing they'd got the llama on the line instead - and recalls having had a conversation with "the late John Peel" about what a great showman Jackson was. Even if you didn't like his music, apparently you couldn't deny his showmanship.

"He was probably as clever as a fox" is Gambo's final judgement, having skated over all the unpleasantness by simply dismissing his personal life as "odd".

Now they've got a live link-up with people at Glastonbury who are hoping that it won't spoil the festival for them - "I hope it won't overshadow the great bands we've got on this year."