The Official Chris Difford Website

Very Worthy Farm

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The beauty of friendship is that you never know its deepness until you age with it, and its an oxygen that keeps alive the vision and the journey of two people. Sometimes more. Being on stage at Glastonbury this weekend was like being on a magic carpet, i had no idea where i was going and and what the outcome would be, my feelings were mixed. I was tense, i was happy, i was relaxed and i was holding on to the very moments that surrounded me. I was breathing the oxygen of friendship. I first met Glenn in 1973, i looked out of the pub window in Blackheath to see him and Maxine there outside, as i walked out to meet them both i had no idea i was walking into the future and to this very moment. I feel so grateful and very blessed that our coming together has enveloped this love. As we lept through the set, and the years, my eyes soaked up the growing crowds, who seemed miles away from the stage, as the security barriers seemed a housing estate away. Yet the connection to the front row and beyond was easy to embrace, it was our time to link arms with our songs and the people who make them what they are on our journey. I saw many smiling faces and people singing, i saw flags and hats, i saw clouds and sunshine.

The Pyramid Stage is a cathedral of happiness, it has housed all of the greatest artists in its time and it was a complete honour to be there for the 50 minutes of our set. The band smiled and played so well, Simon so gracious with his playing, Lucy adding femininity to our songs, and a few tears in the wings after the show. Stephen as dapper and as professional as ever, and Melvin Duffy, the sunshine in our sky. His smiles keep me warm and distract me from over thinking. Glenn looked so happy too, like i have never seen him before in his nice shirt and suit. He played so well, he is one of the greatest guitarists and his singing so sublime and never ageing. Our songs in his hands are incredibly safe, always. In the wings after the set ended we hugged each other and hoovered in our place, the place where we had triumphed in the sunshine of our love.

It seems like we had been walking up hill for 42 years and now we were here at the top, we could look back down at all of the years before us, some good some not so good, but years nevertheless. From up here we can only make sense of our friendships and our songs, its a place to maybe relax and push forward with that Glastonbury experience under our belts. The inspiration from that one stage has made me think of one thing, the next album, the next Pyramid Stage. I have to sharpen my pencil however and understand the things i do best, and focus on a new ambition. When i got home from the festival i watched us on the tele, and i was right it was bloody good. I watched other bands too, Coldplay were not my cup of tea but the way they took the night into their hands is not to be disregarded by my lonely musical tastes. To cover and include a song by Viola Beach was just genius. We may never be that big as a band but we will be Squeeze and we will be happy like we were on stage this weekend, that is enough to fill the soul, for now.