Saturday at Glastonbury was another scorcher, and came with some scorching controversies and searing sets... and Patchwork finally being revealed...
Brandi Carlile in Pyramid love
One of the best things about Glastonbury is seeing the artists visibly enjoying themselves in the special Glastonbury atmosphere - and it really does have a certain magic without having to go on about ley lines. Carlile grinned from ear to ear in her early set on the Pyramid Stage, easily winning the crowd over with her delight at being here and deceptively heavy country rock songs.
It was Carlile’s first Glastonbury appearance, something which she has attributed to not actually being over here in the UK that much. This multi-Grammy winner is certainly making up for lost time, releasing an album with Elton John earlier this year with a launch at the Palladium, and then a solo show at the Royal Albert Hall. But this set was something else. Playing songs from over her career, and a brilliantly intense cover of Radiohead’s Fake Plastic Trees, she was visibly moved as the crowd chanted her name and soon declared, “It’s official. I have now played the greatest festival on planet earth.” - MR
A win for Weezer
Remarkably, Weezer haven’t played Glastonbury fir 30 years, Rivers Cuomo tells us, which feels really odd. As they soon showed, this is a band with the kind of uber-nerdy charm and collection of big songs that just works here. But how on earth does Cuomo not break a sweat while playing in the direct afternoon sun?
During Undone - The Sweater Song, the camera picks out loads of kids on parents’ shoulders and its apparent that this is a band who unite generations with their quirk-punk. Well, what’s not to like? Highlights are of course Buddy Holly and Island In The Sun, but Beverley Hills was a particular standout and came as a welcome little pisstake of the lauding of the rich and famous at this most celebrity-heavy of festivals, which ends with him declaring, “I'm just a no class, beat down fool/And I will always be that way/I might as well enjoy my life/And watch the stars play.” Amen to that. - MR
Politics take centre stage
All eyes were on Kneecap today, who attracted reportedly 30,000 people to the West Holts stage which was promptly closed due to safety concerns. Police were lining the stage and are actually examining footage of the show after one of the band, Moglai Bap, said they would “start a riot outside the courts.” However he did then add, “No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine.”
During the performance Mo Charan, who is on unconditional bail for terrorism offences, said “The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn’t want us to play, so fuck Keir Starmer.” He then led a chant along those lines.
The set itself, as our main review says, was not just about the politics but about the music too, but it’s safe to say this was a day of charged statements, particularly when it came to Palestine.
The police are also reportedly investigating footage of Bob Vylan, who were earlier on the same stage and had the crowd chant, “death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]” and the controversial slogan, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Meanwhile, Amyl and the Sniffers also spoke out on the Other Stage later on, with singer Amy Taylor pausing a raucous high-energy set to address the crowd to say that the times are demanding artists speak out on politics. Addressing Palestine and colonisation, and the lack of action by government here and in their native Australia, said, “They want us to shut the fuck up, because if we think about Palestine, then back home in Australia, we think about the indigenous people there. And we think about the fact that us as whiteys, we’re the fucking colonisers, and that’s disgusting.”
Expect the fallout from some of these sets to continue in the coming days. - MR
Haim’s unsurprising surprise
Haim’s surprise set this weekend was one of Glastonbury 2025’s worst kept secrets. They were one of the first suspected TBAs, although some initially believed they were the elusive “Patchwork” set to play the Pyramid stage — which was actually Pulp — because of a book by Sylvia Haim. Right band, wrong stage, which became evident when the sisters revealed in a radio interview earlier this month that they held great fondness for the Park stage, the first stage they ever played at the festival.
After bursting onto stage to the tune of beloved debut album track The Wire and new song Relationships, Danielle, the band’s lead singer (plus guitarist and drummer), told fans that their first Glastonbury performance they have ever played. “But this tops everything,” she smiled. The love for the debut album, Days Are Gone, released in 2013, was clear.
Every track was received well, though the enjoyment is a little tempered by sound bleeding from other bars and dance tents near The Park, which is an issue that needs addressing. The band can’t seem to tell though — in fact they appeared to have a great, if a little low energy, time. During Summer Girl, someone thankfully appeared to notice the sound issues and whacked the volume up to max, making things much more immersive. For this song, as well as fan favourite Gasoline, fans clambered onto each other’s shoulders to get a full view. It’s all very wholesome and calm, if even a little flat. It could be the hangovers, the sound, or the fact that everyone was saving their energy for Skepta and Charli xcx. - MM
Raye of light
Well, that's one way to make an entrance. Singer Raye made her Pyramid Stage appearance in style on Saturday - by being wheeled onto stage in a giant black box that she then popped out of like an odd type of birthday present.
It's not the first time she's played the Pyramid Stage (that was in 2023 after she first split from her label) but it was an exceptionally extra entrance, and the rest of the set delivered even more of it. Dressed all in black like a Hollywood starlet, the London star delivered a smash grab of some of her biggest tunes, including her Jax Jones collab You Don't Know Me and megahit My 21st Century Blues, which was screamed back at her word perfect.
There was also a lot of emotion on show. At times, Raye appeared to be fighting back tears - including before her song Ice Cream Man, about the trauma she's experience during her time in the music industry. "It's a sad song,," she told the crowd. "But music is medicine." All that, plus the debut of a brand new single, Know You're Hurting. It was a barnstorming performance from an exceptional singer; surely her next performance will be as a headliner? - VJ
Skepta and San Remo xcx action
How much notice does a person need to deliver a barnstorming set? In the case of Skepta, the answer is roughly three hours. After Deftones dropped out of playing their Other Stage slot due to an illness in the band, the grime artist nobly stepped in for a tight half hour playing some of his biggest hits, whilst also bigging up his own festival, Big Smoke. "I'm grateful to be here," he told the crowd (surprisingly huge for such a last minute announcement) before taking us on a speed run through Cops and Robbers, Papi Chulo, Greaze Mode ("this one's for the weed smokers") and Praise the Lord. Things closed out with his new Fred again.. collab, Victory Lap, which got the crowd bouncing. Maybe he can do the full hour next time?
Fast forward a few hours and for the late party goers, San Remo was the place to be last night. George Daniel - the drummer in The 1975 - took to the stage for an hour long DJ slot. He brought his celeb pals: Cara Delevingne, the Haim sisters and Lorde were spotted on stage and backstage. And of course, Charli xcx, fresh from headlining the Other Stage. "I love you George!" she shouted during her set; during his, she was spotted smoking and partying behind the DJ booth. True love.
Charli xcx vs Doechii (and the ghost set)
It was the battle of the superstars on the Other stage and the West Holts stage as Charli xcx vied with Doechii for drawing the biggest crowd. Something which Charli ‘won’ with certainly every person under 20 attending her set. According to our main review, she played a high energy set with a mix of the big hits and surprise fan favourites.
With the noise dying down though, the word is that Doechii scored the best set, with the US rapper bringing genuine edge to her spectacular show. Combining tight choreography with megawatt star power she brought the raunch to Crazy and the intensity to Somebody That I Used to Know, and even made it educational, declaring it her “school of hip-hop.”
While all this was happening, on the Pyramid Stage there was a ghost set. No BBC filming, a modest crowd, a very different kind of approach. 79 year old Neil Young brought some old school rock n roll to the festival and strictly on his own terms - and thanks to some heavy shredding of hits like Cinnamon Girl and Keep On Rockin In The Free World - he made it into a victory.
But the night belonged to pop, and the day belonged to political outrage.
