Glastonbury 2022: Six of the biggest talking points from the Worthy Farm festival
US rapper Kendrick Lamar’s headline set closed an impressive weekend of live music
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Your support makes all the difference.The final day at Glastonbury ended with a jaw-dropping performance by American rapper Kendrick Lamar.
Over the course of five days, fans had danced to performances by top artists such as Paul McCartney, Little Simz, Pet Shop Boys, Sam Fender, and Billie Eilish.
On the last day of the festival, George Ezra turned up at the John Peel stage in what was possibly the worst-kept secret set in Glastonbury history, while jazz-fusion legend Herbie Hancock delighted crowds relaxing at the Pyramid stage with a virtuosic performance.
Here’s a look back at six of the biggest talking points from the entire Glastonbury 2022 festival...
Roe v Wade
News of the US Supreme Court’s highly controversial legal ruling broke on Friday, and it was clearly on a lot of people’s minds at Glastonbury. It certainly didn’t escape the attention of the artists, many of whom were American. From Billie Eilish, to Phoebe Bridgers, to Olivia Rodrigo, to Kendrick Lamar, lots of the performers included powerful statements about abortion rights in their sets.
From the youngest ever headliner…
Eilish made history with her Friday night headline slot, delighting fans with an intimate but lively set of songs from the 20-year-old’s two albums. As the festival’s youngest ever solo headliner, the pressure was certainly on Eilish’s shoulders, but as Mark Beaumont’s five-star review attests, she pulled it off with aplomb.
…to the oldest
On the other end of the spectrum, we had Paul McCartney, who delivered an absolute barnstormer of a set on Saturday. Performing a range of hits from his Beatles and Wings repertoires, as well as his solo career (and a couple of covers), Macca delivered a Glastonbury experience for the ages. At 80 years old, he became the festival’s oldest ever headliner.
Kendrick Lamar
Closing the festival on Sunday was Kendrick Lamar, who held the Pyramid Stage in the palm of his hand from the start of his electrifying, career-spanning set to the end. The stunning climax of his set – a rendition of “saviour” performed while blood dripped from his diamond crown of thorns, before he began a furious chant about women’s rights – was pure chills-down-the-spine stuff.
Ukraine
The ongoing war in Ukraine was also a core political issue for many of the festival’s acts and attendees. Ukrainian flags were spotted commonly around the festival site, with McCartney holding one aloft in solidarity as he took the stage for his encore. The Pyramid Stage also played host to Ukrainian band Dakhabrakha on Sunday, one of several Ukrainian artists the festival championed.
A little help from my friends…
While Kendrick’s set may have been all him, many of the festival’s other acts deployed some heavyweight guest stars. McCartney brought Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl on stage towards the end. Olivia Rodrigo welcomed Lily Allen for a duet of “F*** You”. Phoebe Bridges joined forces with Arlo Parks (who had her own full set at the festival) for a couple of numbers. Pete Doherty even showed up on stage during Hak Baker’s performance, having performed with the Libertines shortly before. It was a festival chock-full of unexpected – but thoroughly enjoyed – cameos.
Look back at our live blog below:
President Zelensky makes surprise video appearance at Glastonbury Festival
In full: Zelensky’s message to Glastonbury 2022
The Other stage at Glastonbury Festival opened this morning with a video message from Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.
His message was played to festivalgoers on a screen, ahead of The Libertines taking to the stage to perform.
In videos shared on social media, Zelensky can be heard saying: “Glastonbury is the greatest concentration of freedom these days and I ask you to share this feeling with everyone whose freedom is under attack...
“Help Ukrainians who are forced to flee their homes because of the war... Put pressure on all the politicians you know to help restore peace in Ukraine.”
Read more:
Ukraine’s president Zelensky shares powerful message at Glastonbury
‘Glastonbury is the greatest concentration of freedom these days and I ask you to share this feeling with everyone whose freedom is under attack,’ said politician
The latest Glastonbury secret set rumours
Worthy Farm is buzzing with rumours of who could turn up to play a secret set this weekend. Some are convinced that Bruce Springsteen, who’s currently in the UK, could turn up to join Paul McCartney on the Pyramid Stage tomorrow. There are some serious claims that Harry Styles, who just played a show in Dublin, could zip over to join Billie Eilish tonight, as she becomes the youngest-ever solo artist to headline Glastonbury.
George Ezra seemed like a dead cert until he had to pull out of a Danish festival due to a “nasty bout” of laryngitis – we’ll see if the Gold Rush Kid makes it to his rumoured slot this weekend. Olly Alexander seems like another guarantee as a guest with the Pet Shop Boys on Sunday, given he’s got his own set as Years & Years right before...
Wolf Alice have made it to the UK – will they get to Worthy Farm on time?
Wolf Alice have touched down in the UK just hours ahead of their performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
The band are scheduled to perform on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm on Friday afternoon (24 June).
However, their appearance was in jeopardy after their flight from LA to London was cancelled. The Mercury Prize-winning rock band been in the US after supporting Bleachers on Monday night (20 June) and Halsey the following evening.
Fortunately, they managed to catch another flight and it now seems like they’ll make it by the skin of their teeth!
More here:
Wolf Alice arrive in the UK just hours ahead of Glastonbury performance
Band feared that they’d be stuck in Los Angeles after their flight was cancelled
Libertines review – Glastonbury 2022
‘How the tables turn. Once, The Libertines kept the crowds waiting and played as though they could fall apart at any moment. Today – thanks to an 11.30am set that marks the de facto start of Glastonbury – it’s their fans who are rolling in late, bug-eyed and dishevelled.’
Ben Bryant’s brilliant review of the Libertines is live now, check it out:
The Libertines bring back the Noughties for their Glastonbury set – review
Pete Doherty and Carl Barat are on fine form as they turn in every hit from their back catalogue
Police at Glastonbury have recorded approximately 85% less crime so far this year compared to the last festival in 2019.
A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police told the PA news agency this may be because the event has gone largely cashless and attendees are paying using their phones.
As of 11am on Friday, 11 offences had been recorded since the gates of Glastonbury opened early on Wednesday morning, ending a three-year hiatus for the Somerset festival.
Those offences included four incidents of theft, four drug-related offences, one incident of common assault, one incident of criminal damage and one incident of public disorder.
One of the drug-related offences resulted in an arrest.
Press Association
Mel C says the Spice Girls would love to play Glastonbury
Melanie C said it would be “the dream” for the Spice Girls to play at Glastonbury next year, adding she has a “good feeling” band member Victoria Beckham would join them.
The 48-year-old singer, who played Spice Girl anthems Who Do You Think You Are and Spice Up Your Life during her Glastonbury DJ set at Williams Green stage on Thursday evening, described the experience as “insane”.
She told BBC Breakfast: “I didn’t expect it to be as big as it was and as many people to be going as nuts as they did, it was a wonderful introduction to Glastonbury.
“It’s amazing because the wonderful thing about Glastonbury is there is something for everyone, there is so many musical styles and when you drop a Spice Girls song you think: how is it going to go? But people loved it, it was wonderful.”
The singer, known as Sporty Spice, wore an “Alexa play Spice Girls” t-shirt during her DJ set.
Talking about the Spice Girls playing at Glastonbury, she said: “It’s the dream, the absolute dream, we would love to do it.
“The girls and I, we have chatted about it, it’s the biggest stage in the world, we have the best festival in the world right here.”
She added she has a “good feeling” that Beckham, known as Posh Spice, would join them for the gig.
Mel C also said Billie Eilish, who will become the festival’s youngest solo headliner when she hits the Pyramid stage on Friday evening, will “blow everyone away”.
“The thing is, Billie just has it naturally, I think she wrote her first single when she was 14 and since she was a teenager she has been doing big gigs.
“She’s had a lot of pressure on her shoulders so even though she is very young she is very experienced,” she said.
Press Association
Kae Tempest review – Other Stage
“More pressure... release! More pressure... more release!"
Kae Tempest is cooking Worthy Farm with a bass line that simmers and bubbles underfoot. On their heavy January single “More Pressure”, everyone in this crowd is serving as a tuning fork for the 36-year-old’s bars.
The poet-turned-rapper looks supremely comfortable. Their work contains sharp contrasts, veering appreciably from the aggressive to the emotive. Tempest goes hard – but they are also deliriously happy to be here.
“This is such an important part of my summer,” they gush. “I’m so grateful to be here. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Like a gassed-up preacher in a black tunic, they stalk the stage, throwing hands. Tempest really is an artist whose work comes to life when it’s performed live. They are known for their state-of-the-nation addresses, but that’s not all that’s on their mind today.
“Ketamine for breakfast! Bad girls were drinking with! Half-naked in the bakery eating pastries!” they purr on “Ketamine for Breakfast”. It’s supposed to be a moment of poignant reflection on a chaotic past, but there’s no denying that Tempest could be describing half the crowd’s ideal morning at Glastonbury. ★★★★☆
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