Taunton’s Alex ‘chuffed and overwhelmed’ with verse from Coldplay's Chris Martin

HOW does it feel when Coldplay frontman Chris Martin sings you a verse on the Pyramid Stage at the world-famous Glastonbury Festival?

That's what happened to Taunton man Alex McGuire, 48, on Saturday night (June 29) as the Fix You and Yellow hitmakers headlined at Worthy Farm.

For the last five Glastonburys, the Asda shop assistant has spent hundreds of hours creating spectacular hats themed around the star acts.

This year's was inspired by Coldplay and featured a 3D-printed replica of the Pyramid Stage and Lego figures resembling the four band members.

Towards the end of the set, Martin ad-libbed a short song about Mr McGuire and his hat after they were picked up the camera crews during a section of the concert that saw the band reach out to individual crowd members.

Alex's view of the Pyramid Stage as Coldplay headlined Glastonbury 2024. (Image: @Crazyfool110, X (Twitter))

“I want to thank you my brother,” Martin sang, while playing his guitar.

“You could have been at someone else’s concert instead. But you showed up here, this time of year, with the Pyramid Stage on your head.”

That came days after Mr McGuire was diagnosed with Bell's palsy, a temporary weakness or lack of movement that usually affects one side of the face.

But he didn't let that get in the way of his enjoyment of the show.

Speaking to the County Gazette, he said: “I was absolutely chuffed, but I couldn’t quite show how chuffed I was with it.

“People have overcome various things to attend the festival, and that was something I had to overcome.

“I just could not have dreamt for it to be how it turned out – it was just beyond me.

“I’ve been inundated. There have been messages from all over the place.

“Coldplay are just incredible. It was absolutely phenomenal.

“I’ve appeared in a few little videos over the years, but I don’t think I could ever top that experience!”

Every year, his creative hats draw the eye of other festival-goers, who often stop him for photographs and a chat when he's on the farm.

“It’s great, I like to get people smiling and reacting to it, because that what Glastonbury's all about,” said Mr McGuire.

“It’s about creativity and pushing the boundaries and being expressive. Stopping and having photos and making people smile is a great part of it.”

Last week's festival was his seventeenth Glastonbury, and he's full of praise for Sir Michael and Emily Eavis and the teams who make the festival happen.

“It’s an absolute step away from normal, day-to-day living,” he said.

“You step inside that fence, you put your tent up, you crack open that first can of cider and just completely forget everything for the entire five days.

“It’s so relaxing. The things they put on for us are just amazing.

“The organisers are superb, right down to the bin painters, the litter pickers, the Water Aid volunteers and the toilet cleaners.

“It’s just an incredible organisation. How they turn it into a city for 200,000-plus people is beyond words, almost.”

Glastonbury Festival will return in 2025 before taking its first post-Covid fallow year in 2026.