TOPPING the bill at a huge music festival must be on every new band’s wish-list.

But one Oxford band has gone a step better, landing not one, but eight performances at the biggest festival of them all – Glastonbury.

Stornoway, based in East Oxford, were invited by the festival organiser himself, Michael Eavis – and achieved every musician’s golden ambition of opening the 138,000-capacity festival by playing its first set.

The lads were picked to play after entering the event’s Emerging Talent Competition earlier this year.

The band made the final 10, and were personally invited by Mr Eavis to the festival’s home village, Pilton, in Somerset, to audition.

They soon found themselves joining almost 350 other bands and artists – including such huge names as Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Blur, Lady Gaga and Kasabian.

The band – frontman Dr Brian Briggs, drummer Rob Steadman, bass player Ollie Steadman, keys and strings man Jonathan Ouin, and trumpeter Adam Briggs – were snapped up for sets on four stages.

However, such was the excitement surrounding their songs, they were selected to play four other performances – including a set in a camper van for the Guardian, and a live session broadcast to millions on BBC Radio 2.

“Glastonbury was incredible,” said Brian, a qualified ecologist with a doctorate in ducks.

“It was better than we could have ever dreamed of.”

The band had never visited the festival before – even as spectators.

Brian added: “We knew it would be big, but weren’t prepared for quite how big it was. There is nothing like it anywhere – and we absolutely loved it!”

And the highlight?

“We played the Queen’s Head stage on the Thursday, straight after Maximo Park. There were 10,000 people and they were all fired up. Even while we were soundchecking, they were cheering the bass drum!

“It was the biggest gig of our lives and one of the best experiences of our lives. Then on Friday, we played the Acoustic Stage to about 2,000 people which was even better and was verging on the emotional.

“It wasn’t as scary, as we knew everyone in the audience was there to see us.

“At the end of it we had a real party. We did see Blur play, but, to be honest, it really was all a blur!”

Watching them on the Acoustic Stage was Gordon Husband, from North Oxford, who said: “I’ve loved Stornoway since seeing them play a really intimate show to about 30 people in Oxford, so to see a crowd as big as that, all falling in love with their songs, was incredibly satisfying. I felt proud to be from the same city.”

Stornoway’s single Zorbing is in all good music shops, including Videosyncratic in Cowley Road, Oxford.