James Brown, Glastonbury Festival

By late afternoon yesterday, the Glastonbury festival was wet enough for swimming with the fishes. It was time for the godfather.

James Brown, the Don Corleone of Soul, brought the crowds out of their damp tents and massed them on the slopes for a dose of 24-carat funk.

JB teased the crowd by delaying his stage entrance for nearly 10 minutes as his band and his backing singers, the Bittersweets, set the scene for his arrival.

And then the godfather arrived in an all-red suit with tasselled epaulettes.

"Let's get funky,'' he sung, pushing the mike stand away from him and yanking it back with the lead, like he has done a million times before, then rocking back on his heels and spinning round twice for his first big cheer of the night.

As Brown summoned on his dancers and even an assistant assigned to carrying his white face towel, the Pyramid Stage had not seen so much action since the Flaming Lips filled it with their entourage of human sized cuddly toys last year.

His biggest cheer came as he showcased his famous shuffle during versions of Sam & Dave's "Soul Man'' and Aretha's "Respect''.

"I Feel Good'' was next and two of the godfather's dancers stripped to black bikinis with the initials J&B on their buttocks. It was predictably unreconstructed stuff.

"Get off, you wife beater,'' came a lone dissenting female voice but she was swiftly drowned out by the unmistakable cry of "Get On Hup!'' as the opening bars began to the mighty "Sex Machine''.