www.solarvenue.co.uk and www.partyneuf.co.uk 

 

 

 

THE CROISSANT NEUF FIELD

The Pinnicle of Ecotainment

 

 

 

The Green Roadshow

“If you must look ahead  one year - sow a seed

If you must look ahead ten years - plant a tree

But if you must look ahead a hundred years - then educate the people”

This is what the Green Roadshow is already doing – we sowed the seed, the tree is already growing and we are educating the people. Here’s how...

 

In 1986 coordinators Sally Howell and Andy Hope raised the banner of the first Croissant Neuf tent – tucked in the corner of the one and only green field (now the craft and healing fields). In those days it was scarcely bigger than a large modern family tent and their team of nine had to sell Croissants (hence the name!) and coffee, to make their fuel money home! They even had straw bales for seats (which just shows how far Health & Safety has progressed since then!)….    

Now, 18 years later, they are still here at the Glastonbury Festival – the oldest established family run venue still bringing in new talent and breaking new ground. Now situated right in the very heart of the Greenfields, the Croissant Neuf Venue is reliably and rhythmically pulsating away, pumping its energy and life force through the veins of the greenfields, enriching the festival and nourishing its soul. With its state of the art technology, this ever popular venue never misses a beat.

 

In 2003 Croissant Neuf expanded their tent to accommodate around 700 people, almost twice as many as before and alongside the earth trembling Solar Powered 10Kw P.A System they had, for the first time ever in the UK, built an LED stage lighting rig that dances, dazzles and bathes the performers in every colour of the rainbow and only still uses the same amount of energy as two 100 watt household light bulbs!! Energy efficiency at it most advanced which has to be seen to be believed!.

Providing the energy for everything that happens in the Croissant Neuf tent is the ‘Solar System’, a purpose built mobile solar generator that carries a 16 panel tracking system on its roof which collects and stores energy in over 2 tonnes of batteries in the box below. By using low voltage amplifiers and low resistance circuits the ‘Solar System’ can fill a huge tent or stage with hi-fi quality crystal clear sound for less than a tenth of the energy that a traditional system would use.

ECO-tainment at its best – Croissant Neuf offers a full programme housed in a haven of salubrious and luxurious backdrops and décor, adorned by the Wicked Faerie team.

For more information on the Croissant Neuf click here.

The Green Roadshow Field also plays host to weird and wonderful walkabout entertainers and a flow of musicians on their own built ornamental bandstand – a feature of this field for many a year.

Take a seat by the tranquil garden and capture a moment of the green field’s ambience – or savour the taste of bio-dynamic, organic and vegetarian food from the Ringwood Steiner school’s café.

Dotted around the field will be delightful stone, wooden and metal sculptures for you to feast your eyes upon – all brought here by artistes local to the Shepton Mallet area.Amongst the colourful array of enticing market stalls are the Green Roadshow's exhibits bringing to you their knowledge and expertise of a Sustainable Lifestyle and environmental concerns, – all delivered in a most fun and positive way.

So much talent, expertise, innovation, colour and laughter – all in one field alone! See what our neighbouring fields and comrades have to offer too – we are proud to be part of the Green Fields – it’s a fantastic place to be.

 

 

 

 

Techy stuff/Facts:-

Our 10,000watts TurbaSound Solar Powered P.A is housed in a 10 tonne truck named ‘The Solar System’.

Our venue now  takes 1000 people.

Energy efficient lighting rig – our LED stage lighting uses less power than three 100w household light bulbs.

The Croissant Neuf team also run The ‘Green Roadshow’ which travels the whole country with their unique exhibitions all focused on the theme of sustainability.

For info on Croissant neuf visit www.solarvenue.co.uk

 

For info on The Green Roadshow visit www.greenroadshow.co.uk

For info on The Croissant Neuf Summer Party visit www.partyneuf.co.uk

 

 

 

Around the Field.

 

As well as a constant blitz of top quality music and entertainment and being inspired to the practicalities and delights of running on Solar Power, the rest of the field  is full of discovery and challenge in the most colourful and exciting way, inviting you to the awareness of living a greener and more sustainable lifestyle.

Amongst the ethical and fairtrade stalls there are innovative exhibitions where you can call on expert advice on Renewable Energy, Sustainable Homes, Transport and much more and leave with a wealth of new information whilst having a damn good time too.

Transport Action - New to the field this year .

Play, talk and debate with experts from several different transport groups. Work out your travel carbon footprint. Find out what you can do to help combat the problems and support the solutions in contemporary transport.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We always have a beautiful central garden feature in our field to sit by and chill and absorb the festival atmosphere. Grab a bite from the organic café, watch the street style performers and stiltwalkers, enjoy the bandstand and catch your breath before you stroll on to the next green field experience.

 

 

 BANDS PLAYING IN CROISSANT NEUF AT GLASTONBURY 2009

THE STAVES 5.30pm Sunday

Three sisters with harmonies to rival Crosby, Stills and Nash;

The Staves grew up on a strict diet of Paul Simon and Neil Young, and

the sweet sound they make is born of their love for Americana, but with

a distinctive British folk-twist . This is some of the sweetest folk

pop you will hear this year!!!

www.myspace.com/thestavesmusic

 

 

FREEFALL COLLECTIVE 12.30am Sunday/Monday

Freefall Collective are a cutting edge production outfit from the South

Coast with an energetic, upbeat 5 piece live band that pushes their unique blend of Club busting beats, Dub sensibilities and MC action beyond the realms of any DJ Set.  The rolling and relentless beats coming out of these original tunes played live gets every dance floors around the world bouncing on their heads. This will blow your mind, guaranteed. For all info check out www.freefallcollective.com

YES SIR BOSS 9.30pm Thursday

''Yes Sir Boss!!! eat up genres like cream-cakes. Theirs is the kind of sound you might dream up if you made a smoothie out of Tom Waits, Muse and Dom Drummond and drank it in the backroom of a bar in Budapest circa 1890...''

Ed Williams, Suit Yourself Magazine

THE MANDIBLES 4.00pm Saturday

"This summer The Mandibles present a psychedelic, nautical journey, blending Theatre, Gypsy Swing, Ska, Sea Shanties, Lobsters and the

Mandiblettes (their four lovely dancing girls). Not to be missed! "

THE KINGSIZE FIVE 11.00pm Thursday

“Ungodly infectious melodies. The most entertaining band I’ve ever seen? Damn right!

          ” Lee Puddefoot, Artrocker Magazine

“A manic mix of rocking blues and jazzy, dirty swing delivered with riffed up panache” Molloy Woodcraft, The Observer

“A musical law unto themselves, this debut is cocky, upbeat and thank God, completely fresh” – Amy McGill, Rocksound

Swings, shocks and sass have accompanied The Kingsize Five following the release of their debut album CD, ‘White Light Fever’ on Little Genius Recordings via Genepool/Universal late in 2008

 

 

KING PORTER STOMP 1.00pm Sunday

King Porter Stomp are an 8-piece juggernaut of ska, funk and hip hop. With big brass, heavy bass and intense lyrics, they combine all manner of musical genres to create a unique, high energy show. At Glastonbury they will be unveiling their brand new outrageous horn lines, thumping beats and delicately crafted conscious rhymes. Expect to be entertained, enlivened and enlightened.

THE HIT UPS 1.00pm Saturday

Bristol's premier dancefoor titans rampage the stage!  The Hit-Ups unique fusion of bass laden drum rhythms, wailing quitars, synth echos and raucous raps have been steadily building a weighty reputation. They create an energetic and addictive live show and whether your preference is reggae, heavy hip hop, ska or epic melodies there somthing for every 

One!

John Ashton Thomas and Ian Ritchie 2.30pm Sunday can

>> be seen playing their unique brand of ambient free jazz at various

>> festival locations this year. In the past they have performed

>> together at events such as London's "The Big Chill" and "Parallel

>> Youniversity" as well as being seasoned performers on the London
>> jazz circuit, playing venues such as the Jazz Cafe, Ronnie Scott's,
>> the Barbican and the South Bank.
>> As individuals they have had exciting and eclectic careers on both >> sides of the Atlantic. Ian has produced albums for artists such as
>> Laurie Anderson and Pete Wylie, and is the composer of the music >> for the Lonely Planet (Globetrekker) TV show. He has performed on
>> two world tours with Roger Waters. John has worked in the Hollywood
>> film world for many years and has contributed to dozens of scores
> including "Happy Feet", "Ice Age: the Meltdown" and two of the
>> "Bourne" series. His music has been heard on dozens of TV shows
>> around the world, including two series of "Coast"on the BBC, and
>> even "Oprah". Expect to be delighted, surprised and uplifted by
>> this highly creative pairing.

THE DESTROYERS  11.00pm Friday

These live favourites, with their first single available online now! Are a 15-strong bunch with roots in Birmingham and influences from Klezmir, Balkans, and beyond who are blazing a trail into a thrilling sonic realm all of their own. With massed ranks of fiddles, brass, vocals, and much more besides playing a powerful mix of songs and dance tunes, here is a band who take any every audience member on an electrifying journey guaranteed to end up with them dancing their socks off and singing along in delight!. They will be releasing their debut album in the autumn.

 

 

THE BOAT BAND  2.30pm Friday

The Boat Band first went to sea in a wooden boat in 1989 and toured the Scottish islands. Now twenty years and eleven Glastonburys later, they are back raring to go with some great new tunes (and with special guests False Hare).

 

Biggles Wartime Band  4.00pm Sunday

The leading exponents of Jugband music in the UK, Biggles formed way back in the heady flower power years of the late sixties and have been entertaining audiences in various ways and with different line-ups ever since. Three of the current line-up and most of the jokes have been with the band since the beginning.

TEN BEARS   11.00pm Sunday

Hailing from Manchester, Ten Bears are one of the hotly tipped groups for 2009. An unbelievably powerful live presence,

TEN BEARS are lead by their incredible energy, charm and charisma and

have been causing a stir around Manchester and UK music venues, winning

over crowds where ever they go. Their energetic ‘cOSmiCDiRtRoCK’

delivers up pop slices such as ‘Charlie’, ‘To The Moon’ and ‘Braces’ -

and brings to life the inner mind thinkings of Ten Bears; Kris Hudson,

Luke Daniel, Dom Kozubik, Tim Estherby and Sam Hammond.

THE COMMUNICATORS  12.30 Friday night/Saturday morning

Critically acclaimed Ska band from the South West.

 

 

Formed in the early part of 2005 The Communicators began their journey as a covers band performing to sell out audiences across the country, playing tracks from the Specials, Bad Manners and Madness - plus many more. As their audiences have grown, so has their repertoire - finally culminating in the launch of their debut original album "Care in the Communicators" and a slot at this years Glastonbury Festival (2009).

With a banging back line consisting of Drums, Bass, Percussion & Keyboards! Coupled with a red hot guitar player, a Brass section Bad Manners would be proud of, great backing vocals and a front man that cuts the mustard not only vocally but in his skanking attitude also,

The Communicators are a must see for any one that has ever worn a pair of Dr Martins or a Crombie!

 

 

BOWJANGLES   5.30pm Saturday

Bowjangles funny string quartet is an organic performance process that has been constantly changing and developing for 4 years and shows no sign of becoming boring or samey yet! Bowjangles are all highly trained classical musicians from all over the world who have studied at Uk’s leading music schools.

 

 

MANKALA   2.30pm Saturday

Mankala : original live band, rhythmic energetic music, Afro-

Caribbean fusion. Driving tempos, percussion, simple tasteful guitar, 

grooving bass lines, smooth vocal harmonies. Unique uplifting sound 

with elements of afro-beat, reggae, zouk.

 

 

CHRIS JAGGERS ACOUSTIC ROOTS  7.00pm Sunday

Featuring Elliet Mackrell on Violin and David Hatfield  on Double Bass

Together they’ll present new tunes and old favourites – featuring a musical mix of folk, Americana, Hill Billy, country, cajun, and western swing with just a touch of the Irish !

Chris Jagger is a remarkable talent - with his feet firmly rooted in the heart of Somerset,

his career spans that of a singer, songwriter, writer and broadcaster (BBC Radio 2 has just aired Chris’  excellent three part series telling the story of Alexis Korner’s influence on British music from the late 60s).

 

 

 

BLISS CLUB NIGHT  10pm Saturday

Hosted by the vivacious Billie Lewis, BLISS guarantees a night of revelry and charm. This evening will be held in the Croissant Neuf tent at 10pm onwards on Saturday 28^th June. BLISS took the Brighton club scene by storm when it launched in 2005, profiling some of the best Dj’s in the UK with its upbeat and friendly atmosphere.

Dj’s playing include Billy Davie – with his taste of old and new house music and Andy Peat – with his mad vibes swinging through some indie anthems and thrashy punk into full on lumpy electronic sidesweeps at the pedestrian dance music of today…………………

Mr. B – The Gentleman Rhymer will be aiming to dazzle with dignity with his banjolele and stiff upper lip to perform ditties of pipe-smoking, high society, cricket and sexual misadventure, as well as some well known pieces from the world of Hip-Hop, reworked in true Chap-Hop fashion.

Between the Dj’s, compere and cabaret we welcome for the first time to Glastonbury festival the Chew Lips (midnight) – after doing the Indie Band Shuffle in previous bands in London, in the spring of this year vocalist Tigs and multi-instrumentalists James Watkins and Will Sanderson eventually decided to make music together – the result was the organic and purely accidental evolution of their current electronically enhanced sound.Expect a night of glam, glitz and surprises!

 

 

THE TRAVELLING BAND  7.00pm Friday

The Travelling Band take influence from folk, country, psyche and rock before filtering it through their own sunshine-POP sensibility. On their debut album, Under The Pavement released in November 2008 rarely has a British band of recent times sounded this fresh and timeless, here is a band who excel at sounding happy, sad, frustrated, and vulnerable, often at the same time, and their best songs, whether

they're fast or slow, feel like they're bursting with energy and wisdom. 

Praise for ‘Under The Pavement’:

“The Travelling Band take me back to my musical roots. Marvellous music to savour and enjoy” Michael Eavis, Glastonbury Festival.

KING G MALL & THE DHOL BLASTERS  1.00pm Friday

Dhol drum and Bhangra dance is very lively and colourful Traditional Cultural Folk Music and Dance from the Punjab, northern part of India. The Dhol Blasters are the world’s first team of young male and female vibrant players and dancers based in the UK – created and managed by one of the pioneers of Bhangra music industry in the Uk, world’s greatest Dhol maestro Gurchuran Mall.

Croissant Neuf Bandstand Entertainment








Glastonbury

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