Fran had no idea the band’s 1999 set would be so memorable (Picture: Pete Still/Redferns)
Glastonbury is mere days away, and while it’s unclear who will emerge as the most unforgettable act this year, there is no denying who claimed the title in 1999.
The Scottish band Travis, helmed by Fran Healy, was relatively new to the music scene when they first appeared at the festival, having only released their debut album, Good Feeling, in 1997.
But, everyone knew their name after they took to the Other Stage on June 26, 1999.
Despite the day being full of sunshine and warmth, the band – Healy, bassist Dougie Payne, guitarist Andy Dunlop, and drummer Neil Primrose – did something no other artist had done before: They made it rain.
The band have recalled the fateful day multiple times, most recently when Healy and Dunlop appeared on Kate Thornton’s White Wine Question Time podcast in 2021.
Healy said while on stage, he told the crowd he could see ‘a big cloud coming’ in the distance. ‘No one believed me,’ he said, ‘until we played this song.’
Hundreds of thousands of music lovers attend the festival each year (Picture: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
The performance catapulted the band into newfound fame (Picture: Pete Still/Redferns)
The frontman was referring to the band’s single, Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
Within the first few chords of the tune being played, rain began pelting down on the crowd, and Healy said the band felt as though they had done an ‘average show’.
‘It was a big chance for us, and we sort of blew it, and it was like “Better luck next time, lads.” We just left. We just left Glastonbury!’ He said.
‘It was really one of those things that just passed me by,’ Dunlop added. ‘I mean, people looked miserable, and it was raining. It wasn’t really one of the things that you felt, “Oh, this is history!”‘
Dunlop said while he stuck around at the festival to enjoy what it had to offer, Healy went home, and it was there that he realised the band’s performance was the talk of the festival.
Fran thought the band’s set had ruined everyone’s day… little did he know (Picture: Pete Still/Redferns)
‘I got back that night, turned on the telly. It was Joe Whiley and John Peel, and they were talking about us and talking about how we were the band of the weekend,’ he said. ‘They showed us playing, and it was amazing!’
The following day, the story was all over the news and earned the band not only new popularity but also the title of ‘the band of the weekend’ and, later, the band who quite literally made it rain at Glastonbury.
The band’s second studio album, The Man Who, dominated the U.K. charts in the following weeks, taking out the number-one spot before winning Best Album at the Brit Awards the following year.
On July 26, 1999 the sun was shining all day, until Travis came on (Picture: Hayley Madden/Rex/Shutterstock)
The band returned to the stage in 2000 where they were a main headliner (Picture: Kevin Hayes MET/ YouTube/@travistheband)
They also won Best Band and, with their newfound success, went on to do a 237-date world tour before returning to Glastonbury in 2000 as a main headliner.
Healy reflected on the band’s seemingly overnight success, telling Thornton, ‘I think with most points when they sort of pivot, you don’t really notice at the time’.
Travis became a muse for bands like Coldplay and Starsailor, with their gentle approach to rock, and they went on to top charts with their subsequent releases, including The Invisible Band in 2001.
The album featured multiple hit songs, including Britain’s most played song on the radio that summer, Sing, as well as Side and Flowers in the Window.
Travis – who has collaborated with the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and Noel Gallagher, recently released their new single, Gaslight, in anticipation of their upcoming album, L.A. Times, which will be released on July 12.
While they won’t be returning to Glastonbury for the 25th anniversary of their historic performance, they are touring with The Killers as part of their 14-date UK summer tour.
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