Earlier last week (24th June 2011), M Magazine caught up with Strummerville who were already down at Worthy Farm, knee-deep in mud…
What’s it looking like down there today?
Really bloody muddy, actually! But we got most of our setting up done on Tuesday when the sun was shining. Our stage is up, our bar has been set up, our fire pit has been dug out and our wood is here. We’re good, and now we’re trying to save the land! We started the prep on Saturday.
How do you arrange the Strummerville Glastonbury campfire sessions, is it quite ad hoc?
We’re pretty organised in the chaos really. We have five bands a night, on the hour from 10pm until 2am. Realistically, we aim to showcase the cream of our crop. We’ve got 387 bands on our DIY profile, so the cream of our crop are the best ones, simple as that.
The ones that are doing well and will attract a big crowd?
Yeh, it’s a really great showcase for them because we’ve got so many guest performers who come and share the stage with them. It’s really inspiring for them. Whoever is going to play before [the secret headliner] on Saturday will have a really great experience. It will really help their profile.
Do you have a fixed line-up? Have you announced any of the headline acts yet?
No we don’t announce anything until the morning of, and then it goes up on our chalk board. We’ve got some great headliners planned though, like The Kings Blues and Emmy the Great.
What makes Glastonbury so unique?
I’ve just walked from one end to the other, and there are just so many things that make it so amazing. It’s just not comparable to any other festival on the planet. It’s so magical and diverse. I think the whole thing has come from such an open heart. People are so nice and friendly. Human nature and human spirit have really come to the fore and people are so nice to each other.
When did the Strummerville charity sessions start up at Glastonbury?
Joe Strummer had his campfire here for years – he always hosted a huge campfire at the festival. After he passed away and the family set up the charity, Michael Eavis put an amazing memory stone in place for him. We burn the campfire by the memory stone. He died in 2002 and then in 2003 the charity began running the campfire.
Strummerville is a registered charity and you are all about helping aspiring musicians. What projects do you run that feed into the campfire sessions?
We do quite a lot. We work with FairTunes and funded them to open a recording studio in Bogota. We worked with Support After Murder and Manslaughter up in Merseyside, and we funded the making of an anti-knife crime record and video. Support After Murder and Manslaughter is a charity set up by mums who had all lost at least one child to murder in Merseyside. That was a really positive experience for those kids.
We support Jail Guitar Doors, which is Billy Bragg’s initiative to bring guitars into prisons for people who are rehabilitating. That was a nice project to work on. We’re also putting a music room into an orphanage in Malawi in August.
Your work is really far-reaching…
Yes. We’ve funded quite a few communities in Africa, where we’ve set them up with a full PA van and all of that. We are also working with some people in Detroit. The city has been completely fucked after the collapse of the motor industry. We are opening a Strummerville room there. And we’re opening a rehearsal room at the Roundhouse in London, where kids can rehearse for a pound an hour. We have two rooms at the Oh Yeah music centre in the cathedral quarter of Belfast, where people can rehearse for free. And we have a rehearsal room down at our HQ under the Westway, where bands can rehearse for free as well.
So far this year, we’ve given bursaries to 46 bands to go and record.
Organisations like yours are becoming increasingly important, in light of recent cuts to arts funding…
Especially for the people we support – we don’t get any funding from the Arts Council or others because we don’t fit in with all that bureaucracy.
Do you have any tips for upcoming songwriters who are disadvantaged or who are unable to access the funding they might need?
I suppose they should just try to concentrate on making great music – that’s where it all starts. Make the best that you can. It can be quite easy now to make a good record without lots of money. We endorse a DIY approach, so build your fan base, get on top of your social media, get out on the road, play as much as you can, but ultimately, focus on making the best record that you can. It’s also about speaking to people, that’s how you can get access.
[source]
Massive thanks to everybody who made Strummerville Glastonbury 2011 so incredible … thanks to our dream team crew, all bands who performed and everyone who supported us by buying merch and bringing big love and smiles to the campfire.
One love,
Strummerville
Joe Strummer’s backstage campfire tradition has transcended into a charitable music train marking its territory on Glastonbury go-ers this summer. Strummer’s memorial will be ablaze with emerging and established talent gracing Unfair Ground at the Strummerville campfire sessions this summer, in collaboration with everyones favourite festival cider, Brothers will be hijacking the campfire at Glasto 23rd-26th June handing out the ‘Songs For The Summer’ free compilation album from the bands keeping Strummers memory alight.
Brothers will be donating 1p of sales on cider from every can and bottle. So theres no reason not to crack open a frosty one… continue →
Excerpt:
“Strummerville, Glastonbury – The spirit of legendary Clash guitarist and devoted Glastonburian, Joe Strummer, burns on at Strummerville, where organiser hope to light the weekends biggest campfire.
The spot – near Shngri-La field is where Joe used to host his own parties. Over the weekend bands including The Drums, Frank Turner and Lissie will drop by for acoustic sessions … everybody’s welcome.”
Excerpt:
“So you mudda skuddums going to Glastonbury this year, be sure to make your presence felt at the Strummerville campsite this year. Strummerville will be lighting the campfire (the biggest campfire at Glastonbury scuse me!) Thursday night and keep it burning all around the clock.
Located in Unfair Ground field in the exact same spot where Joe Strummer used to have his fire, the strummerville campfire sessions will start at midnight every night and will run until 3am.”
http://flyingwithanna.wordpress.com/2010/06/22/glastonbury-2010-a-few-things-you-should-do/
Strummerville Campfire Tip #2
Excerpt:
“Yes, it’s that time of year again when the whole country unites behind a common cause, dresses up in ridiculous outfits, drinks far too much alcohol and gathers together to watch their heroes bring them joy. No, not the World Cup, we’re all too hardened by dozens of disappointments for that – we’re talking about Glastonbury Festival.
This year the biggest festival of them all turns 40 – so what better way to gear up for Glastonbury than to offer 40 top tips for what to do at Worthy Farm this year. Sure, it might take as long to read as it will to get through the legendary Glasto queues, but it will be a lot more fun.”
Strummerville Campfire @ Glastonbury – June 24th / 25th / 26th / 27th
Strummerville will be kicking off this year’s festival tour at their natural home, Glastonbury festival. They will be lighting the campfire (the biggest campfire at Glastonbury) Thursday night and keep it burning till Monday morning.
Situated in the unfair ground field in the exact same spot where Joe Strummer used to have his fire, the Strummerville campfire sessions will start at midnight every night and will run until 3am. Confirmed acoustic performances from bands include a mixture of Strummerville supported bands and bands who are fans of Joe Strummer himself, such as: The Drums, I Blame Coco, Beans on Toast, Handshake, Sound of Rum, Ali Love, Lissie, Fionn Regan, Frank Turner, Depot, Nat Jenkins and many, many more (some who can’t be announced!).
In true Strummerville spirit, no times will be announced for any performance, the best way to find out is to swing by and say hi during the day to find out who’s playing that night, rest your feet on our many sofas, grab a tea from the cafe or take part in our drumming workshops.
For Joe Strummer, the idea of a “campfire” – any loose assembly of people bonded by the rising flames and the advancing dawn – became an art form in itself.
We’re here to provide warmth, encourage conversation, listen to amazing music and generally spread the love. Everybody’s welcome.
Strummerville 2010 Campfire dates include:
Glastonbury: 24th – 27th June
Lounge On The Farm: 9th – 11th July
Secret Garden: 22nd – 23rd July
Endorse It In Dorset – 6th -8th August
AVAILABLE NOW: The new Film about Strummerville, entitled Strummerville, directed by legend Don Letts – “In a cultural climate that feels like punk never happened Strummerville (the film) serves as a timely reminder of a way forward. It worked back then and it can work again – and man it needs to!” – Don Letts
‘Strummerville’ – Joe Strummer’s political spirit of punk, transcending generations.
To watch the trailer and buy the film – Click Here
Links:
http://www.strummerville.com/strummerville-campfire-at-glastonbury-festival-2010/
http://www.facebook.com/Strummerville
http://www.myspace.com/strummervillelondon
