UK electronica band Years & Years, known for their hit song "Shine", were faced with every band's worst nightmare at Australian music festival Spendour in the Grass over the weekend: they were there, but all their equipment was stuck in Canada.
"It was the worst," said bassist Mikey. Singer Olly described the moment as "kind of crazy", saying "we were all behind the curtain trying to make the equipment we'd borrowed work. We were already running 15 minutes late and we could hear the crowd chanting, clapping and we were just like 'oh no, this is so awful!'" In the end, they pulled it together, saying that it turned out OK in the end, and that the crowd was really nice about the 30 minute delay. So we asked them to solve all our other festival woes.
When you lose your friends and your phone is dead:
Emre: Well I think the solution is to have a plan before. Decide with your friends on a spot to meet, before you lose your phone. Then, have a time to meet there.
Olly: I would just stay in one place, and shout my friend's name. You should always stay in one place.
When you're stuck at the front of the pit and you really need to pee:
Olly: Pee! Just let it go! It's cooling... oh no, not cooling...
Emre: It's warming...
Olly: THEN cooling! No one can tell, and if they can, some people might be into it...
Emre: Or get a Shewee, and a bottle. If you're a guy, just the bottle.
Mikey Just for the record, if you're a guy, you don't need the Shewee. They stole that idea from us.
When your two favourite acts are on at the same time:
Emre: Flip a coin. Or go to the one that's nearest to you.
Olly: You wouldn't do half of one and then half of the other?
Mikey: No, 'coz they always play the best songs last.
Olly: Yeah... that's true.
Emre: Or do that thing where you're at a restaurant and you can't decide...
Mikey: Between the duck, or the beef...
Emre: ...so you just wait for the waiter to come, and then you just blurt it out. Tell your friend to ask you what you want to see, and then go to whatever you blurt out.
When it’s going to be hot all day but cold at night, and you don’t want to carry a jacket around the whole time:
Mikey: Shirt. So you can roll your sleeves up, and then at night, roll them back down.
Emre: Or, you pee yourself.
Olly: Just tie a jumper around your waist?
When you're low on funds and have to choose between food or another beer:
Emre: I'd say eat.
Olly: Yeah, food.
When you don't know how many social media posts is too many, or when to post them:
Olly: I kind of feel like more than one Instagram post per day is too many.
Emre: Under normal circumstances, but if you're at a festival, I think one post per act.
Mikey: Woah.
Olly: The thing is, no one really cares about your picture, because it's always a really bad picture of someone really far away. You just wanna post it to be like "I saw them." It's not gonna be like, a good social media post. I think just one post, and posted after the show.
Emre: No, during!
Mikey: Day after. You need to crop, and choose your filters. Takes awhile.
When your friend went too hard, is way too messy, and your favourite act is about to go on:
Mikey: Leave 'em. Ditch 'em. Forget about 'em.
Emre: A few weeks ago, I was at Glastonbury, and one girl twisted her ankle, she couldn't walk. So, we took her back to the tent, left her there. Try to leave them in a safe environment, and then bugger off.
When you randomly see someone you hate in the pit:
Mikey: Start a mosh-pit fight.
Olly: Yell at them: "I hate you!"
Mikey: ...that'll teach them.
When you unexpectedly run into your favourite artist of the day:
Emre: Just, uhhhh... lick them.
Olly: Ummm... take a lock of their hair? Snip it off!
When you're in the pit and there's an actual giant in front of you:
Olly: An actual giant?!?!
Mikey: Ask if you can sit on their shoulders.
When you and your boo want to see different acts at the same time:
Emre: It depends on how much you want to see your favourite act. You come to an agreement, or you bribe them somehow. But I think stick with your boo. 'Coz they're your boo. But if they're really your boo, they'd come with you.
Mikey: Now there's a rhyme.
When you've gone too hard, too early, but all your favourite acts are coming up and you need to fix your life:
Mikey: Coconut water.
Olly: Berocca. Coffee... although not too much coffee, 'coz that can give you a heart attack. Um... eat something. Nap! Have a nap! Or just keep going. Embrace it, embrace your messiness.
When your friend is having a terrible time and won't stop complaining:
Mikey: Booze.
Olly: I wanna unfriend them? Like "stop complaining, I don't need you. You're not my friend anymore."
Mikey: Bold.
When you break a toe in the mosh:
Olly: You know, sometimes you don't even feel when you break a toe.
Mikey: Yeah, just keep going.
Emre: Oh, I've broken the big one. You feel it. Go to the first-aid tent.
Olly: That's sensible.
Thanks for the great advice, Years & Years!
Years & Years' debut album Communion is out now!
