Glastonbury: Band win 'unbelievable' slot at 2024 festival

A singer whose band beat more than 1,000 acts to get a slot at Glastonbury Festival says the opportunity is "unbelievable".

Sam Evans, 28, from Somerset, performed with his self-titled band in The Pilton Stage finals on 16 March.

The group was chosen alongside London-based band Stone Jets by a panel including festival founder Sir Michael Eavis and presenter Sarah Beeny.

The bands will play on one of the main stages at the 2024 festival.

The Somerset group is also made up of Jonny Turner on guitar, Wilf Blomfield on drums and Ben Carver on bass guitar.

Evans said the band was started at school and it was incredible to see how far they had come.

"The journey we've been on since that first gig has taken us to countries including Romania, Ireland, France and, as well as lots of amazing things we've done, some rubbish gigs and tough times.

"You see it looking all shiny up on stage but it's a lot to keep it going and we didn't have an idea we would win out of that many people so it still hasn't sunk in," he said.

Evans said he had been musical since an early age and started learning piano after becoming interested in his grandparents' piano.

His father Paul Evans said his son had "always showed talent".

"When we heard Sam's name called saying the band had won, it was a moment of elation.

"We were really, really pleased for him, all those piano lessons have paid off," he added.

Evans said it was great to see his family and friends celebrating after all their support.

"When the announcement was made, my wife and mum were screaming and when I got home that evening my wife couldn't stop smiling.

"You can sacrifice a lot and miss things and don't get a lot of accolades with gigs, then with the pandemic it felt like things were dwindling, so this has given us a massive boost," he said.

Turner, who has been playing with the band for 10 years, said there was "no one on this planet I have a deeper musical connection with" than Evans.

"It is always a pleasure to share that with people," he added.

And Carver, who only joined the band six months ago, said winning the competition was "an absolute dream".

"Glastonbury is close to my heart and to play the legendary festival is unreal," he added.

Blomfield said he felt "privileged to play with such talented musicians".

"We've been on such a journey together with ups and downs but ultimately it's the joy of sharing positive energy that brings us to the stage time and time again," he added.

Evans said the band were now focussed on planning their set and making it "the best performance we've ever done".

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