Saturday 26/06/10 Glastonbury Festival, Day Two @ Worthy Farm, Somerset

A rather muted performance from Swiss unknown Sophie Hunger opened the John Peel Stage on Saturday. Perhaps not the fault of the folk singer who admitted “We’re probably the most unknown unknown band to play Glastonbury”, the mellow acoustic feel may have been more appropriately suited to the Park Stage, however there were glimpses of potential throughout, which suggest that more may be heard of Hunger in the near future. One to file under “watch this space”. (AA)

The Park Stage itself played host to the music of Here We Go Magic early doors on Saturday morning. In front of a mostly seated, but nonetheless attentive audience, the North Americans’ series of rousing slow-burners made for an enriching, Arcade Fire-esque listen. Amid a remarkable release of dry ice, their bass-heavy track ‘Fangela’ proved the most popular, building up to a heady crescendo of noise in the midday sun. (CA)

Imogen Heap was next to catch the attention, over on the Other Stage, with much of her recent ‘Ellipse’ album going down particularly well. ‘First Train Home’ got the crowd moving thanks to its real sense of understated urgency, while her collaboration with the brilliant beatboxing of Slo-Mo drew whoops of delight among the gathered thousands. (CA)

One of those unexpected Glastonbury treats then unfolded over on the BBC Introducing Stage. With the word getting out that Plan B was set to perform in the tiny setting, Gigwise set off through the Dance Village towards the tent in question. Our arrival there was early enough to result in a fairly decent view of the stage, and it wasn’t long before Ben Drew sheepishly made his way into view with half a dozen or so other musicians in support. He was introduced and quizzed by Jo Whiley, all before defying a rampaging hangover to perform ‘Love Goes Down’ and a cover of Kelis’ ‘Acapella’ . (CA)

“There’s a lot of water between us... but occasions like this make me realise we’re not so different after all”, Scott Avett proclaimed as the Avett Brothers launched into a frenetic Avalon show. The unequivocal beauty of latest album title track ‘I and Love and You’ was clear for all to see as multi-instrumentalists Scott and Seth traded roles and equipment, as well as two-part vocal harmonies so vivid and visceral that it never seemed more appropriate to have their idiosyncratic brand of country and folk rock played on a sun-scorched farm in Somerset. (AA)

Back over at John Peel, Delphic set high standards for themselves early on thanks to stirring performances of ‘Doubt’ and ‘Red Lights’ in the show’s opening chapters. In something akin to a DJ set, their tunes were mixing into one another extremely effectively, backed by a light show comprising three massive, silver, satellite-shaped discs which lit up whenever a song’s ‘breakdown’ arrived. This sent the watching throng into a torrent of hypnotised cheers every time without fail. The synth-soaked intro to ‘This Momentary’ whipped up a further maelstrom, carrying the set forward with a delightful combination of pace and poise. If that weren’t enough, ‘Halcyon’ and ‘Counterpoint’ had the farm dancing to the sounds of Indie-biza well into the early evening. (CA)

With the sunglassed Matt Berninger’s distinctive vocal style echoing around the fields, The National had attracted a sizeable crowd over to the Other Stage. The wind was certainly up by this point in the proceedings, so some of the sound was inevitably getting blown around the place, but that didn’t worry those for whom any National show in the UK must seem like a greatest hits set, after so many memorable albums. As it turned out, the biggest receptions were afforded to a couple of tracks of their 2007 album ‘Boxer’, with ‘Mistaken For Strangers’ and ‘Squalor Victoria’ both performed with the type of passion and vigour which many bands could learn from. A note-perfect rendition of ‘Anyone’s Ghost’ also provided the band’s more recently-acquired fans with something to really grab onto. “This is exactly what it looked like in our heads 10 years ago”, Berninger said, looking out at the crowd, “although it was darker, and there were more girls down the front”. (CA)

There were plenty of girls, and boys, at the Pyramid Stage for Shakira’s set soon after. Combining a few catchy numbers in her own language with some of her more British-friendly hits, the Colombian gyrated and vibrated her way through an impressive hour. ‘Whenever, Wherever’ sent the crowd  predictably wild, while a surprise cover/re-working of ‘Islands’ by The XX illustrated her live versatility beautifully. She giggled at the climax of every song, as if to show surprise at how well she was being received by her public. Her back catalogue, combined with the heart and flirt she puts into a live show, should be enough to tell her that she needn’t be surprised.

An all-singing, all-dancing, England-themed ‘Waka Waka’ tapped into the football-themed consciousness to great effect, while her energetic version of recent hit ‘She Wolf’ saw her arse move practically independently of the pelvis to which it ought to be attached. The song bore witness to many an onstage monitor being dry-humped, and many a man reaching half-mast. ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ rounded things off, with a ballad-esque beginning and an electro-tinged, almost tribal ending. And that was it. Our Colombian heroine was off into the sunset. (CA)

The massive turn-out remained to greet the Scissor Sisters on the Pyramid as they rolled out the hits to an obligatory, but heartfelt and enthusiastic reception. The biggest treat for those who witnessed it was not the likes of ‘Take Your Mama Out’ or ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancing’ but when pop legend and proposed former headliner Kylie Minogue joined the New Yorkers on stage. They may not have the credibility of receive the kudos that those more niche bands on the bill have done, but after tonight’s performance it goes without saying that the Scissor Sister know how to throw a party... and invite 100,000 people to join in with them. (AA)

Mercurial folk songstress Laura Marling then mesmerised the Park Stage as a glorious sunset complemented the impeccable nature of her performance. Joined by her full band the 20 year-old produced a performance the like of which belied her modest years as she performed songs from her debut album, including Ghosts and title track ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’, alongside new numbers from her relatively recently released ‘I Speak Because I Can’. It is been said countless times before but Marling’s future appears to be as bright as the relentless sunshine which saturated Worthy Farm all weekend. (AA)

With the sky’s glow starting to ebb away, an altogether different kind of glow suddenly bleached the Pyramid Stage. Muse have gone from being three lads from Devon to unadulterated rock behemoths, and their performance at the top of the Glastonbury bill will live long in the memory of the huge numbers who witnessed their frankly huge light ‘n’ sound show.

The opening drum clatters on ‘The Uprising’ were a statement of intent from the off, with the song’s colossal intro immediately showing signs of a band planning to make this esteemed headline their own. ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ was the next track to tear things a new arse, sounding bigger than ever right from the opening bars to the last squelch. What was also clear early on was that vocally, Matt Bellamy was on as note-perfect form as possible, amid the waves of noise that the trio were generating.

‘Newborn’, complete with that massive pause between ‘ominous piano part’ and ‘monster riff explosion’, proved that the band still had something in the locker for their older fans, while their traditional cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’ was a welcome end to Bellamy’s extended stint at the piano mid-set. Not ones to relent, Muse made sure that ‘Hysteria’ provoked the kind of reaction that its title reflects, before ‘Time Is Running Out’ carried the audience into the encore craving more.

With the band briefly out of view to take a deserved breather, The Edge then emerged from the stage’s darkness, his trademark headgear catching the eye on the giant screens either side of the stage. A quarter of U2 were here, and as the opening bars of ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’ kicked in, bedlam ensued among the watching masses. No Bono impression from Bellamy, just Muse & The Edge doing ‘Where The Streets Have No Name’. Simple, effective and memorable. As the song ended, The Edge downed tools to a rapturous reception, leaving the Muse lads to rattle through ‘Plug In Baby’ and ‘Knights of Cydonia’ in typically raucous fashion. They whole-heartedly grabbed this opportunity, taking it with all six hands and hundreds more decibels. That’s how you headline Glastonbury. (CA)

Glastonbury 2010 - Day Two In Photos