This year’s iteration of the world’s most famous festival is its 55th — and it all kicks off tomorrow with headliners such as The 1975, Neil Young, and Olivia Rodrigo set to take the Pyramid Stage by storm. But long before it became the global spectacle it is today, Glastonbury was something different altogether.
It all began in 1970 when Somerset dairy farmer Michael Eavis, inspired by the Bath Blues Festival, put on a £1-a-ticket event at Worthy Farm (milk included). Just 1,500 people came. For Eavis, it was a lifeline — a way to keep the family farm afloat.
By the 1980s, it had grown into a haven for musicians, misfits, and activists — a muddy, chaotic, joyful collision of subcultures. These rarely-seen black-and-white photographs by Bristol photographer Beezer, shot during that era, capture Glastonbury in its rawest form. Long before it was fashionable, it was something far greater — free-spirited.
Keith Allen and a very tiny future pop star
From mud-splattered tot to Pyramid Stage pop star — Lily Allen, pictured here with her father Keith Allen, would go on to perform at Glastonbury in 2007 and 2009.
Baby Lily Allen, festival veteran in the making
Tents, straw, and a wide-eyed stare — baby Lily takes in her very first Glastonbury, years before she'd grace the stage.
Bob Geldof, pre-Live Aid, post-punk
Before Band Aid and global activism, Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats cuts a defiant figure — all tousled hair, double denim, and backstage confidence
A sea of mullets and magic at the Pyramid Stage
No drones, no phones — just music, mud and pure chaos. The 1980s crowd was a living tapestry of mohawks, mullets and tie-dye.
The Pyramid Stage at rest — and its most poetic
Before the crowds arrive, the now-iconic Pyramid Stage sits quietly — part sci-fi sculpture, part sacred space.
Elvis Costello, suited up and unbothered
Sharp suit, sharper stare. Elvis Costello poses backstage — looking effortlessly cool between sets, long before stylists got involved.
Paul Weller, camera-ready and cool
Off-stage and in the mud, Paul Weller keeps it sharp — camera around his neck, festival grit underfoot.
Black Uhuru bring military cool to Worthy Farm
Jamaican group Black Uhuru, pioneers of politically-charged reggae, brought fierce energy — and fierce looks — to 1980s Glastonbury
Mud, glorious mud
A rite of passage. These two revellers took the 'full immersion' approach to festival dressing — well before the era of Alexa Chung in Hunter wellies.
DIY tattoos and youth rebellion in canvas corners
A tattoo ‘studio’ in the loosest possible sense — a stool, a tent, and a handwritten sign. “Tattoo Artist OPEN.” Of course it was.
'Until Now: Volume I – A Life in Photos 1982–1986' by Beezer is published on July 31 and spans Glastonbury, Notting Hill Carnival, Bristol (PC Press)
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