Photo: WENN
Glastonbury day two reached an almighty climax with epic headline sets from Adele and New Order, after highlights also came from Chvrches, The 1975, Wolf Alice, Hurts and more.
Adele's performance on The Pyramid Stage was always going to be a landmark event, and needless to say we weren't disappointed, as the Tottenham star provided one of the most unique headline slots in Glastonbury history. Opening with 'Hello', what followed was essentially two hours of stand up comedy interspersed with huge pop songs performed flawlessly. Constantly apologising for how "miserable" some of her back catalogue was for a festival slot, there was a glorious polarity between her long, hilariously delivered stories and pitch perfect renditions of hits from across her three album canon.
The likes of 'Rumour Has It' and 'Rolling In The Deep' sat energetically against an otherwise melancholic, emotionally affecting setlist. Her performance of James Bond theme 'Skyfall' felt suitably cinematic, while 'Hometown Glory' (obviously dedicated to Tottenham) and a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Make You Feel My Love' seemingly resonated with every member of the gargantuan crowd. Ultimately, Adele's control over her audience is outstanding, and somehow she made one of the biggest gigs in the world seem intimate in parts, and mammoth in others, crafting a one off spectacle that may come to define this year's festival.
Adele played:
Hello
Rumour Has It
I'll Be Waiting
One and Only
Water Under the Bridge
Skyfall
Hometown Glory
Don't You Remember
Send My Love (to Your New Lover)
River Lea
Rolling in the Deep
Make You Feel My Love (Bob Dylan cover)
Set Fire to the Rain
Encore:
When We Were Young
Someone Like You
Photo: Shirlaine Forrest
Meanwhile, a strong crowd gathered at The Other Stage for an almighty closing set from New Order. Delivering a career-spanning smattering of classics along with cuts from their immaculate 2015 album Music Complete, the post-punk, electro heroes performed with the compulsion and energy of a band still penning the sound of the future.
After opening with the pop rush of 'Crystal' from Get Ready, the tropical bounce of 'Tutti Frutti' lands just as well alongside the monolithic 'Bizarre Love Triangle' - proving that as strong as their past may be, they are more than just 'a legacy band'. 'Plastic' so effortlessly shimmers with the casual grace of a band living very much in the now. Then, one iconic track follows another as 'The Perfect Kiss', flows into 'True Faith', into 'Blue Monday' and 'Tempatation before the encore and closer of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. We know, right? The ecstasy that overtook Glastonbury for this brief but flawless set is not a memory that will be leaving us any time soon.
New Order played: Singularity
Crystal
Tutti Frutti
Bizarre Love Triangle
Waiting for the Sirens' Call
Plastic
The Perfect Kiss
True Faith
Blue Monday
Temptation
Encore:
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Photo: WENN
Warming up for New Order on The Other Stage was an absolutely immaculate set from Chvrches. The swelling synths of 'Never Ending Circles' kick things off, as the band take us on a tour of the artfully considered pop of their two albums. The sunset, the cool night air, the effervescent energy of three friends in their prime and the elation as we united to rave through that immense drop in 'Clearest Blue' - it was all just so perfect. Glastonbury 2016 was Chvrches marking themselves as future future headliners. It really was their finest hour.
Photo: Shirlaine Forrest
When you dissect the trajectory of most British bands of the last 30 years, a certain performance at Glastonbury will always stand out as a pivotal moment. With such a diverse crowd and so many variables, it basically has the potential to be a career-defining performance for a band, something that pushes them to new heights and wins over a whole different audience. This was that performance for The 1975.
Drawing a huge crowd over on The Other Stage in the early evening, their performance was simply flawless, and made it very obvious that we will see them headline the pyramid in a few years. Kicking off with 'Love Me', the first half of their set was centre around their second album I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, with stunning visuals and frontman Matty Healy in suitably jubilant form. Away from the music though, it was arguably the politicised nature of this set that made it the most resonant, with Healy hitting out at the recent referendum outcome with a lengthy, empowering speech: "There's a sense of anti-compassion that's spread across the older generation, to vote for a future that we don't fucking want" he rallied, before exploding into 'Loving Someone'. "But i'm just a pop star, so what do I know?"
From their fearlessness to push the boundaries of pop music, to the meticulous craft that goes into their visuals and live shows through to their willingness to speak their mind and ruffle feathers, The 1975 are basically what the world needs right now. Just watch them take over the Pyramid Stage before this decade it out.
Photo: Shirlaine Forrest
Few bands have had a year like Wolf Alice. 12 months after releasing their critically acclaimed debut album My Love Is Cool they've toured the world playing increasingly larger venues, scored a Mercury nomination, an Ivor Novello nomination and basically made themselves into one of the biggest acts in Britain right now. Needless to say then, they made easy work of The Pyramid Stage yesterday afternoon with a stunning set that effortlessly justified their successes to date.
Kicking off with 'Your Love's Whore', Ellie Rowsell's voice was in spectacular form, bringing a much needed grittiness to the festival's main stage on the ferocious moments, and gloriously resonating around the field in more restrained cuts like 'Bros' and 'Blush'. Earlier cuts 'Moaning Lisa Smile', 'Storms' and debut track 'Fluffy' sounded even more gargantuan, but it was closer 'Giant Peach' that really defined the set, as Wolf Alice effortlessly proved they belong on the world's biggest stages.
"Glastonbury, it's time to dance - from the front to the back," beams Hurts' frontman Theo Hutchcraft as he issues Glastonbury with a call to arms. "That's what we came here for."
Amen, and if there's anyone who can make that happen, it's Hurts. It's truly criminal that their phenomenal success in Eastern Europe isn't matched here in their native UK, but they play like it is any way. Hutchcraft and guitarist/keyboardist Adam Anderson are visibly humbled by the spectacle of the sprawling other stage crowd, spreading out into the sun-lit haze of the Glastonbury afternoon. The smile emblazoned across his face is a symptom of the rapture that the Manchester synth-pop duo receive, as he stands resplendent in white and backed by a full choir to deliver a set worthy of headliners.
From the pop-noir of 'Some Kind Of Heaven' and 'Miracle' to the explosive melodrama of 'Rolling Stone', the gut-wrenching balladry of 'Stay', the shameless disco euphoria of 'Lights' and the ultimate high of 'Better Than Love', Hurts dazzle and charm with a full and balanced set of pop in its most joyous and purest form. Visually, sonically, spiritually, they couldn't have done more. The comedown from just how perfect it was is still here.
Glastonbury 2016 concludes today with performances from Coldplay, Beck, LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, Ellie Goulding, Grimes and more. Check back at Gigwise for the lastest news, reviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2016.
