Gipsy.cz play Glastonbury Festival
The Romany hip hop group Gipsy.cz - led by the duo of singer Radoslav
(Gipsy) Banga and violinist Vojta Lavicka is on the up-and-up. Earlier
this year the band released a very-well received new album throwing them
very much into the public eye. Not only were Gipsy.cz voted best new band
of the year in the Czech Republic, their song Romano Hip Hop reached No. 6
in the IFPI's top 100. Their latest success? Playing the UK's famous
Glastonbury Festival at the weekend.
The Glastonbury Festival has a tradition that goes back to the 1970s.
Initially the three-day event began small; today it draws crowds of more
than 175,000 to see some of the world's top groups or cutting-edge musical
acts. In the past, performers included PJ Harvey, the Cure, and Radiohead.
This year headliners included the Chemical Brothers, Killers, and Iggy
Pop, followed by countless smaller acts spread across smaller stages on
Glastonbury's fields.
Romany hip hop group Gipsy.cz described their appearance at Glastonbury as
a success. Several hundred visitors viewed the band in the tent known as
the Pussy Parlure. Czech Radio spoke with the Gipsy.cz's violinist Vojta
Lavicka after their performance, asking how it went.
"Of course we were a little bit nervous but the stage we performed on
was of course smaller than the really big stars; we were even worried
whether we would get enough of an audience. But people came and they
danced and some in the audience were even Czech tourists who knew the song
'Romano Hip Hop' and sang along. The chorus for 'Romano Hip Hop' caught on
even among the wider audience."
Says Vojta Lavicka, the atmosphere of the whole festival was excellent,
despite traditionally bad weather - lots of rain and mud. In the past,
Woodstock-like images of fans rolling in the muck or raking mud through
their hair have been common at Glastonbury and this year was no different.
"We were surprised how no one cared about the bad weather. Visitors
were all covered in mud but everybody still had a great time: dancing and
so on. It was peaceful too. We were given our own raincoats and galoshes
to make our way through the mud, twenty-centimetres deep."
As for other acts over the three-day event, there was of course plenty to
see, although Vojta Lavicka admits they came too late to see a lot of the
acts.
"We didn't see a lot of acts because we only arrived later but we did
see Iggy Pop, who was amazing. He did an incredible thing: he invited
people on stage - about fifty climbed up - potentially a huge headache for
security - but they handled it and in the end it was quite relaxed. Iggy
Pop really made an impression."
Gipsy.cz have now returned to the Czech Republic for a few days before
they continue their tour of Europe. Their next stop is this Friday in
Brussels, and they are slated to perform again in Great Britain in the
autumn, playing the Isle of Wight.
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The Glastonbury Festival has a tradition that goes back to the 1970s.
Initially the three-day event began small; today it draws crowds of more
than 175,000 to see some of the world's top groups or cutting-edge musical
acts. In the past, performers included PJ Harvey, the Cure, and Radiohead.
This year headliners included the Chemical Brothers, Killers, and Iggy
Pop, followed by countless smaller acts spread across smaller stages on
Glastonbury's fields.
Says Vojta Lavicka, the atmosphere of the whole festival was excellent,
despite traditionally bad weather - lots of rain and mud. In the past,
Woodstock-like images of fans rolling in the muck or raking mud through
their hair have been common at Glastonbury and this year was no different.
As for other acts over the three-day event, there was of course plenty to
see, although Vojta Lavicka admits they came too late to see a lot of the
acts.
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