Llangollen Eisteddfod can be just like Glastonbury for Wales Jul 10 2009 by Steve Bag

Llangollen Eisteddfod can be just like Glastonbury for Wales
Jul 10 2009 by Steve Bagnall, Daily Post

THE International Eisteddfod has can be the Glastonbury of Wales said Mike Peters.

The popular Alarm frontman from Prestatyn was Day President at the Llangollen Festival and believes it has a special pedigree to appeal to everybody.

Mike was only a child when he was last at the Eisteddfod with his dad years ago.

But yesterday he saw for himself the incredible ability of the festival to bring everybody together through music.

�I can�t help but see it through the eyes of a rock and roll artist as such as T in the Park and Glastonbury, but represents a more folk element of the culture,� Mike said.

�There is a great atmosphere and you are immediately struck that it is about peace and love and understanding and those are the core values of rock and roll.

�I see it is a modern new age festival that has the potential to go forward into the future based on its great grass roots founding.

�When you look at the trend in music festivals at this time, Glastonbury had its best ever year and it is not just the up and coming acts.

�Bruce Springsteen played, Neil Young, Tom Jones, last year it was Paul McCartney.

�And in a way they are all taking something from this festival, because to survive you have to appeal to all age groups.

�That is something rock and roll has forgotten how to do in regaining its all-encompassing foothold which is what great music has always been about that it appeals to everybody.�

He added: �We have a festival here in Llangollen and this could be the one to rival others such as Glastonbury or the T in the Park, in Scotland.

�And why not because we need one in Wales.�

Mike, from Rhyl, has battled to overcome cancer twice and established the Love, Hope Strength Foundation, charity raising cash to eradicate the disease.

He has performed at the top of the Empire State Building and recorded the highest gig in the world on Everest for the charity.

Mike also gigs on Snowdon annually for Love, Hope Strength.

And now he is thinking about a way to integrate it into the Eisteddfod.

�I never came here with that in mind,� he said.

�But seeing it I just thought it was the perfect place, with the symbolic messages that it is sending out, the holding of hands, and the silence.

�It is something that we do on our walks, such as Everest were we held a silence and up Snowdon where people may climb to remember someone they lost.

�It�s always one of the most powerful moments in the journey and I thought it was natural that maybe it was something we could tie in here.�

Yesterday the new President of the Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, David Fowler, was also at the Eisteddfod to plant a tree as a special memento of his visit.

stevebagnall