Ahead of their Glastonbury debut on 25th June 2025, the genre-bending Snowapple Collective are riding high from the release of their new album Utopia. Known for fusing music, theatre and activism into a rich, multidisciplinary experience, Snowapple’s performances are described as “epic but also very poetic.” The Amsterdam–Paris–Mexico City-based group are bringing their visionary sounds—described as influenced by Patti Smith, David Bowie, Laurie Anderson and Portishead—to Worthy Farm this summer. In this exclusive Q&A, the collective talk about surprise encounters, bass clarinets, dream stages, and why Glastonbury feels like a village of musical heroes. Learn more on their official website.
What three words define Snowapple?
Transformation, the unexpected & odd
How does it feel to be booked for your first Glastonbury?
We are so excited to play at a festival filled with our heroes. And an overload of good music! Imagine a village with a stage on every street corner, filled with your favorites. It’s a dream! Glastonbury has always been for us a symbol of freedom in creation and a big inspiration. Besides the fact that the surroundings are full of history and magic by themselves. We can’t wait to come and tell some of our musical stories there!
What are you most looking forward to at the festival?
Well…. We love surprises, so the unknown is what attracts. Who will we meet? Which friends will we make?
Each audience has its own spirit and vibe, and it is always a big influence on our work. We always get inspired by our surroundings and the reactions in the crowd, and they differ so much, especially when you start to talk about Utopias and dreams! I also think that each performance will influence the next one. Since we’re also playing 3 times… They’re probably all gonna be completely different.
How will Glastonbury differ from your shows abroad?
We will present a custom made show that suits the ambiance of the festival, although we’re also not afraid to make some radical choices. It’s largely based on our Utopia show (the album we just released). It will be epic but also very poetic for those who want to grab a little part of hope or shake their vision of the future! Our set is built as a journey from one emotion to another, and if you embark with us, you will travel in the worlds of tomorrow!
Dream stage or space to perform on?
The one of tomorrow. We try to be in the now, but we’re also always excited for the next. It doesn’t matter which one. Most stages excite us. Even playing a song for a neighbor while having a coffee can be beautiful. Life is a stage! That being said. One of our favorite venues of all time to play is Teatro de La Ciudad in Mexico City. It looks like a little version of La Scala, and it was built by a woman in 1918 named Esperanza (which means hope). She just really made it happen. She didn’t have any family, and eventually she died alone.
We also really like to play on an equal floor. In the Netherlands, we’ll play 4 days at Landjuweel festival in a circular stage that looks like an enormous Crater. That’s also gonna be exciting! Well, we can talk about stages forever…. Ask this question again one day.
Any unusual instrument or prop you’re bringing?
We are bringing the bass clarinet, which is our favorite instrument. It has become a character in itself in each of our performances! We will also bring a lot of costumes made by our dear designer, Mohamed Benchellal, which are like beautiful sculptures of creatures from space.
Any pre-show rituals you’ll carry into Glasto?
You might see us doing some strange movements in the field before starting!
What’s your favourite festival you’ve played so far?
Well, we have our own festival called Jardin Rouge. This is our dream festival, we just invite lots of artists and create wild shows together…. Besides that, of course, the big ones, but for the connoisseur: Landjuweel Festival. A hidden pearl. We play there every year.
If you curated your own festival, what would it be like?
Well, we just talked about it. Jardin Rouge is a nomadic multidisciplinary festival that occurs in Paris, Amsterdam, and Mexico every year to support experimentation in art! During this festival, we invite many artist friends to come experiment and join us in our laboratory, and we create our shows together.
What’s next after Glastonbury?
After Glastonbury, we have a tour in Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, and after that we play a big show in Teatro de La Ciudad in Mexico City with a symphonic orchestra.
But let’s not think about it all too much. Let’s enjoy Glastonbury! Hope to meet you all!
