My summer of music – the story of an Oxfam festivals volunteer

Oxfam volunteer Pete Lusby went to all the big festivals of 2007 – here are his top 10s from an amazing summer.

Pete's wristband collection after his summer festivals tour. Pete with volunteer campaigner Molly and blogger Sarah at Isle of Wight. Pete stewarding at Latitude Festival. Max from our Fairtrade coffee shop.

I’ve had a lot of nicknames in my life, but the most recent is 'Luzfest' – given to me by members of the Oxfam Youth Team. I’ve been volunteering in the team throughout the summer, helping to coordinate Oxfam’s work at all the big festivals. I think I got the nickname when I started going to other festivals during my few weekends off…

I’ve loved the whole season, despite wellies being the footwear of choice. At least Leeds and Isle of Wight were dry, and NASS was on concrete! I escaped without trench foot so it’s all good. I’ve done everything from hailing down tractors (to get our van towed out of the mud), nailing carpet onto muddy fields, and stewarding at wristband checkpoints, to coordinating Oxfam's presence at V Chelmsford, watching the Rolling Stones for free, and even driving the little Oxfam campervan.

It’s been a great summer and such a good opportunity. I’ve been to some amazing festivals and seen so many top bands (The Shins included) – here are some of my memories…

The music
1. Arcade Fire headlining Latitude - brilliant.
2. Peter, Bjorn & John - whistling Swedish people at Leeds.
3. Editors at Glastonbury, nearly lost my wellies in the mud jumping to 'The Racing Rats'.
4. The Coral – splashing about with mud people at Glastonbury.
5. Basement Jaxx at V Chelmsford, more jumping about in the rain.
6. Groove Armada playing Superstylin' to close Lovebox. I danced like a nutter – and watching 50,000 people ‘shake their ass’ at Isle of Wight.
7. Mr Hudson & The Library – opened the Other Stage at Glasto, the heavens opened on my poncho and the water ran into my wellies (they would never be dry after that moment), but it was worth it.
8. Beastie Boys at Rock Werchter in Belgium.
9. Elvis Perkins inviting Cold War Kids and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah onto the stage for his last song at Latitude.
10. Foo Fighters surprise set opening the second stage at V Chelmsford. Half the crowd didn’t realise who it was!

The madness
1. Waking up in Womad to a coffee from Max and a queue by my camp bed at the Oxfam Fairtrade coffee bar.
2. A Maori tribe’s haka at Womad.
3. Being dressed in an Oxfam wedding dress by a drunken lady in the Oxfam dance tent at Leeds.
4. Getting shampooed in the shower at Latitude just as the water ran out, then listening to people in other cubicles saying what I was thinking - "oh cr*p!”
5. Getting out of my freezing sleeping bag at Womad to put all my clothes on, and find some earplugs to drown out the guy next door selling "Hot, and Spicy Ciideerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" at 4am.
6. Drunk guy climbs up on Oxfam’s beautiful exhibition at Lovebox and falls through = one stressed Luzfest.
7. Bill Bailey at Latitude - hilarious quirky weirdness (to the tune of the Killers - "I've got ham, but I'm not a hamster").
8. My fiercely competitive game of Jenga with Shev at V Chelmsford, and finally winning at Connect 4 vs a Connect 4 genius!
9. Raving in the woods after my stewarding shift at Latitude.
10. DJ Drannie's set at V Chelmsford - bonkers.

The greatness
1. Enjoying a pear cider (on the grass!) at Glastonbury stone circle. Awesome, and so nice to finally sit down on a dryish spot.
2. Eating toasties from the Oxfam coffee bar to quench my hunger after an awesome Muse set at Isle of Wight.
3. The crowd cheering when Simon Pegg and Nick Frost kicked ass in Hot Fuzz - V Chelmsford.
4. Doing my stewarding shift on the disabled platform at Latitude, and watching all the bands.
5. Watching happy rockers and ravers in the Oxfam dance tent at Leeds.
6. Crazy MotoX bikers and breakdancers at Nass.
7. Dylan Moran.
8. ‘Manic Organic’ curry at Glastonbury.
9. Hot porridge in the morning at a wet and windy Womad.
10. Falling asleep on a beanbag in the sun after one of the best showers I’ve ever had at Womad... It had been a few days.