From its early-’70s beginnings, Glastonbury (or Glasto, as it’s affectionately known) has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious music festivals. The event, held annually save for intermittent “fallow” years, happens at Worthy Farms in South West England. Throughout its decades-long history, Glastonbury has hosted some of music’s most iconic moments. Who could forget the 1995 Pulp performance, cementing them as UK Britpop royalty? Or Jay-Z taking on the establishment notion that Glastonbury was for guitar bands in 2008? Let’s not count out Dolly Parton’s uplifting 2014 set, affirming her stature with multiple generations of music lovers.
This year, the fest boasts headliners like Charli XCX, The 1975, Doechii, and Olivia Rodrigo. Three members of the Glastonbury Class of 2025—Colm Conlan with CMAT, Dani Bernard with RAYE, and Will White with The Maccabees—give us the inside scoop on the year’s most exciting moments, offer advice, and reveal how V-STAGE is upping their live setup.
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Colm Conlan W/ CMAT
CMAT is the stage name of Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, an Irish country artist with a treasure trove of great tunes and a glittery live show. As keyboard player with the rising star, Colm Conlan has been making waves as well, even earning nods from The Guardian for live dueting with Thompson on “Where Are Your Kids Tonight?” Conlan also creates adventurous pop music as Púca.
What has been the most exciting moment at this year’s festival?
Hands down, walking on to play the Pyramid stage. Early on in the set, I could sense how well it was going and was immediately able to feel comfortable and enjoy myself. Once in a lifetime stuff. The first song of the CMAT set, “Have Fun!,” begins with only piano and drums, so immediately I needed to be locked in.
How does playing V-STAGE impact your performance in a live festival setting like Glastonbury?
My style of performance is high energy and high demand. For me, my role in the Very Sexy CMAT Band incorporates the use of percussion, involvement in dance breaks, and backing vocals, so I need a user-friendly and powerful instrument to accommodate quick and seamless scene changes.
"My style of performance is high energy and high demand, so I need a user-friendly and powerful instrument to accommodate quick and seamless scene changes."
CMAT’s music spans and references many genres and styles, so a large arsenal of sounds and tones is needed, which can be found onboard and on Roland Cloud. The V-STAGE keys are as close to a real acoustic piano as you can get, and they feel sturdy and comfortable to touch. In a high-adrenaline environment, you need an instrument to feel trustworthy, reactive, and responsive.
How have you customized your V-STAGE setup for your set?
V-STAGE 88 has helped me to create intuitive and wonderful sounding splits for many songs in the CMAT set, often using the right side of V-STAGE for synth sounds, and organ/piano/electric piano parts on the left. The screen onboard allows all parameters and customizations to be viewed clearly for reference, including the customized split point. Songs are organized into Chains, with separate scenes for songs with multiple patch parts.
I have added and installed some classic synth sounds from the JUNO using Roland Cloud Ultimate membership, which has helped consolidate what could be a very large keys rig into one instrument. This is very handy for festival season and changeovers that pass in the blink of an eye.
Having recorded the piano on the CMAT records, I am often hunting for a very hyper-specific tone and feel for certain songs to remind me of the record, the acoustic piano I recorded on, and how it would translate to a live setting. The piano designer setting helps me delve into these processes with great detail and care.
"Don't be afraid to explore and do things your way. If it sounds good, then push forward with discovering new sounds and techniques to achieve your maximum potential."
Do you have any advice for musicians interested in adding V-STAGE to their touring rig?
Don’t be afraid to explore and do things your way. If it sounds good, then push forward with discovering new sounds and techniques to achieve your maximum potential as a player, as well as the potential of the instrument.
The onboard audio interface makes it almost plug-and-play. It is intuitive, user-friendly, and accommodating to what you may ask of it. The Roland team has been a great help in any technical hiccups in making my move to V-STAGE, and has answered all questions to help me learn to use V-STAGE in a live setting efficiently.
Will White w/ The Maccabees
Will White is one of three siblings in UK-based indie act The Maccabees, alongside his brother Hugo and Felix. The band exploded in the aughts with their debut, Colour It In, and went on to international success and critical acclaim. While The Maccabees disbanded for a few years, the group has returned reinvigorated and festival-ready. In addition to his work in the band, White creates music as a solo artist under the name BLANc.
"Having Florence join us felt special, feeling the energy she brings to the stage."
What has been the most exciting moment at this year’s festival?
We got into the festival quite late, so we didn’t get a chance to see many people play. But having Florence join us felt special, feeling the energy she brings to the stage. Also, Freddie Wordsworth from Caroline, one of my favorite bands, joined us on trumpet at the end with practically no rehearsal and nailed it.
How does playing V-STAGE impact your performance in a live festival setting like Glastonbury?
It’s versatile and simple to jump around between sounds, making festivals much easier to navigate.
How have you customized your V-STAGE setup for your set?
I’ve been going through the BOSS DM-101 to bring width to some of the brass/pad sounds and using it as a delay on electric piano, and it’s cool—great for long delay tails and swells.
Do you have any advice for musicians interested in adding V-STAGE to their touring rig?
If you need loads of stuff in one keyboard, it’s the best I’ve found.
Dani B W/ RAYE
Even with her impressive resume, including gigs with Lizzo, Cat Burns, and Tiana Major9, it was still a career highlight for Dani B to join the band for BRIT Award-winner RAYE. That new role has been a rollercoaster, taking the talented keys player from The O2 arena to Coachella and Glastonbury.
What has been the most exciting moment at this year’s festival?
Playing the penultimate slot at Glastonbury this year, while debuting V-STAGE alongside the new set design, had to be the most exciting thing. I was buzzing for the reveal, and so glad that my rig matched the vibe accordingly. It was also super fun learning some choreo for the set. It really made it a show.
How does playing V-STAGE impact your performance in a live festival setting like Glastonbury?
How V-STAGE has impacted my performance at Glastonbury is incredible. I feel more confident knowing the vast capabilities it has to offer. And I can be even more intentional and in-depth with sound design and effects. I love having a keyboard that is so sonically rich but can also be adjusted to the character of each song in the set.
"Playing the penultimate slot at Glastonbury this year, while debuting V-STAGE alongside the new set design, had to be the most exciting thing."
How have you customized your V-STAGE setup for your set?
In terms of customization, I’ve always used my BOSS FV-500L Volume Pedal to control volume and cutoff. But this time, I’ve assigned the cutoff to the mod wheel so I can adjust the brightness or darkness of a sound in quicker moments. I’ve also assigned the brake and speed buttons from the organ section to turn off other sections. For example, if I need to turn off the piano section and turn on the synth section at the same time, I can do that with one button!
Do you have any advice for musicians interested in adding V-STAGE to their touring rig?
V-STAGE isn’t your regular keyboard; it’s a “one of one” instrument with endless capabilities. If you need to change sounds on the fly during a set, you can do that. If you need to MIDI a few keyboards and use V-STAGE as a controller, you can do that. If you need to record each section on V-STAGE simultaneously on separate channels in Logic, you can do that too.
