Hello Emily. Did you have fun at the NME Awards last night?
Yes, thanks. We were really pleased to get the Best Live Event award back. I think we’ve had two or three years where we haven’t won it. So it was great to celebrate the high moment that was last year’s Festival.
It’s voted for by the public too.
Exactly, that’s why we take this one so seriously. The fact that they voted for us and supported us through a really difficult year is amazing. It’s a real vindication. It was such a good Festival, but I think Jay-Z had a lot to do with that, so we’d like to share the award with him. He definitely earned it. And obviously Kings Of Leon played a big part too. They did a really spectacular show, and yet there had been a lot of criticism of them headlining too, beforehand. It’s great to see them going on to headline loads of festivals this year.
They’re huge now.
I know! I think if you’re a brilliant live band, you win in the end. It’s a bit like Elbow. If you can do it live, you’ll get there.
So, did you have a rock ‘n’ roll evening at the NME Awards?
Um, no. My dad had to get the train back, so we took it quite easy.
What are you busy with at the moment?
We’re finalising all of the bookings. We’re nearly there now, although we’ve had some big last minute changes. Something really exciting came through yesterday, actually. We’ve got some really exciting people who we never dreamt we’d have at Glastonbury.
One of the few that’s been announced is Bruce Springsteen.
Yes. We’re absolutely made up about that. He is one of the most awesome performers on the planet and he’s also very similar to Glastonbury politically. He’s totally perfect for us.
Why did you choose to announce him now?
People have obviously put a lot of faith in us with buying tickets. So, having sold out, I think it’s good to give people one or two names.
Can you tell us any more?
Well, we’ve definitely got Doves, which will be great. We’ve got some amazing female artists too; Emiliana Torrini, Lily Allen and Florence and the Machine will all be there. So there’s a few for you.
The Emerging Talent Competition final is coming up soon.
Yes, we’ve announced a really strong shortlist. There are also ten runners-up which you can vote for on Q’s website, to give them the last place in the final. I’ve got my personal favourite in that list, but I probably shouldn’t say who it is!
What else is happening down on the farm?
I had a meeting with Shangri-La about their area, yesterday. My oh my, have they got some plans! It’s a real step on from last year. And the newly-enlarged Trash City will spill into Shangri-La this year, which is great. It’s going to be quite spectacular down there, I think.
So it’s all coming together?
Yeah. The countdown has definitely begun. As the days get warmer, you know the Festival’s getting closer.
Are you getting excited?
Well, it’s all the complete opposite to where we were at this point last year, when I felt like we were shooting down a dark tunnel towards a scary oblivion. We’re feeling much more optimistic this year. It’s a relief to have sold so many tickets and we’ve tried really hard to supply the best possible line-up for all the people who’ve kept faith in us. I genuinely think it’s looking like being a vintage year. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to it.
