“It really doesn't get better than this,” Olivia Rodrigo told the crowds at the Pyramid Stage on Sunday.
It really doesn't: aged just 22, the singer songwriter had the enviable job of closing out the festival - a slot that in recent years has been filled by the likes of Paul McCartney, Coldplay and Elton John.
It’s been a few years since Rodrigo was on the Pyramid Stage. Back in 2022, she memorably brought on Lily Allen to deliver a swinging, furious version of F*** You in response to the recent overturning of Roe vs Wade in the US.
It's quite a legacy to live up to, but if anybody’s up to the task, it’s her. Since her last appearance, Rodrigo’s fame has sky-rocketed, if possible, even higher.
In 2023, her sophomore album Guts topped album charts in 15 countries and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. And she came armed with an arsenal of hits: plenty of Guts here, as well as the tracks that made her famous back when Sour came out in 2021.
First up was obsessed – her ode to her boyfriend’s ex – which, along with its furious basslines, got the crowd jumping. Hot on its heels came ballad of a homeschooled girl – then her big 2023 hit, vampire, which decried a toxic lover (unnamed, but a real bastard from the sounds of things).
Rodrigo is a good fit for Glastonbury: her Gen Z spin on pop punk energy is infectious. Most of her lyrics are designed for snarling, and the crowd obliged; traitor and bad idea, right? were belted out, full-throttle, by the crowd.
Even better, we got a rare treat in the form of an appearance from The Cure's Robert Smith, who came onto sing a double whammy of Friday I'm In Love and Just Like Heaven. It was clearly a bucket list moment for the beaming Rodrigo, even if the significance was lost on her mostly Gen Z audience.
Segueing into her lesser-known tracks, she played love is embarrassing, then pretty isn’t pretty – followed by happier, her down-tempo breakup track.
All well and good, as was its follow-up, favorite crime. But the crowd was really here for her big, angry tracks. Such as jealousy, jealousy, which came after, one that demanded to be sung with head-banging galore. Or, indeed, deja vu, her big hit from sour, in which she conducted the crowd.
The only dud note was the encore, where the gigantic stage was left empty for five minutes while partygoers started filtering away to the South East corner.
Those who stayed, though, were rewarded with a four-track encore that felt like she’d been saving the best for last: brutal, followed by a rendition of all-american bitch that rattled the eardrums.
As Rodrigo belted out the final lines to good 4 U, the crowd danced like they’d never danced before and fireworks lit up the sky.
“This is a dream come true!” She shouted as things closed out. She’s conquered the heights of Glastonbury; where to next?
