MAYA LAKHANI has quickly gone from creating rock songs in her bedroom to performing on the live circuit and making a dynamic debut at the recent Glastonbury music festival. By lighting up the stage at the mammoth annual music event on the BBC Introducing stage, the British singer, songwriter and musician realised one of her biggest dreams. The self-made independent artist charted her great Glastonbury journey for Eastern Eye.
Beginning: My first Glastonbury festival experience as a music fan in 2016 exceeded my expectations. It was huge, full of amazing music and wonderful people. I had always watched the TV coverage, but being there was a hundred times better. I remember walking around the field and promising myself to one day return as a performer.
Realisation: I was performing at a great festival in London called Cro Cro Land in April, 2024. The wonderful Melita Dennett from BBC Introducing attended and asked to do an interview with me. Melita has really championed my music on BBC Introducing. We played our set and went to do our interview with Melita. My parents were also there. Halfway through the interview, Melita asked me “what would be your dream festival to play”? I responded straight away, saying “Glastonbury”. Melita then revealed I would be playing the BBC Introducing stage there. I couldn’t believe it and cried tears of joy. I was in shock, because it was such a big goal and dream of mine for nine years. This filmed moment is on my socials.
Band: I had my band assembled. Our incredible guitarist, Guy, is my partner. I feel very blessed that he shares his skills and talent with me. Our other guitarist, Sally-Anne, is a long-term friend and we were in a band together before Covid. I have always really admired her talent and spirit. I found our amazing drummer Kieran after putting up a post on Instagram. I met our brilliant bass player, Sabrina, through amazing organisation Girls Rock London.
The band after the show.
Rehearsals: We did 13 rehearsals for Glastonbury. I wanted to feel well-rehearsed, confident and comfortable about playing Glastonbury, and the way to do that is practise. Our set length was 30 minutes. I wrote a brand new song for Glastonbury called Forever & Ever. Our rehearsals started by perfecting this new song. We then decided on a final set list. The ‘show’ element of Glastonbury is very important, so I wanted to incorporate lots of audience participation and interaction. The Glastonbury BBC Introducing stage is large, so I also booked some rehearsals at a studio with big mirrors. This enabled us to craft the performance element of the show, along with full dress rehearsals. Our final rehearsal left me feeling confident the show was sounding great.
Journey: Although we were performing on a Sunday, we all made our way to the festival on Wednesday to beat the inevitable traffic jams. We hired a van to take all our equipment. On the way there, I was interviewed by the BBC Asian Network about playing Glastonbury. This made me even more excited. We arrived and eventually found our campsite. We had been allotted a space in the artists camping area. We did a lot of walking, carrying our equipment from the van to the campsite. We walked into the main festival ground and saw the BBC Introducing stage. I was so excited when I saw that stage. It was really big, but also in such a great area of the festival. I couldn’t wait to rock that stage.
Build up: From Thursday to Saturday, we explored the festival and enjoyed the many amazing acts that were performing. We also watched other brilliant artists on the BBC Introducing stage to get familiar with it. Whilst enjoying the festival, I made sure I was sensible and not singing along to all the other artists, to preserve my voice for the show on Sunday.
Rehearsals for Glastonbury
Getting ready: Sunday finally arrived. The day of my Glastonbury show. We were performing at 2.30pm. I got up early and prepared. Prior to arriving at the festival, I had booked a shampoo and blow dry at the festival salon. Glastonbury being dusty means it’s hard to keep your hair clean, so it felt great to have my hair done professionally on the show day. When I told the stylists I was performing, they went above and beyond to make sure my hair looked amazing. I also was wearing a tikka on my head, as part of my outfit. They made sure it was securely pinned in my hair. I then headed to the BBC Introducing backstage area with the rest of my band.
Final preparations: We had a final unplugged practise of the songs, then continued to get ready. In May, I made a trip to Southall with my parents, to find the perfect stage outfit. Wearing Indian outfits and jewellery onstage is something that has become increasingly important to me. I find it empowering to display my heritage proudly. After getting my outfit on, it was time to head to the stage. We did our soundcheck with the engineers, and then it was show time.
The show: I heard my band playing and ran out on stage. All the nerves had gone. I was just excited. I said, “hello Glastonbury”. Words I had always dreamed of saying. We began playing my songs and the audience were responding really well. The time was flying by on stage. When we got to the last song, I thought I had actually missed a song, because it was all over so quickly. Time really does fly when you’re having fun.
Team practising before the show
The Line: We ended the set with my debut single The Line. This was the song that I wrote, recorded and produced from my bedroom in lockdown, 2020. When I wrote it, I never knew if I would have the opportunity to perform it live, so it felt special to be performing it at Glastonbury. I had so much fun playing all the songs. We ran off stage at the end and had a big group hug as a band. We had all worked so hard to make this the best show ever and were on such a high after it went so well.
Other shows: There are so many amazing acts at Glastonbury. I really enjoyed watching Kate Nash, Coldplay and PJ Harvey, as well as seeing circus and dance acts. It was very inspiring to watch other people perform before doing our show. After our show on the Sunday, we went to see Avril Lavigne. I sang my heart out to her songs, and it felt like such a celebration.
Press: The day after we got back from Glastonbury, I was invited to go to BBC News South East to talk about my experience. This was my first time being on TV. It was very exciting. They had created a reel of pictures from the festival. It felt quite emotional watching it back. I wanted to relive the experience.
Future: I am currently working on my debut EP, which will be released later this year. I am next playing the Decolonise music festival on September 14 in London. I’m hoping to return to Glastonbury and working on it already. I am manifesting that Pyramid stage.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Man pleads not guilty to murder of BBC presenter's family
A 26-year-old man has pleaded not guilty to charges of murdering the wife and two daughters of BBC sports commentator John Hunt in a crossbow and knife attack.
Kyle Clifford, who also faces charges of rape, appeared via video link at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.
Clifford, arrested in July after a manhunt, is charged with three counts of murder, one count each of rape and false imprisonment, and two counts of possessing offensive weapons – a 10-inch knife and a crossbow.
During the hearing, Clifford denied all the charges except for the rape charge, which was added to the indictment at the session.
He is expected to enter a plea for that charge at a later date.
The victims were Carol Hunt, 61, wife of horseracing commentator John Hunt, and their daughters Louise, 25, and Hannah, 28.
An earlier hearing revealed that Louise had been found tied up and that both she and her sister had been shot with a crossbow, while their mother had been stabbed with a knife.
The fatal attack occurred at the family’s home in Bushey, a commuter town near Watford, northwest of London.
(With inputs from AFP)