Glastonbury Festival - Longview In For the Long Haul

Longview

Longview In For the Long Haul

New Tent - Saturday

It’s great to see a new band come and storm the place at Glastonbury – it’s what the festival’s all about. Longview confessed to being Glastonbury virgins and couldn’t stress enough how humbled they were to be playing at the New Tent in front of such a large and genuinely appreciative crowd. “Come in, come out of the cold!” they urged, and an intrigued outer circle of potential fans steadily grew around the inner hardcore.

In fact, “we’ve never played in front of so many people before, ever” lead singer Rob blushed, prompting the crowd to show even more love. Ah, how sweet. Longview grasped the bull by the crusty dreads and delivered an astoundingly clear, potent blast of pure, swirling, crunching guitar. If you enjoy Elbow, Doves or Mogwai, chances are you’d go for Longview. The strong melodies are complemented by the now-standard fade and rise technique (“a slow, eerie bit, then a crashing loud blitz, then back again”) and they never fail to sweep you along with the full, rounded sound.

The band were also surprised that they had so many fans in attendance. It’s hardly surprising really, they’ve been doing great work touring for a little while, and this maiden Glastonbury appearance is the milestone on the way to whatever they have in mind.

If anything, the set felt a bit short, which has got to be a good sign if you’re ankle deep in mud while listening. Longview deserve the success that’s foreshadowed by the reaction they got at the New Tent. We enjoyed it as much as you did, boys.

Peter Allen

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