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:
From our fashion team...
Glastonbury is back. After a two-year hiatus, the iconic festival has returned to Worthy Farm to celebrate its delayed 50th year.
This year will see headliners such as Billie Eilish, Paul McCartney and Kendrick Lamar — but our eyes will be firmly set on the festival’s fashion.
Historically, Glastonbury has seen celebrities like Emma Watson, Margot Robbie, and even Adele descend on its tent-laden grounds.
But only a few have seen their festival style coveted far and wide. Here’s our pick of the best.
10 most iconic Glastonbury outfits of all time
From Kate Moss’ leather jackets to Alexa Chung’s wellies, Laura Hampson charts the all-time best sartorial moments from the iconic festival
Grammy-winner Arooj Aftab on ‘great energy’ at Glastonbury festival
Arooj Aftab has said there is a “great energy” at Glastonbury that she is “excited” to be a part of.
The Grammy winner, 37, performed as part of Friday’s line-up on the West Holts Stage which also includes performances from TLC and Little Simz, with Celeste and Angelique Kidjo also taking to the stage over the weekend.
Earlier this year, Aftab won the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance at the 2022 ceremony, becoming the first artist to win in the category which is new, and she also became the first Pakistani woman to be nominated for and win a Grammy, the official website said.
Aftab told the PA news agency about an “iconic” festival run so far, saying: “Glastonbury being also part of the mix is just really great.
“I don’t really know how this happened, or how I’m supposed to feel. But this year I did Coachella and Primavera and now Glastonbury and I feel like my life is set”.
The Grammy win, where Aftab was also nominated for Best New Artist, felt “really amazing”.
“I think winning a Grammy just feels amazing, there’s nothing like it,” she said.
“It’s the thing that you kind of imagine since being a kid or from the first day that you realise that you’re a professional musician, and you look up to that moment and it feels like a dream, or it feels like an ambition or something.
“And then for the fact that it actually happened is really crazy and I’m really blessed”.
Asked if the Grammy win had opened doors, the Udhero Na singer said: “I think people really take notice of you when you win a Grammy, whether or not you were, whether the music was speaking for itself or not.
“I think there’s definitely something that winning the highest accolade in the music industry, especially in like a very prestigious and competitive category, does.
“And so I’m definitely feeling the effects of that just in general, from newer opportunities.”
She released a deluxe edition of her album Vulture Prince earlier this year.
Associated Press
Wolf Alice: Future Glastonbury headliners
Wolf Alice are absolutely tearing up the Pyramid Stage, cementing their status as one of the most visceral, innovative rock bands right now. Frontwoman Ellie Rowsell is alternatively channelling Patti Smith, Karen O, Kate Bush and Lana Del Rey. They’ve brought a string section with them, so they’re backed by swooning violins and mournful cello. Rowsell’s voice sounds spectacular; she, drummer Joel Amey, bassist Theo Ellis and guitarist Joff Oddie share a superb chemistry. I can absolutely see them headlining in just a few more years.
Latest photos from Glastonbury
Here are some nice pictures of people enjoying Glastonbury 2022
Some explicit language...
There was a warning from the BBC ahead of Wolf Alice’s set warning of explicit language – I think they meant in the songs, probably not the guy who bellowed “F*** ME, THEO” just now... Good set of lungs, that man.
Wet Leg review – Glastonbury 2022
Little beyond religious pilgrimages and zombie apocalypses draw a crowd like Wet Leg at The Park. Up the hill they come in their thousands, cramming the field right up to the Crow’s Nest and jostling for space at the top of the ribbon tower. It’s clearly indie pop’s turn back at the helm of the zeitgeist and isn’t hard to see why.
If their singles signify a modernist revival of febrile 2000s alt-pop – “Chaise Longue” and “Wet Dream” in particular sound like the product of an AI writing “indie sleaze” songs after being fed nothing but Peaches’ records – the rest of their set is rich in deeper alternative references.
“Supermarket” throws back to the melodic grunge of Veruca Salt. “Being in Love” and “I Don’t Want to Go Out” are attuned to Wolf Alice’s more gorgeous, glacial contemporary textures. And the spiteful “Ur Mum” could be a chant-along from Glastonbury’s peak Britpop years, ricocheting along like Damon Albarn and Justine Frischmann were still mid-breakup.
Full review:
Wet Leg prove indie-pop is back at the helm in their Glastonbury debut – review
No matter how indiscernible it might have been – something phenomenal happened here
Friday highlights at Glastonbury
My lovely colleague Tom has put together some of the highlights of Glastonbury so far, from Zelensky’s powerful video address to a bunch of the best sets, including Wet Leg and Plastic Mermaids.
Check it out here:
The biggest highlights from Friday at Glastonbury 2022
Day three of the festival has featured the Ukrainian president ahead of Billie Eilish’s headline set
Dry Cleaning review
Yes, there is Wet Leg, obviously, but there is also Dry Cleaning – the other British band with a cool deadpan sprechstimme – who start playing at the Park just as the British phenomenon are finishing up their set at the Other Stage.
The south-London four-piece’s delivery is less poppy. Florence Shaw’s breezy delivery rubs nicely against the abrasive guitar work of Tom Dowse. The two sometimes sound as though they’re competing with each other.
The band are about to release a new album, and new single Don’t Press Me experiments with a glimmer of melody in its childlike chorus. But for the most part, Shaw affects a limited range, and there are moments their music today feels a little dirge-y. Their most upbeat tracks, “Strong Feelings”, “Magic of Meghan” and “Scratchcard Lanyard”, are still brilliant.
And Shaw may affect standoffishness, but she still has some of the cutest crowd chat. “Just to explain what I was doing then,” she says towards the end of her set, wiping her face after bonking the mic. “Sometimes lipstick gets on the microphone. and then sometimes I hit the microphone. and then I end up with little bits of lipstick on my face.” ★★★★☆
Libertines review, Other Stage
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.
All the attention is on frontman Pete Doherty. He was at one point the most important rock star in Britain, both ridiculously famous and incredibly influential, spawning an entire scene of lesser imitators. He was relentlessly pursued across London by paparazzi. These days, he lives a quieter life in France with his wife, Katia De Vidas. With his flat cap, he actually bears a passing resemblance to Pascal, the prickly French husband of Noughties “I’m too beautiful” Daily Mail columnist Samantha Brick.
There is a touch of Phoenix Nights to this so-called indie sleaze revival – the nostalgic movement kickstarted during lockdown by an Instagram account dedicated to reviving the memories of the 2000s indie scene. Last month at Primavera Sound in Barcelona, we glimpsed it in The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas – a little older but no less sharp onstage. Today, Barat and Doherty are on fine form as they turn in every hit from their back catalogue.
They open with “Up the Bracket”. As they face off and sing together into the mic, for a brief moment there is the captivating sense that nothing has changed after all. There’s an early singalong in “What Katie Did”. “You’re a sweet, sweet girl,” sings the crowd, “but it’s a cruel world.” Barat belts it out in a Scorpion jacket that channels Ryan Gosling in Drive. Doherty, meanwhile, has donned a tunic and rosary, and bops around onstage like Friar Tuck. In a playful mood, he reads out what he describes as “a special message from Michael Eavis... ‘get off my land’”.
Full review:
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
The BBC has an extensive schedule of coverage across the Glastonbury weekend. Check out the full thing here:
Full TV schedule of BBC’s Glastonbury coverage
Coverage will be spread across BBC channels over the next four days
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