How does it feel playing your first Glastonbury?

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Lauran Hibberd and Ed Wetenhall

"It's an institution in the UK, but also the whole world knows about Glastonbury. It's the biggest party on earth, right?"

Ed Wetenhall has never experienced the mud, music and moshing of Glastonbury. But this year his band Ed The Dog (he's the Ed part) will be on the BBC Introducing Stage.

"I keep asking people what Glastonbury is like and everyone is like 'it's massive,'" he told Radio 1 Newsbeat.

"Apparently looking out over the tents and stuff is a crazy feeling. I've got to take this all in and play a couple of shows, I'm more excited than I am terrified. I just feel very honoured."

Ed's band released their debut album last year, "made in a sweaty room" he tells us, and since then they've done rather well.

Supporting Circa Waves, playing alongside Young Blood and doing a Maida Vale session for Radio 1 are among the highlights, but Ed reckons Glastonbury will top it all.

"I am so excited to be playing. Even if no-one turns up it's going to be amazing for me."

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Lauran Hibberd will also be playing Glastonbury for the first time, having also never set foot on the festival site before.

She was one of Huw Stephens' Ones To Watch for 2019 and he's rarely wrong about these things. A Glastonbury booking has followed a UK, Ireland and EU tour with the band Hippo Campus.

Her growing reputation as an artist didn't stop her "running round her bedroom like a five year old" when she got the news.

"It's such a bucket list for me. I think for every musician, playing Glastonbury is a huge thing. I've always dreamt of going let alone playing, I'm a total newbie, so wish me luck!"

And if you're heading to Glastonbury and intend to take full advantage, don't think it's any different for an artist.

"We're going to try and milk this. I want to try and meet some celebrities. We'll be going wherever my wristband will get me. If I leave without meeting Miley Cyrus, I'm done, I quit."

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There is one nightmare situation for a band making their festival debut. Being on at the same time as a big name. Nobody wants to go up against Kylie, right?

"We clash with Hosier I think, which I'm slightly worried about but not too worried," Ed says.

"I don't think there's too much fan crossover, like we've got loads of fans at Glastonbury! But I hope there's going to be some people there to watch, we're going to give it our all."

After a quick search online, Lauran realises she's on at nearly the same time as Bring Me The Horizon and Loyle Carner.

"I feel all right about that. An 'in between' act I can be. As long as I don't clash with Miley Cyrus I'll be fine. How many times can I get the words Miley Cyrus in to this conversation?"

Image caption,

The biggest festival Ed has played so far is Reading and Leeds

Let's be honest, there's a lot of competition at Glastonbury. With literally hundreds of bands vying for attention, what's the one thing that makes these debutants different? Ed's answer takes some beating.

"My grandad directed an adult film called Erotic Inferno. He lives next door to me, he's the most wonderful man on the planet and yes he did direct a porn film in the 70s."

As far Lauran, well it certainly explains why we're not talking to someone called Lauren...

"My name is spelt incorrectly because my dad spelt it wrong on the birth certificate. Please come and sympathise me because it's the bane of my life."

Image caption,

It's Lauran, not Lauren. Blame Dad for that one

One thing both of our newbies agree on, playing Glastonbury means they'll have achieved something they can be proud of forever.

"I remember someone asking me the year before last 'do you want to get Glastonbury tickets' and I was like 'what's the point, I'll never get in, I'll watch it on the iPlayer'.

"So it's so weird, so weird, to say I'm playing Glastonbury. It's beyond my comprehension at the moment."

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

"I'll probably give out some high fives, maybe throw some wellies in to the crowd." Ed has a plan for working his first ever Glastonbury crowd

For Lauran, being able to say she's playing the most famous festival in the world is the ultimate answer to anyone who ever dares to raise their eyebrows at her job title again.

"I think this is the happiest I've ever been in my whole entire life.

"It feels like now I can tell people that I'm a musician and say things like 'I'm playing Glastonbury' and they'll look impressed, because for years I've been telling people I'm a musician and they've just nodded at me, the way you nod at someone when you don't fully understand what they're saying.

"Even my Nan's impressed. I'm like 'yeah Nan - check this out!'"

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