IDLES! Little Simz! Kneecap! Glastonbury 2024’s most magical moments from Worthy Farm
How are you doing? Slept off the coma? Blown all that sand and dust from your nose? Managed a thought without that constant echo of late night trance bouncing around your brain? Still, at least you don’t have to walk 56 miles today and you get to do all your toilet business indoors.
More good news: to help you beat those post-Glastonbury blues, now you can relive the true highlights from the Worthy Farm weekend right here. Team NME were down there for five days and experienced it all – Dua Lipa’s glittering ascension to headliner status, Coldplay’s ballsy Saturday night spectacle, SZA’s mesmerising and shape-shifting closing set, the mammoth crowd pulled by Avril Lavigne, the not-so-secret Kasabian set, and we also gave you lowdown on the hoedown straight from Shania Twain’s legends slot.
However, we’ve boiled it all down to present you with these most magical moments.
Words: Jordan Bassett, Rhian Daly, Liberty Dunworth, Andrew Trendell, Sophie Williams
LCD Soundsystem incite a mass love-in
Ending an immaculate Pyramid pre-headline set that was packed was a whole lot of sunset-friendly raving (and watched from the sidelines by Noel Gallagher and Dave Grohl, no less), the climax of LCD Soundsystem‘s Friday show came with that inevitable finale of ‘All My Friends’. As the NME review described it, that song and moment were the “manifestation of Glastonbury at its best, the memories in the making and the good times and still to come”.
As the packed-out Pyramid field set off flares, climbed atop each other’s shoulders and hugged one another as if they may never let go, it was as if frontman James Murphy was warning us all of the Glasto goodness yet to come: “And if the sun comes up and I still don’t wanna stagger home, then it’s the memory of our betters that are keeping us on our feet.” That’s how it starts. (AT)
IDLES and Banksy made a powerful statement
It was bound to be divisive, but the Bansky-designed dinghy, populated with dummies to represent a migrant boat, proved to be a powerful moment during IDLES’ incendiary headline performance on the Other Stage. The band didn’t know the raft would come out into the audience during ‘Danny Nedelko’, which provided the perfect context for the art piece. IDLES’ crowd held the vessel aloft as the group tore through a song about immigrants who, as frontman Joe Talbot put it before the song began, “built our country”.
There was a twist in the tale, however. Little Simz threw an upbeat celebration on the Pyramid Stage the following night and, as she played her last song, the anthemic ‘Gorilla’, the dinghy bizarrely drifted back across the audience. The rapper clearly had no knowledge of the stunt, which here felt inappropriate and insensitive – proof that context is key. (JB)
SEVENTEEN made history
Ahead of SEVENTEEN’s history-making appearance at Glasto, there was some doubt among sections of the festival’s audience about whether they would fit in at the event – or even if they deserved their spot. By the time we reached the final two songs, though, those uncertainties should have been firmly blasted out of anyone’s mind.
This fun-packed tour-de-force proved that both SEVENTEEN and K-pop as a whole have a future here on Worthy Farm. (RD)
Fontaines D.C. inched closer to G.O.A.T status
Where once they were scrappy, nervous and shy – playing with a speed and carelessness that suggested they couldn’t wait to get off stage – now the Fontaines D.C. live experience is a fireworks display of emotion and innovation. Their set up is appealingly lean, with a stage decorated with little more than some multicoloured lights, meaning that the focus is solely on the thrilling urgency of their sound.
At The Park on Friday evening (June 28), pacing and skipping around his mic in a leather kilt, frontman Grian Chatten appeared electrified by his own intensity. There was a power and an urgency to the way they played that made thousands feel invincible: during a roaring ‘I Love You’ flares somersaulted through the sky, while tears were shed and dozens of core memories created. (SW)
Fat Dog became Glasto’s best friend
“Look at you all out there, poised like wolves,” opened Fat Dog frontman Joe Love to revellers at the packed out Strummerville field as Glasto eve drew to a close on Thursday night, “smelling each other’s bits”. We wouldn’t go that far, but things did get pretty damn feral.
“Tonight is going to be an evening of pure delight, because you have chosen Fat Dog,” he goes on – and how! With their wild brand of Super Hans cowboy gypsy rave, Fat Dog gave the early arrivals whatfor. Limbs flailed, the crowd was surfed, and things down the front got a little out of hand. “Chill down a little bit. I don’t wanna break any fucking ankles out there”, warned Love. Still, insanity ensued. Then they did it all again – three more times! (AT)
Little Simz made her claim for the Pyramid Stage
The London rapper performed one slot ahead of Coldplay – no mean feat, considering the latter are the Worthy Farm house band – and at points seemed awed by the occasion. She often gazed disbelievingly out at the audience and admitted: “Glastonbury, you know this is mad for me… this is by far the most people I’ve ever performed in front of. It really is a dream.”
The show itself was an astonishing spectacle, Simz appearing so assured it sometimes felt hard to believe she wasn’t on her fifth go like Chris Martin and co. And it seemed frankly inevitable that she’ll back to headline the thing. “Glastonbury,” she admitted, “I’m having the best time of my life.” She wasn’t the only one. (JB)
Rachel Chinouriri gave us a joyful, uplifting indie-pop spectacle
There are few artists who have worked as hard and tirelessly as Rachel Chinouriri just to be recognised for their craft. Currently enjoying a real career renaissance – after having spent years asking, tirelessly, to not be mislabelled by critics and fans as an R&B or ‘urban’ artist – the indie star brought an exuberant energy to the Other Stage, as though she had been spiritually recharged.
Alongside a giddy cover of Estelle’s ‘American Boy’, the 25-year-old skipped her way through high-octane material from recent debut LP ‘What A Devastating Turn Of Events’. It was during a sublime ‘Robbed’, however, that Chinouriri was moved to tears, after encouraging everyone in the audience to not give up on their dreams. (SW)
Kneecap’s late night naughtiness
How many bands boast of playing not one but two Glastonbury-defining sets? As Saturday partied into Sunday, we made the long march to Shangri-La after Coldplay’s Pyramid headline set for something a whole lot less wholesome. Irish language Belfast rap tearaways Kneecap had already played a set at 11.30am. “It’s been a long fucking day,” said Mo Chara after the band burst onto the Peace Stage. You’re telling me. “There’s not enough cocaine to go for 14 hours,” smiled Móglaí Bap.
That @fontainesdublin x @KNEECAPCEOL moment from last night. #Glastonbury2024 pic.twitter.com/AhUF9Fynfo
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) June 30, 2024
“Inciting a chant of ‘YOUR SNIFFER DOGS ARE SHITE’, the trio started as they meant to go on – kicking off trouble. The balaclava-clad DJ Próvaí rubbed his nipples as Chara and Bap stalked the stage and started moshpits in each corner of the field. “We have no right rapping in a language that no c**t speaks,” offered Chara, “but in front of all you mad c**ts at Glasto, it’s a privilege”. To share the love for their home country, they then brought out Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten for their collab ‘Better Way To Live‘. The privilege was ours. “You jammy fuckers,” said Chara. “you’re very welcome for that.”
“Things only get more wild for ‘Guilty Conscience’ and the closing ‘H.O.O.D.’, a true highlight of the weekend. We won’t ask how anyone here managed to stay awake, but we’re glad we did. (AT)
Gossip brought us all together – and made us feel powerful
While 100,000 eager punters flocked to the Pyramid Stage to see Coldplay take on Saturday’s headline slot for the fifth time, a stone’s throw away, ‘00s indie icons Gossip took to the Woodsies stage for a raucous lesson in hedonism, queer liberation and empowerment.
From Beth Ditto’s powerhouse vocals during ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’ to the emotional moment the crowd helped the band criticise the US government by chanting “There are more of us than there are of them”, the set was one to prove the Arkansas band are still at the peak of their powers. (LD)
Soft Play celebrated their friendship – and looked towards a fresh start
It would only be an understatement to say that Isaac Holman and Laurie Vincent have been through the wringer in recent years. The Kent punks (FKA Slaves) have overcome respective mental health issues, life-altering grief and contention towards their name change as a band; after Vincent’s partner passed away in 2019, the duo went on an extended hiatus, and for a hot minute, it seemed like they were intending on never returning to the stage.
Through therapy and perseverance, they made their electrifying return to Worthy Farm this year. Though the crowd spent much of the set gleefully dancing and roundhouse-kicking away, it was the reflective single ‘Everything And Nothing’ that conjured a real moment of intimacy. As the acoustic track’s final chords rang out, Holman and Vincent hugged it out for a few minutes, proving sometimes a good cry is all you need. Here, big moshpits met even bigger emotions. (SW)
Celeb spotting at Worthy Farm, from “normal men” to Normal People
It’s been a prime year for celeb-hunting at Glastonbury 2024, with Tom Cruise and Gillian Anderson spotted singing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ before Coldplay’s headline set and Noel Gallagher himself seen mooching about backstage. Even more excitingly, internet sensation Hacker T Dog, everyone’s favourite hand puppet canine, paid a visit to the press tent. Yes, Team NME posed for selfies.
You’d think that couldn’t be outdone, but we soon graduated from “normal men” to Normal People. This writer got a nice surprise, awaiting an interview with Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright backstage at the Pilton Palais cinema, when Paul Mescal sauntered past, topless (it was very hot). He proceeded to douse his hair with a bottle of water, before shaking it off like he was in a ‘90s Coke advert. And then Andrew Scott swung by. Woof! (JB)
King Krule brought the love to The Park
Even with the obvious caveat that his deep, warbling voice isn’t for everyone, after over a decade in the game, King Krule still inspires intense joy and devotion among a cult fanbase. As his Glastonbury set proved, the south London-raised artist (born Archy Marshall,) has perhaps never been more emotionally available: he spent much of his set eyeball to eyeball with the front rows, quietly cracking jokes and allowing his typically meditative tracks to expand into hip-swaying grooves.
Yet it was a gorgeous rendition of ‘Seaforth’, lifted from Marshall’s 2023 LP ‘Space Heavy’, that unexpectedly became one of the weekend’s defining moments; he brought his five-year-old daughter Marina, dressed in a pink ball gown, on stage to dance and sway along with him as he played. Watching Marshall laugh, cut loose and get a little teary underneath The Park’s rainbow lights felt nothing short of magic. (SW)
Black Pumas showed us how to get down – and how to fly
While the bill was dominated by some of the biggest names across the pop and indie worlds this year, a different atmosphere was brewing over on the West Holts stage on Saturday evening, as Black Pumas brought the soul to Worthy Farm.
“Let’s show the world how we get down at Glastonbury,” singer Eric Burton exclaimed, and needless to say, the audience happily obliged. If this euphoric set during golden hour wasn’t magical enough, the sight of the Red Arrows overhead as the crowd sang “Fly together” during ‘More Than A Love Song’ made it almost too good to be true, and even left the frontman lost for words by the end. (LD)
Justice blew away the cobwebs with a rave spectacular
From mixed opinions on Shania Twain’s legend’s slot to technical difficulties at SZA’s headline set, no one could blame punters for feeling a little weary as the end of the 2024 edition rolled in. That being said, if there was one act who knew how to close out the night with flare, it was French dance duo Justice.
Through their gritty basslines, immense stage production and mysterious stage presence, the set sent the energy of the crowd back into hyperdrive, as they left those provided a mind-bending escape for those soon to be heading back into reality. (LD)
The National’s Matt Berninger just couldn’t keep out of the audience
There’s something about the spirit of togetherness at Glastonbury, and we reckon that The National frontman Matt Berninger felt it more than most. Hell, he probably spent almost as much time in the audience or in the front rows that he did on The Other Stage for the indie statesmen perfect closing set on Sunday.
It takes an ocean not to break.@TheNational #Glastonbury pic.twitter.com/0jiYcnqsNN
— Andrew Trendell (@AndrewTrendell) June 30, 2024
During their “creepiest song” ‘Conversation 16’, he enacted the lyric “I was afraid I’d eat your brains, because I’m evil” when he attempted to devour a really rather delighted chap on the front row. For ‘Terrible Love’, he bolted past the safety barrier to play Pied Piper to the devotees who follow him with their phones. You don’t get a more personal goodbye than that. Goodnight Glaso, see you next year. (AT)
Check back at NME for the latest Glastonbury 2024 news, reviews, interviews, photos, rumours and more.
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