After four days of barely any rain, Glastonbury is now truly England’s Wild West. All is coated in thick orange dust, sunnies and masks keep muck out of eyes and mouths, and Wild West motel themed venue San Remo gets more authentic by the minute.
Through the dust, the party goes on. How does Glasto follow Dua Lipa, one of the planet’s biggest pop stars? Well, with an equally world-conquering rock band, of course. Coldplay headlined day two of Glastonbury 2024.
But Saturday at Glastonbury wasn’t all about Coldplay. The rest of the day boasted a load of other sets ranging from old-guard classics like Cyndi Lauper and Bloc Party to newer trend-setters Little Simz and Casisdead. Rosie Hewitson and Ed Cunningham are on the ground at this year’s Glasto – here are their best bits from day two.
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Coldplay on the Pyramid Stage: soaring, justified headliners
Coldplay are used to this sort of thing. Saturday marked the fifth time Chris Martin and co have headlined Worthy Farm – a feat managed by no other artist in history (this year took them past the Cure, who’ve headlined four times). And up there on the Pyramid once again, it was clear very quickly why Coldplay have been invited back so many times.
From the first strums of ‘Yellow’, Coldplay made it known that not only are they a Glasto-headline-level band – but that they own that status as good as anyone. Chris Martin’s band steamed through tunes like ‘Head Full of Stars’, ‘Paradise’, ‘The Scientist’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ in rather straightforward fashion but also did stuff that they didn’t necessarily have to do. They brought out Little Simz, Femi Kuti, Laura Mvula and Michael J Fox, they played exceptional 2019 tune ‘Arabesque’, they offered a stripped back ‘Sparks’, the Parachutes ‘deep cut’ (can any Coldplay song really be a deep cut?). Add in the spectacle of the audience’s glittering sea of light-up wristbands and surely no one can be left wondering how this band has ended up so dominant on the Pyramid Stage. Ed
Little Simz on The Pyramid Stage: sometimes she might be extrovert
‘I’m having the best time of my life up here, I swear’, north London rapper Little Simz enthused to the sprawling crowd during the closing stages of her Saturday evening appearance on the Pyramid Stage. The ‘Top Boy’ actress might call herself an introvert, but there wasn’t so much as a hint of shyness or awkwardness about her as she bounded about the stage in a custom Ed Hardy biker jacket and skirt, a permanent grin on her face. Backed by a stellar live band that featured noughties indie rocker Jack Peñate on guitar, as well as a troupe of Daft Punk-esque dancers sporting motorbike helmets, the 30-year-old artist delivered a confident, adept and energetic hour that cemented her reputation as one of the most exciting names on the British rap scene. It was a joy to witness, and the crowd couldn’t have been rooting for her more. Rosie
The Last Dinner Party on the Other Stage: a slick, confident set from a band still on the up
When art rock five-piece The Last Dinner Party made their Glastonbury debut last year, it was on the 12,000-capacity Woodsies stage, in an 11.30am Saturday morning slot which a significant number of the festival’s party-weary hordes will no doubt have slept through. That they were able to draw a healthy crowd to the festival’s second-largest arena under the baking hot mid-afternoon sun this time around is testament to the London-based band’s meteoric rise over the intervening 12 months, during which they released their chart-topping debut album Prelude to Ecstasy, were named as the BBC’s Sound of 2024 and picked up the Rising Star Award at the Brits. Led by swaggering, charismatic frontwoman Abigail Morris, they delivered a sleek, poised and confident set, that, if slightly short on out-and-out bangers, is certainly a sign of bigger things to come. Rosie
Bloc Party on the Other Stage: as good as they’ve ever been
‘We’ve changed a bit over the years – no shade,’ joked Bloc Party’s lead singer Kele Okereke as he introduced his band in its current incarnation on the Other Stage. But while Bloc Party have changed (only Okereke and lead guitarist Russell Lissack remain of the original line-up), the devotion of their fanbase certainly hasn’t wavered. In fact, the dance-punk band’s crowd was one of the biggest and most diverse of the day. Storming through a rapid and tight ‘Banquet’, a driven ‘One More Chance’, a belting ‘Flux’, a whipping ‘Helicopter’ and, of course, the ageless ‘This Modern Love’, we were reminded just how many hits Bloc Party have at their disposal. Ed
Cyndi Lauper on the Pyramid Stage: nostalgic fun, if a little patchy
With the first 15 minutes of her set afflicted by a variety of sound issues, and a slightly lackadaisical atmosphere amongst a crowd sweltering in the oppressive heat, it took a while for pop legend Cyndi Lauper’s Pyramid Stage appearance to get going. The 71-year-old appeared to be having problems with her earpiece at various points in the performance, singing half a beat out of time with her band at times, and not quite hitting all of the high notes at others. All the same, it was impossible for the crowd not to warm up as she reached some of her more recognisable hits, from 1983 ballad ‘Time After Time’ to 1985 single ‘True Colours’ via the undeniable banger that is ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’, during which she deliverer an impassioned feminist speech about her charity fund supporting womens’ rights. It won’t go down in history as one of the most iconic legend slots the storied stage has hosted, but it did get Glastonbury’s sweaty, dusty crowd dancing by the end. Rosie
Otoboke Beaver on Park Stage: ferociously fun punk
Otoboke Beaver’s 45-minutes of mayhem on the Park Stage was both maddeningly intense and heedlessly fun. The Japanese punk band from Kyoto, named after a love hotel, consists of singer Accorinrin, guitarist Yoyoyoshie, bassist Hiro-chan and drummer Kahokiss – and the four brought their all in a ferocious, relentless set of garage punk. Sure, the lyrics are pretty much all in Japanese, but you can get the sentiment: fuck the patriarchy, capitalism, racists, overwork, snobs – that sort of stuff. Tightly performed, blisteringly loud… what more could you want? Ed
Casisdead on Lonely Hearts Club: darkly humorous storytelling from Britain’s most enigmatic rapper
‘Absolutely shitting it can’t lie so probably do it pissed up’, enigmatic rapper Casisdead posted on Instagram the eve before his debut Glastonbury set early on Saturday evening. The elusive artist – formerly known as Castro Saint – may well have done just that, because there was little sign of the aforementioned nerves as he took to the stage in front of a rave-heart crowd at Silver Hayes’ Lonely Hearts Club. Sporting his signature prosthetic mask and backed by a series of equally adept hype men, he delivered a set heavy on material from his recent album, last year’s excellent Famous Last Words, culminating with the mournful, synth-driven banger ‘Pat Earrings’. It may have taken nearly two decades of rapping for him to make his Glastonbury debut, but we very much hope he comes back again soon. Rosie
Kara Jackson on Park Stage: intimate poetry from a future folk star
Stood alone onstage equipped with just a guitar and her own charms, Kara Jackson brought intensely personal singer-songwriter tales to Park Stage. Jackson was previously the US National Youth Poet Laureate – and you can hear that in her work, in how it’s heavy with imagery and precisely, thoughtfully worded. Her charismatic, narrative lyrics and phenomenal vocal range were totally transportive: more than engrossing enough to distract listeners from Daphni’s set, which was thumping away at Stonebridge bar opposite. Ed
After Hours: Stingray 313 at IICON
Two hours of icy, agile electro sprayed out from IICON’s apocalyptic, Planet of the Apes-esque stage: Stingray’s set in the wee hours of Sunday morning saw the Berlin-based DJ on electrifying form. Ed
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