Welcome to Pilton Farm with an Evening Standard. This is the second daily event of Britain’s biggest festival.
First up in the new reliable music venue Woodies, Belfast rap trio knee attracted the largest crowd in front of the festival to date, spinning into a sea of ​​Irish and Palestinian flags. Summoning all kinds of raucous chaos, inside the tent felt more like an early hours party in the heart of Shangri-La than a pre-lunch show. El Hunt
A few brave souls face hangovers and hot sun to see the afrobeat star Femi Kuti first up on the Pyramid stage. Like his father, he mixes undeniable rhythms with a political message – rejecting corruption in Nigeria and pain around the world. Femi stayed in the family, remembering how his father brought him out on stage 40 years ago, before welcoming his own son. , and the band in lime green brought to mind Charli XCX and the Brats era – they got everywhere this Glastonbury. Femi popped up again later during Coldplay’s Bookend set today. There was a moment of excitement after a large bag of helium balloons that had been hidden for the event later blew up, causing a small dust storm as it crashed into a nearby tent. Robbie Griffiths
It’s hard to believe, but in the world outside the Pilton farm, there is a general election campaign. Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner was due to speak but was pulled out for more serious matters, so it was left to Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to speak on the Left Field stage. He raised the possibility of more devolution under Keir Starmer’s Government, and said people should get out and vote. Defending his decision to come to the festival instead of knocking on doors, he said: “I’m here to do a job that maybe the Shadow Cabinet can’t do – I might as well drink the odd beer while I’m here.” The day before, Professor Brian Cox had reunited with the band D: Brake to play the New Labor anthem Things Can Only Get Better – it felt like 1997 all over again. RG
He didn’t need another body
Tems knocked out drunk out of the festival goers on the Other stage on Saturday afternoon, opened boldly with Crazy Tings. In the barrier, the fans flew the flag of Nigeria, where the singer is from. Her powerhouse energy remains consistent throughout, despite some impressive dance breaks while demanding that the crowd ‘groan!’ Love Me Jeje, his latest single and one dedicated to all lovers, is the highlight of the flight – blissful, romantic track amplified by the glorious sunshine. Isobel Van Dyke
downhill, Cyndi Lauper pulled a huge audience at the Pyramid ahead of next year’s farewell tour supposed. At times, he seemed frustrated by technical issues, while his vocal performance was stiff and uneven. He also suffered from a bad voice. Still, the sun-kissed crowd didn’t care, and gave the belt to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. The US singer used the song to support women’s rights, talking about how fascinated she was to see the title of the song adopted as a slogan during the Women’s March 2017. “I saw a sign that said Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights, which is true,” she said.
“It’s time for world leaders to recognize that women make up half of the world’s population and we should be treated equally, no matter where we come from or what we look like,” he said. EH
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A fresh face Caity Baser take to the Lonely Hearts Club mid-afternoon before diving into a short and punchy half-hour set of anecdotal pop-fueled songs about love life. “Glastonbury I love you”, he shouted before diving into the anthem I’m A Problem. Baser offers a backstory for each of his hits, offering witty quips between songs. Katrina Mirpuri
He’s come a long way – but he’s a best-selling artist Arlo Park returned to the BBC Introducing stage on Saturday afternoon (after playing Woodsies much bigger the night before) for a set of kind-surprise that saw him break out the hits of Caroline and Eugene into many swaying, before finishing with a heavy dedication hitter. Vicky Jessop
One of the most anticipated festival sets comes from The Last Supper Party, leveling up to Glastonbury’s second biggest stage after making an impressive debut at last year’s Woodsies. Channeling Renaissance glam rock, vocalist Abigail Morris twirled and danced her way through a perfect rendition of her debut album Prelude to Ecstasy, plus a preview of her choral-tinged new song Second Best. Before closing out with the ABBA-flavored banger Nothing Matters, he reminded punters that the potential change of government in the next election is not the final goal, and the rest must be done. “Keep boycotting the right thing,” he added, discreetly obscured by the TV cameras. “Barclays pulled out.” He points to a wave of bands pulling out of festivals with the bank as sponsors, as part of a wider Palestinian solidarity boycott.
Cate Blanchett has clearly heard the buzz around the band, too – we spotted her headbanging for Caesar on the TV screen. EH
After a well-received headline slot on Friday, Dua Lipa had a well-deserved break in the hospitality bar, lounging around with her actor boyfriend Callum Turner on the grass, and having a cigarette or two. Due to his grueling dance routine, the Houdini singer looked in good spirits, taking selfies with fans and chatting with friends, before walking off to have fun. He’s a pro. Elsewhere, a young Nigerian popstar Ayra Starr he gave as many interviews as he could in the press tent, taking up the chance of headlining one day. RG
Not in the mood for mainstream pop? Electronic music is up and coming HAAi and Saoirse highlighting things with b2b planes in the area’s small Assembly venues that bring big parties running from around the festival. In addition to the standard fare of hard-hit beats, they fed fans with a rendition of The Real Thing by Tony Di Bart, and a fun remix of Gorillaz’ song Dare: we hope Damon Albarn (who appeared as a surprise guest with Bombay Bicycle Club earlier in festival) was in the crowd to hear. VJ
Heading to a block party
Alexa Chung, Greg James and Matt Smith were all spotted heading into the crowd Block Party in Another Stage. The London-based band are seasoned Glastonbury performers, and had the crowd working and moshing within 10 minutes of their set. A feast of classics Silent Alarm, Helicopter and Modern Love It’s all coming in a flash – it’s not like it’s 2005 anymore. “We’ve got another rocket in our pocket” said lead singer Kele before storming closer to Flux. Km
Señorita rides a bicycle
Camila Cabello took to The Other Stage in true pop star fashion, kitted out in full metallic silver display, and played to a small but engaged crowd. On stage with him was a skate park full of half-pipes, swings, and dancers in robot dog costumes. He put on a show that lived up to the title, singing Señorita from his BMX handlebars as he raced around the stage, and at one point doused himself in water while spinning around in a roundabout. Impressive. Km
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As always, rumors abounded over the weekend, but in the end, the Woodsies’ not-so-secret flight was taken by the rockers. Kasabian – no one seemed too surprised. In a year that was somewhat lacking in big names, the band drew huge crowds. Despite having a new album coming out soon, they pulled no punches, playing Club Foot and Underdog early, to get the crowd shouting at a volume that could be heard across the site. The band released lead singer Tom Meighan in 2020, leaving songwriter Serge Pizzorno as the sole frontman. She did a great job, appearing in a fringe outfit that made her look like a giant mop. The band is finished with a chrome-plated Fire banger. RG
One of the best sets of the weekend so far to come from Take a walk on the Other Stage when the sun goes down. Frontman Mike Skinner did not lose time to approach the crowd, elbowing his way into the throngs to tell them they were the true stars of the process, and brought out from there. He made a running joke throughout about people leaving early to “go up the hill” to see another band, but playing a tight hour that only premature idiots would. Skinner’s great skill was relatability – he kept coming back to the crowd to let them know he was one of them. When he says he’ll be in Temple Bar in the Dance area at 5am, you believe him. As he approached, he walked out several miles to wave the flag with his own face, before the crowd returned to the stage. The flight attendant who helped him to his feet kept saying “he’ll be talking about that set for years”. RG
Another memorable set comes courtesy of Little Simz, which – frankly – could headline everything with another album under her belt. Read our five-star review here. EH
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In a year without as many big stars there is a lot of pressure on the headliners Coldplay. They rise to the occasion, starting with Yellow, as many thousands of waved light wristbands specially made for the night. The set lost its way a little in the middle, as the band brought guests included Laura Mvula and Little Simz without announcing the same, before fun cameos from Michael Eaves and Michael J. Fox. Stars came out in support to watch: close friend Chris Martin Simon Pegg appear to chat with Gillian Anderson and Pegg’s Mission Impossible mate Tom Cruise, who is now an honorary Brit. Read our full review here.
When Coldplay played for the masses at the Pyramid stage dance music pioneers Orbital take over the Park stage in the hills as headliners. He was joined by acting royalty Tilda Swinton, who opened and closed the set with her commanding voice. “Focus on a point and when that point has your full and complete attention, take a deep breath,” he told the audience, who couldn’t be 100 percent sure he wasn’t hallucinating. Not to be outdone, Spice Girl Mel C also appeared for a cameo. Peggy Gou rounded off a good night for the park. Down in Another Stage, disclosure came in a wave of smoke. They brought it Sam Smith for Latch, too. RG
The crowd dispersed after the various headliners finished, and Saturday night at Glastonbury took full form. Over to Arcadia, the party people enjoyed a DJ set from Hot Chips, while HMS Sweet Charity hosts the London-based band Flamingos. They played a vibrant set that combined psychedelia, rock and electrica. Km
Glastonbury NYC’s designated LGBTQ+ venue Downlow has a mythological status as one of the biggest clubs around – and the once-a-year nightclub, inspired by the now-legendary New York clubs of the Eighties, is the venue for Saturday’s Pride celebrations. In fact Cyndi Lauper (and her entourage of about 20 drag queens and kings) got the memo; he rocked up as a surprise performer during the night. EH
Need something more low key? Don’t worry: through Woodsies, an electronic artist John Hopkins took to the brand new Festival Tree Stage for the premiere of the ambient music album Ritual. There is no raving here: just the soothing music of the wind chimes, which are played to the crowd who sit back and look up at the stars. Ahhh. VJ
