Glastonbury kicks off today, every year inching a little further away from its roots in spirit as well as in time - as a new book by Bristol photographer Beezer underlines.
In the words of Digital Camera World's Kalum Carter, the images in Until Now: Volume 1: A Life In Photos 1982-1986, the first of three planned volumes, "take us back to a rawer, more chaotic time when the festival was a haven for punks, protesters, artists, and idealists. His shots of muddy crowds, DIY stages, and outlandish subcultural fashion capture the essence of what made Glastonbury a countercultural cornerstone long before corporate sponsorships arrived."
While many of the festival's quirks and curiosities remain, off the beaten track, there's no doubting that times have changed: designer wellies, celebs arriving by helicopter and £16,500 glamping packages etc. But there's also a risk of romanticising the past. In my time (between 1998 and 2011), the festival could be a hairy and potentially dangerous place, especially after dark and in the years before the superfence. I'm not arguing in favour of corporate sanitisation, but a safer and better managed festival isn't a bad thing.
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