This evening, my friends and I leave London to drive down to Worthy Farm. To say I am excited is an understatement.

I was fortunate enough to enjoy many festival experiences in my childhood and adolescence (a big shout out to Camp Bestival, Latitude, 110Above, and Kendal Calling), but I must admit there is something extra special knowing that this will be my first Glastonbury experience!

Ever prepared, over the last few weeks, I have been familiarising myself with many artists on the line-up, encountering many references to the classical world along the way, which I really look forward to sharing with you.

Unfortunately, I am yet to load up my car, so I am a little pressed for time. But in light of my last musing, which asked about the influence of Ridley Scott’s Gladiator in football, there’s one particular track I wanted to write about before I leave for Glastonbury.

The Streets – Turn The Page

On Saturday night, Mike Skinner’s The Streets will play the Other Stage. One track that might feature on their setlist? Turn the Page, the opening track of their debut album Original Pirate Material.

Its opening two lines? That’s it, turn the page on the day, walk away
‘Cause there’s sense in what I say, I’m 45th generation Roman.

Introducing himself and the music of The Streets to the world, Skinner makes a playful claim to be a descendant of ancient Rome.

Later, he raps the following…

In the afterlife, gladiators meet their maker / Float through the wheat fields and lakes of blue water / To the next life from the fortress / Away from the knives and slaughter / To their wives and daughters

Released in 2002, two years after Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Skinner’s lyrics seem to directly address the film’s iconic ending. The fallen hero, Maximus, returning home to the wheat fields, for which he has so long pined, united with his wife and children in death.

This reference raises many interesting questions, the likes of which I would love to explore during a PhD!

1. What is the significance of Gladiator, and specifically its closing scene, to Skinner?
2. The following lyrics occur elsewhere in Turn the Page. How do they contribute to the Roman-ness of the track? What is the impact of the classical world on the song’s meaning?
   • Then a figure emerges from the wastage / Eyes transfixed with a piercing gaze / One hand clutching his sword, raised to the sky / They wonder how, they wonder why.
   • Young bold soldiers, the fire burns, cracks, and smoulders / Five years older and wiser / The fires are burning, on fire, never tire / Slay warriors in the forests and on higher, we sing / Hear the strings rising, the war’s over, the bells ring.
   • But look at things the other way, ’cause it may well be your final day / And then the crowds roar, they slay, they all say
3. Do other references to the ancient world occur The Streets’ oeuvre? If so, why? What is their effect?
4. Will there be anything classical in The Streets’ performance of this song?

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The answer to this fourth and final question, I hope to discover in the fields!