The Budweiser Crown Bar at Glastonbury 2005 was more than just a place to sip the sponsors finest brew, it was a space which showcased fresh sounds from a wide variety of Live acts and DJs. Once the mud had dried, the stages dismantled and the Glasontonbury bandwagon rolled out of South West England, RA caught up with Rob Da Bank.

Rob is known for breaking new artists and sounds through his Friday night Radio 1 show and sights the much loved and respected John Peel as his biggest inspiration. Having slept in a tent which sprung a leak during the heavy rain, programmed the Saturday night at The Crown and partied with the rest of us at Lost Vagueness, Rob was the perfect person to give us his wrap up of RA’s festival of the year.

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis said in an onsite interview that he drew inspiration from the Glastonbury punters, did they had the same effect on you whilst you were performing at the Budweiser Crown Bar?

Absolutely... there were about 4000 out there at the peak of my final set and it was electric in there that night ... one of the best gigs I’ve done in years ... bearing in mind all that had gone on and the conditions it couldn’t have been better. The British fighting spirit was out in force.

We have all seen the photos, and those there felt the raw power of the elements as they ravaged the Glastonbury set-up, did it cause any problems for you?

well i got an unexpected cold shower when the roof of my yurt (Mongolian tribesman tent!) collapsed during the storm and poured gallons of freezing rain water on my head! my radio 1 shows nearly had to be done from Bristol too as the radio 1 generators almost got washed away!

"Unfortunately id left my copy of Flanders & Swanns ‘mud mud glorious mud’ at home"

What was the biggest tune you dropped over the weekend?
Unfortunately id left my copy of Flanders & Swanns ‘mud mud glorious mud’ at home so probably my finishing tune - queen's don’t stop me now!

Which band/DJ/artist impressed you the most?
The magic numbers without a doubt - playing in the john peel tent they blew everyone else away.

Rob Da Bank on Glastonbury

There is no doubt that there is something special about 'The Vibe' at Glastonbury that can't be found elsewhere. Do you have any theories as to why this is?

Sheer scale – 120,000 people out for a good time cant be bettered especially when it gets to the witching hours after midnight and people get a bit mischievous.

As you say, the shear scale of the event has to be seen to be believed, and yet the organization and stages production is of the highest order. Have you adopted any of the ideas used at Worthy Farm for your Bestival event?

My wife Josie and me are whole hearted Eavis devotees so we’ve been checking out his style for 13 years now and have learnt loads about festivals and how to keep people entertained and how to keep the loos clean!

John Peel received his much dissevered plaudits and remembrance during the weekend. You had the privilege of working alongside one of the great men of modern music. What can you tell us about working alongside him, and what affect has he had on your career?

The most important person to me by a mile in terms of inspiring me to seek out new music and just do what I do ignoring fads and styles.

"[Lost Vagueness] the best bit of glasters for me again - so many crazy loons and such fun."

Your Radio 1 show has a clear focus on pushing upcoming sounds, did anyone at Glastonbury that you hadn't heard of before perk up your ears after a memorable performance?

I saw Baaba Mal on the Jazz stage who was just injecting the whole field with this incredible energy and lifting us out of the mud with spiritual magical African music.

Lost Vagueness is a wonderful place full of randomness and liveliness, did you wander down to this exciting corner of the festival. If so, did you see anything memorable?

Yes I was camped behind it so spent far too much time in there! the best bit of glasters for me again - so many crazy loons and such fun.