Glastonbury is an assault on the senses. Flashing lights, deafening music, blazing sunshine and a cocktail of smells – none of them too pleasant. Yet at 3am in the smoking area of NYC Downlow on Saturday night, there was a distinctly fragrant aroma mingled in with the stench of cigarettes, sweat and portaloo. Sat on the floor among the smokers and gurners was singer Gracie Abrams, burning a stick of Palo Santo. The plant gives off a woody scent and is said to “cleanse negative energy”. Abrams is from LA, you see, and this was her first Glastonbury – she is more accustomed to the sanitised plains of Coachella.
She was sitting in a circle with boyfriend Paul Mescal, who was smoking a cigarette and deep in conversation with fellow actor Harris Dickinson. The pair will star together as Paul McCartney and John Lennon in the upcoming Beatles biopic by Sam Mendes. Soon after, a topless, profusely sweating Andrew Scott charged out of the club to give Mescal a hug as murmurs of “it’s the hot priest!” went up.
