SEVENTEEN-year-old singer/songwriter Rory Gilmore (pictured right) from Tavistock will be making his debut at Glastonbury tomorrow night (Friday) as part of highly acclaimed South West seven-piece funk band 'The Underbelly'. The talented teenager, who is well-known in local pubs and clubs for his regular solo performances with his acoustic guitar, will be demonstrating his musical versatility and highly distinctive vocal style both with the band and solo at several open mic events during the festival's three days. Rory had been performing with the Underbelly at a gig in Bath when the band was spotted by one of the people who run a stage at Glastonbury — he booked them straight away: 'I am ecstatic about it but also very very anxious,' said the musician, who first picked up a guitar at the age of nine. 'I was completely bowled over by the experience of going to Glastonbury in 2005 so I cannot wait to see what playing it will be like.' Rory says his biggest audience has been a sell-out crowd at The Wharf but at Glastonbury he would be playing to an audience of thousands. He will be performing alongside the likes of Kate Nash, The Editors, Massive Attack and Fat Boy Slim and Dartmoor's own Seth Lakeman, whom he knows well. Rory's parents, Mike and Natasha, who've long been involved in the arts both locally and nationally, are delighted with their son's success: 'It could rain all weekend and the site might end up under six feet of mud,' said Mike. 'Whatever, the entire family will be with him all the way. Glastonbury 2008 will be unforgettable. 'The Kings of Leon will be on at around the same time on another stage. I hope they won't be offended that we're going to be watching a far more important act — for us, anyway.'
