Little Simz at Glastonbury 2024: an all-time great UK rapper ascends to headliner status

Emily Eavis might reckon “there aren’t a lot of new rock acts to choose from” in terms of headliners, but what about rap? There’s an obvious answer on the Pyramid Stage directly before Glastonbury stalwarts Coldplay do their thing. London rapper Little Simz, who looks awed at the enormous crowd throughout this extremely wholesome and inspiring show, could hardly be better placed for the job.

The 30-year-old comes out in rectangular shades and a black-and-red biker jacket, appearing every inch the rock star. She opens with the sweeping ‘Silhouette’, a powerful ode to self-actualisation that assumes even greater significance as she rightfully takes her place on one of the world’s most famous stages: “I don’t wanna live my life being a silhouette.” That track appeared on her surprise-release and comparatively low-key ‘NO THANK YOU’, but the set thematically reflects the maximalism of 2021’s ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’.

There’s a projection of a hand holding a flame in the shape of a human figure, and at one point the rapper is flanked by guitarists in leather trench coats and shades, as if we’re witnessing the world’s coolest reboot of The Matrix. When Simz introduces one of those guitarists as mid-‘00s indie legend Jack Peñate, you just know that anything can happen at Glasto. Underlining how far she’s come to own this stage, she offers to take the audience back to the north London streets that raised her, a mock-up of a corner shop called Little Simbi’s appearing as she kicks into the lithe groove of ‘101 FM’.

Since she emerged a decade-and-a-half ago, Simz has established herself as one of the country’s greatest contemporary artists – and, fortunately, she seems to know it: “Glastonbury,” she announces, “I need you to understand that you are witnessing greatness. And I don’t say that with arrogance; I say that with confidence.” The point is not that just Simz is great, but that we all are. It’s a unifying sentiment and there’s a definite sense that the crowd is rooting for the rapper, who exudes warmth and is totally unabashed about how thrilled she is to have achieved this feat: “I’m having the best time of my life up here!”

Unlike IDLES, who found themselves headlining the Other Stage the previous night, Simz doesn’t vow to return for the top spot on the Glastonbury line-up as soon as possible. But could anyone in this field think of a single reason why not?

Little Simz’s Glastonbury 2024 setlist was:

‘Silhouette’
‘No Merci’
‘I Love You, I Hate You’
‘X’
‘Heart on Fire’
‘Introvert’
‘101 FM’
‘Venom’
‘Mood Swings’
‘Fever’
‘SOS’
‘The Code’
‘Point and Kill’ (with Obongjayar)
‘Selfish’
‘Woman’
‘Gorilla’

Check back at NME for the latest Glastonbury 2024 news, reviews, interviews, photos, rumours and more. Check out the NME liveblog here for all the latest Glastonbury action as it happens.

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