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| Damp Glastonbury gets under way | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Glastonbury Festival starts in earnest today, as the main musical programme gets under way. | |
| Acts on the opening day include Rita Ora, Chic, Dizzee Rascal and headliners Arctic Monkeys. | Acts on the opening day include Rita Ora, Chic, Dizzee Rascal and headliners Arctic Monkeys. |
| Drummer Matt Helders told the BBC the band would "have some fun" with their set. | Drummer Matt Helders told the BBC the band would "have some fun" with their set. |
| By Thursday evening, 118,000 ticket holders were on site - giving Worthy Farm in rural Somerset a population about the same size as Chester. | By Thursday evening, 118,000 ticket holders were on site - giving Worthy Farm in rural Somerset a population about the same size as Chester. |
| Another 62,000 people are due to arrive by the time the festival is fully underway. | Another 62,000 people are due to arrive by the time the festival is fully underway. |
| The three-day event caters to all tastes, with cutting-edge dance acts Skrillex and Rudimental rubbing shoulders with veteran entertainers like Kenny Rogers and Sir Bruce Forsyth. | The three-day event caters to all tastes, with cutting-edge dance acts Skrillex and Rudimental rubbing shoulders with veteran entertainers like Kenny Rogers and Sir Bruce Forsyth. |
| As tradition dictates, the site was drenched with rain on Thursday. What was forecast as a short, sharp shower turned into an all-day deluge. | As tradition dictates, the site was drenched with rain on Thursday. What was forecast as a short, sharp shower turned into an all-day deluge. |
| It did little to dampen spirits, however. Revellers either retreated to indoor arenas or made the most of the sludge - creating impromptu mud slides and assault courses around the 900-acre site. | It did little to dampen spirits, however. Revellers either retreated to indoor arenas or made the most of the sludge - creating impromptu mud slides and assault courses around the 900-acre site. |
| Angels | Angels |
| Performances also got underway at the vaudevillian Shangri-La area, where an early-afternoon soundcheck by Japanese brass punk band Asakusa Jinta drew such a crowd that it turned into a full-blown set. | Performances also got underway at the vaudevillian Shangri-La area, where an early-afternoon soundcheck by Japanese brass punk band Asakusa Jinta drew such a crowd that it turned into a full-blown set. |
| Shangri-La is tucked away in the darker confines of the South-East corner, and harbours some of the alternative spirit of the original Glastonbury Festival in 1970. | Shangri-La is tucked away in the darker confines of the South-East corner, and harbours some of the alternative spirit of the original Glastonbury Festival in 1970. |
| This year's theme is Heaven and Hell - the idea being that Glastonbury's year off in 2012 coincided with the apocalypse, and revellers must now enter the afterlife. | This year's theme is Heaven and Hell - the idea being that Glastonbury's year off in 2012 coincided with the apocalypse, and revellers must now enter the afterlife. |
| Split into two areas, guests can choose to party in the seven circles of hell - where bars are strewn with bullets and rifle shells, and transgender nurses perform "an enema of the soul" on unwitting volunteers. | Split into two areas, guests can choose to party in the seven circles of hell - where bars are strewn with bullets and rifle shells, and transgender nurses perform "an enema of the soul" on unwitting volunteers. |
| If you would prefer to spend an evening in heaven, where the sofas are trimmed with fur, and the bars have working fountains, you must first convince an "admin angel" that you are worthy of the honour. | If you would prefer to spend an evening in heaven, where the sofas are trimmed with fur, and the bars have working fountains, you must first convince an "admin angel" that you are worthy of the honour. |
| The lucky few will be given a gold wristband… and be forced to remove their wellies, in case they mess up the Glastonbury God's pristine white carpets. | The lucky few will be given a gold wristband… and be forced to remove their wellies, in case they mess up the Glastonbury God's pristine white carpets. |
| Dressed like a film set, it is one of many distractions from the music. Others include a giant (and currently mud-strewn) Twister board; and the Block9 nightclub - which has been designed to look like a 50ft tower block with a life-size, flaming tube train bursting out of the fifth floor. | Dressed like a film set, it is one of many distractions from the music. Others include a giant (and currently mud-strewn) Twister board; and the Block9 nightclub - which has been designed to look like a 50ft tower block with a life-size, flaming tube train bursting out of the fifth floor. |
| But music will be the focus of the weekend, with The Rolling Stones the main attraction on Saturday night. | But music will be the focus of the weekend, with The Rolling Stones the main attraction on Saturday night. |
| "It's one of those things you thought might never happen," Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis told the BBC. "It was amazing when we got the call to say they'd confirmed." | "It's one of those things you thought might never happen," Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis told the BBC. "It was amazing when we got the call to say they'd confirmed." |
| Eavis added that her father Michael, who established the festival in 1970, was "thrilled" by their appearance. | Eavis added that her father Michael, who established the festival in 1970, was "thrilled" by their appearance. |
| Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones' former bassist Bill Wyman also takes to the stage on Friday with his band The Rhythm Kings. | Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones' former bassist Bill Wyman also takes to the stage on Friday with his band The Rhythm Kings. |
| And Solange Knowles plays during the afternoon, two years after her sister Beyonce headlined the Pyramid Stage. | And Solange Knowles plays during the afternoon, two years after her sister Beyonce headlined the Pyramid Stage. |
| Opening the festival's second-biggest arena - the Other Stage - on Friday morning will be Liam Gallagher, making an unbilled appearance with his new band Beady Eye. | Opening the festival's second-biggest arena - the Other Stage - on Friday morning will be Liam Gallagher, making an unbilled appearance with his new band Beady Eye. |
| The former Oasis frontman headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004, although he claimed not to have enjoyed the experience. | The former Oasis frontman headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004, although he claimed not to have enjoyed the experience. |
| "You can hear the crowd talking while you're playing," he complained. "They don't put any money into the PA and it's full of idiots." | "You can hear the crowd talking while you're playing," he complained. "They don't put any money into the PA and it's full of idiots." |
| Rumours of further "secret appearances" are always rife at Glastonbury, and this year's crop range from the likely (Fatboy Slim and Radiohead's Thom Yorke) to the fanciful (David Bowie). | Rumours of further "secret appearances" are always rife at Glastonbury, and this year's crop range from the likely (Fatboy Slim and Radiohead's Thom Yorke) to the fanciful (David Bowie). |
| Rain is forecast to continue until 08:00 BST on Friday morning, but the sun is due to shine on the festival for the rest of the weekend. | Rain is forecast to continue until 08:00 BST on Friday morning, but the sun is due to shine on the festival for the rest of the weekend. |