The downsides of selling out

The fuss about Glastonbury not selling out straight aways pretty bemusing, with a small media meltdown meaning that we had numerous articles asking if Britain's best-known festival has 'lost it', and whether the choice of headliner Jay-Z in some way contributed to the whole darned fiasco.

But why exactly should it need to sell out so suddenly? There were many comparisons to the Leeds and Reading festivals, which sold out in hours, but little objective explanation that the complicated and extremely secure registration process for Glastonbury prevents bulk purchases, and means that those who get the tickets are actually required to use them, rather than then punting them on eBay for obscene amounts. Indeed, the increased success of the system may actually account for the slower take-up of tickets for Glastonbury compared to their competitors.

Also, more time to buy tickets means that, rather than a frenzied rush of those swept up in the hype, those who have properly surveyed the line-up will be more likely to go along - as will those younger cash-strapped kids of the generation that Michael Eavis wants to see adding vitality to his annual shindig. It seems that we need everything to be an instant smash hit sell out nowadays or else it's perceived as a failure, but surely the slow road is often the most satisfying, even if it doesn't allow for such shocking headlines.

Track of the week

Broken Records - Nearly Home
http://www.myspace.com/brokenrecordsedinburgh

A lot of people may already have latched on to the hype, but for those who haven't here's a band you're bound to hear much more of in the next year. Their string-saturated, epic sweep has drawn comparisons to Arcade Fire, but there's something quite different here, a rather satisfying Scottishness imbuing the track with a tender melancholic edge reminiscent of fellow Scots Frightened Rabbit. Billowing brass and menacing percussive hits build up the song into something of sublime beauty for a band still in the early stages of their career.

Video of the week
Crystal Castles - Courtship Dating