Photo: WENN
1. The Libertines are our favourite dirty secret
As the backing track of 'We'll Meet Again' harped out over the thousands gathered by The Pyramid Stage, all it took was the rattling opening notes of 'The Delaney' to turn the green fields of Worthy Farm into the romantic but crumbling world of Albion.
As The Libertines' Up The Bracket banner lowered, it became clear that the Albion heroes would indeed take to the stage, before briskly opening with 'The Delaney' before roaring straight into 'Vertigo'. We're amazed that the secret stayed hush for so long, but the likely lads stormed in to Glastonbury through the back and landed firmly on the frontpage, with an emotional and utterly life-affirming performance.
Pete Doherty paid tribute to the late, great former Libs collaborator and musician Alan Wass, saying "he's up there looking down on us, or down there looking up on us" before rushing into 'Time For Heroes', flowing effortlessly through an accomplished delivery of the staples from their first two albums, aside from another airing of new track 'Gunga Din' and inviting out the marvellous Gigwise favourite Ed Harcourt for old favourite revisited 'You're My Waterloo' and the live debut of 'Handsome'.
Pete, Carl, Gary and John made the headline of the entire weekend, with a performance worthy of Glasto headliners and leaving all desperate for more. 'Secret' sets are part and parcel of the running flow of Glastonbury, but The Libs pulled off one of all time - in a class of their own, my love. (AT)
2. Florence + The Machine proving a worthy headliner
The noise of the call of disgust from a fair few Glasto-faithful when it was announced that Flo would be stepping up to headline in place of Foo Fighters was second only to those still frothing at the mouth from the furore of Kanye even being allowed to step foot in Somerset, but within moments she had silenced all critics.
The roar that erupted during 'What The Water Gave Me' and 'Ship To Wreck' was deafening, before 'Shake It Out' was the first to truly ignite the twilight audience in song. When she paid tribute to the band she'd come to stand in for, dedicating a cover of Foo Fighers 'Times Like These' to the "incredibly kind and supportive Dave Grohl," adding that she was "so sad to hear that he'd broken his leg", and "sending him love," it worked as a worthy tribute - but the truth is that this was the first time that the Foos had even crossed our mind. Florence seized the moment with both hands and clung it tight to her chest. She should have been headlining all along.
From there on, Welch has the vast, flare-waving crowd eating from the palm of her hand - as she stripped off, maniacally prowled and twirled the Pyramid Stage barefoot during 'How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful' - it's hard to imagine her as anything but a headliner, and we daresay she'll ever be anything less from here on out. (AT)
Photo: Gigwise/Shirlaine Forrest
3. Lionel Richie does a Dolly
Just as with Dolly Parton's stint in the 'legends' slot on Sunday afternoon last year, there were reportedly well over 100,000 people in attendance to catch a glimpse of Sir Lionel - with the masses stretching well into the distance. Had they all gathered out of love, nostalgia or a joke?
"This has been a long time coming," Richie told the crowd. "But finally I made it to Glastonbury" - adding that he'd brought along a little 'Californian sunshine'. Looking genuinely awestruck by the response, Richie was clearly overwhelmed by the audience interaction on the likes of 'Hello' (which saw him down a pint of some kind of red liquid beforehand), 'Dancing On The Ceiling', The Commodores oh so fitting 'Easy' and the immensely popular 'All Night Long'.
But really, what we need to talk about is how 'Brickhouse' is probably the greatest song ever written. He looked utterly dumbfounded at the sheer love and adoration he received - repeatedly asking the masses "what is going on?"
We had no idea - but there is nothing at all guilty about the pleasure. (AT)
4. Wolf Alice are the rising champions of 2015
Whether drawing a swelling mass of hysteria to the William's Green tent to their secret set on Thursday, or absolutely dominating the Park Stage on the Friday, Wolf Alice reigned like champions as band with their twice their years and back catalogue. The sheer momentum behind them is only matched by the love they receive, and the fire and fury they put in.
There are few things that could make us stand through a torrential downpour of biblical proportions, but the sheer and infectious compulsion as they tore through 'Bros' and song of the summer 'Your Love's Whore' held us frozen in the swollen devotees - every moment felt absoltuely essential. Their album may have narrowly missed out on the No.1 spot, but victory is already theirs - 2015 is the year of Wolf Alice.
- Check out our full interview with Wolf Alice from Glastonbury 2015 here
5. Kanye West proves the haters wrong
Now we know we've written a lot about Mr West over the last week, but no review would be complete without mentioning Yeezy's iconic headline set on Saturday. Bringing hits, album cuts and a FUCKING CHERRY PICKER to the Pyramid Stage, Yeezus' performance has been divisive (much like his personality), but he undeniably won us over with a stunning' legendary show that will go down in Glastonbury history (EM).
And now, you haters - we hear you. One can totally sympathise. One does lean towards the notion that it was kind of like watching brain surgery - impressive to see, but not that enjoyable. For every bystander with us last night losing their mind, there was another bored to tears - waiting for that 'Coldplay' eureka moment of unified musical epiphony, where Worthy Farm unites in at least one pure moment of bliss. The closest they got was a brief burst of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Therein lies the issue. To headline Glastonbury and pull the masses to the Pyramid, one usually leans on 'casual fans' - those who are not devout Kings Of Leon or Arctic Monkeys fans, but will gladly walk their cider for a sing-along of 'Mardy Bum' or 'Sex On Fire'.
There is no such thing as a 'casual' Kanye fan - he wants to mean everything to everyone, and if he can't then he'll leave you behind. Hence why so many feel more than a little bit cheated. Is that a very 'Glastonbury' way to feel?
No, but whatever - hip-hop matters, Kanye matters and last night mattered. Yeezy certainly played up to being 'the world's greatest living rockstar', even if the world didn't agree (AT)
6. Ryan Adams makes the perfect alternative Glastonbury-closer
Vast swathes took to either the Pyramid Stage see icons The Who or to The Other Stage to have their faces raved off by The Chemical Brothers. We fancied something a little different, so took one last emotional walk to the top of the hill.
What better way to end Glastonbury than with an emotional outro from R'Adams with the ones you love? Opening with 'Gimme Something Good' before giant amp stacks and arcade machines, Dr Adams played up the theatrical setting of the Park Stage and its flaming towers, with a set of heartbroken balladry and bad-ass guitar god noodling.
It was a set of relentless Glasto-friendly highlights, the most fitting being the youthful decadence of 'To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)', the firey regret of 'Kim' and 'Stay With Me', and naturally the ever-enchanting 'New York, New York' and 'Come Pick Me Up'. Sealed with the kiss of the country-prog of 'Magnolia Mountain' and the unexpected and heart-wrenching encore of his now classic cover of Oasis' 'Wonderwall', he couldn't have done more. It's a shame that more didn't see it, but to those who did, it was a set never to be forgotten. (AT)
7. Hot Chip cover Springsteen
OK, we know to some people this may sound worrying, but Hot Chip's cover of The Boss classic 'Dancing In The Dark' during their energy-fuelled headline set on The West Holts Friday night was nothing short of spectacular. Mixed in with another cover of LCD Soundsystem's 'All My Friends', it brought the perfect ending to a phenomenal performance full of underground hits. (EM)
8. Death Cab For Cutie make us feel so special
"You're the soldiers, you're the survivors, right?" smiled Ben Gibbard to the modest but dedicated crowd that gathered as Glasto grew to a casual crowd. It may have been the final day, and five days of booze, rain, sun and emotion may have taken their toll, but the sentimental roller coaster of DCFC's set was the only good and proper way to finish us off.
As we swayed, sang, danced and weeped through a career-spanning performance, peaking with 'The New Year', 'Black Sun', 'I Will Possess Your Heart', 'Soul Meets Body' and 'Transatlanticism', we may be the soldiers, but Death Cab led us to a blissful victory in the end. (AT)
9. Courtney Barnett = summer
"Are you OK?" she smiled through her dry Australian drawl. "Did you have a big night last night?" The mixture of whoops and murmurs from the decent-sized crowd swaying in the baking sunshine suggests so - but Barnett proved to be the perfect hangover cure.
Opening with 'Elevator Operator', the ever-rising Aussie singer-songwriter charmed the bleary-eyed main stage goers with a set of breezy cuts from her Sea Of Split Peas double EP and her astounding 2015 debut album, Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit. Clearly in high spirits, her laissez faire charisma, the free and easy mood of her tracks and the wit therein landed well with the filling field - winning over more than a few new fans in passers by.
Considering she was playing on one of the most iconic stages on the planet, Barnett easily flowed through proceedings as if she'd merely invited us into her yard.
The greatest responses are saved for the twisted charisma of the searing 'Avant Gardner', hangover anthem 'History Eraser' and set closer of the sharp-edged 'Pedestrian At Best', but the truth is that it's a was marvellous hour of a consistent flow. Barnett left the stage with simple 'goodbye' and a wave after clawing at her guitar as feedback rang out from the floor. She makes summer all the more brighter, and we can't wait for her return.
10. Everything Everything may have become the perfect festival band
Even being a fan of Everything Everything, we went into their mid afternoon slot on The Other Stage with a tiny bit of trepidation, knowing they can be a bit hit and miss live.
How wrong we were. This performance was nothing less than spectacular, as the Manchester group reeled off a barrage of hits from across their three albums, cuts from their latest record Get To Heaven sounding strongest. If you see them on a festival bill this summer, make it a priority. (EM)
11. Mini Mansions don't need Alex Turner to be amazing
The band pulled a modest and delighted crowd to the tent, with whisperings abound that Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner might again join them on stage for their collaboration 'Vertigo'.
Truth be told though, they didn't need Turner - setting the bar for the day with a charming set of blissed-out vibes and psychedelic stoner rock pop from their astounding 2015 album, The Great Pretenders.
Naturally, 'Vertigo' and 'Freakout' proved to be highlights, but all in all it was a consistent and thoroughly complete performance - showcasing them as one of 2015's best victory stories. Make sure you catch them live this year at all costs. (AT)
12. Sleaford Mods make Glastonbury feel a little bit dirtier
Taking to the stage after recent sparring Slaves, the Notts duo packed out the tent with fans spilling out well into the field - as Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn delivered a highlight performance of the day, loaded with beats, bravado and some poetically foul-mouthed language.
Mentioning Slaves, frontman Jason Williamson said: "Did you enjoy the support band? Did you? Who was it? Take That?"
"Are their any locals in?" smirked Williamson, "what's it like for jobs?" before rushing into 'Jobseeker' in just one peak of many in a set that we daresay they'll struggle to air on the BBC's daytime coverage this weekend. The crowd were eating his grubby hands, fully engaged - particularly duing '6 Horseman (The Brixtons)' when he posed the question "Johnny Borrell fucks off to an island for four months at the height of his fame, was the country bothered?"
The volume of their response shows where Glasto's allegances lie: "was it fuck!"
Their bitterness made a welcome break to the otherwise serene atmosphere on this sunny Somerset day. (AT)
13. The Maccabees will headline Glastonbury one day
Amassing a huge crowd Saturday evening on the other stage, The Maccabees effortlessly proved themselves as one of the finest British bands of this generation. A group that have developed a remarkable amount with each new record, newer, more intensely detailed tracks sounded perfect cut with the back to basics indie style of their earlier work.
An undeniable triumph of the weekend, if they're not headlining before 2018 we'll be very shocked indeed. (EM)
14. Patti Smith and The Dalai Lama enjoy a happy birthday
Hailing Glasto as 'the festival of the people', we can't think of a better way to encapsulate that than by welcoming The Dalai Lama on stage for a message of peace, love and a slice of birthday cake.
"Dear sisters and brothers," he said. "I really appreciate so many people's expression of warm feeling" - before dedicating his "body speech and mind" to the world", adding that the love he receives gives him "walls of enthusiasm and encouragement" - telling Glasto of the importance of friendship.
He then thanked Patti Smith, saying "I myself am now 80-years-old, but I should be more like you - more active", before she croaked and quipped "yes, but your voice is stronger than mine today."
We also sang him happy birthday. It was surreal, to say the least.
15. Justin Vernon loves a good guest spot
Special guests were rumoured throughout the weekend for Kanye's set, but in the end it was only Justin Vernon who took to the stage with Yeezus, joining in for euphoric renditions of 'Lost in the world' and 'Hold My Liquor'.
In a complete change-up the next day, Mr Bon Iver came on stage with folk trio The Staves for a stunning performance of 'Make It Holy', taken from the group's latest album If I Was, which Vernon famously produced. Needless to say we wished Bon Iver or Volcano Choir were making appearances, but we'll settle for the occasional Vernon guest spot. (EM)
16. Father John Misty is the coolest man alive
Considering how much we've rinsed I Love You, Honeybear in recent months, we knew Father John Misty's set was gonna be special, and boy we weren't disappointed. Reeling off a set filled with emotional, witty tracks from the former Fleet Foxes' man's second album, the sheer joy that emanates from tracks like 'True Affection', 'Chateau Lobby #4' and the record's title track was taken to the next level, Misty strutting around the stage like a less-intimidating Nick Cave.
Roll on Shepherds Bush in autumn.
Prides are becoming the incredible live band their sound deserves
Prides have always been an incredible live band, but their set on The John Peel finally made it feel like they had reached the performance potential their sound has always deserved. Roaring straight into breakthrough hit 'Out of the Blue', what followed was a set that effortlessly proved why their forthcoming debut album might just end up being one of the finest pop records of the season.
Clearly overwhelmed to be performing at the festival for the first time, frontman Stewart Brock gave an energetic performance, jumping up and down on platforms and becoming an effervescent leading man throughout. It also became apparent that the next few years will definitely see them rise up the ranks, with the likes of 'Messiah', 'Higher Love' and 'The Seeds You Sow' definitely set to become future festival anthems.
