By Lucia Caporalini
‘Brat’ icon Charli XCX fired up the audience when she took to the stage on Saturday night at Glastonbury Festival.
At the same time, pop princess Olivia Rodrigo invited The Cure singer Robert Smith on stage for delightful renditions of the band’s songs “Friday I’m in Love” and “Just like Heaven”.
They are just two of the many artists who performed on the last two days of the festival.
Worthy Farm also saw ravishing performances from Pulp, Weezer, The Prodigy, and Rod Stewart, as well as some controversial sets, like the ones from Irish trio Kneecap and punk band Bob Vylan.
‘Brat’ queen
Performing in front of at least 60,000 people, British songwriter Charli XCX headlined the Other Stage at the same time as rock legend Neil Young was playing on the Pyramid Stage.
Charli’s set felt like a rightful coronation from artist to queen of the electropop scene.
After her Brat album became a cultural phenomenon last year, the artist embarked on a tour that culminated at Glastonbury in an electric performance that saw Charli sing some of the most iconic songs of the album, like “365”, “Von dutch”, and “Club classics”.
The artist, whose real name is Charlotte Aitchinson, also brought to the stage “Girl, so confusing” and “Guess”, collaborations with New Zealand artist Lorde and American songwriter Billie Eilish, respectively, although neither of them was present.
The viral “Apple” dance was then performed directly from the audience by indie pop darling Gracie Abrams in a moment that delighted the huge crowd.
“I’m known to have a heart of stone, but this is very f**king emotional,” Charli told the audience.
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‘Easy peasy’
Saturday was also the day of Irish trio Kneecap, who were recently involved in a huge controversy with the BBC and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The rap band performed on the West Holts stage in front of a sea of flags, most of them Palestinian.
In the last few weeks, the Belfast rap group has shown support for Palestine and condemned the UK’s support of Israel.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, best-known as Mo Chara, was even charged with a terror offence.
Following the indictment, many politicians called for Kneecap not to perform at Glastonbury, with Starmer claiming that it would not be ‘appropriate’.
The BBC likewise reported that the performance would not be live-streamed on their channels.
Kneecap responded by leading the audience to chant ‘F**k Keir Starmer’ during their set, as well as ‘Free Palestine’.
The Guardian newspaper awarded the set a five-star review.
Kneecap commented on the appraisal on their X account with a smug “Easy Peasy”.
British punk duo Bob Vylan, who performed at the West Holts stage on Saturday, was also at the centre of a row with the BBC.
During their time on stage, the London band led a chant of ‘Death, death to the IDF’ [Israel Defence Forces].
The frontman of the group, Bobby Vylan, said to the crowd: “Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that’s the only language some people speak, unfortunately.”
The BBC removed the set from its streaming services and expressed regret at not pulling the livestream directly.
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Awaited returns
Britpop legends Pulp headlined the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night in a not-so-secret performance that saw frontman Jarvis Cocker apologise to the massive crowd in front of them: “Sorry for the people who were expecting Patchwork. How did you know we were going to play?”
The band last performed at Glastonbury thirty years ago – a set that is now considered legendary and sealed their launch to stardom forever.
Pulp played some of the most quintessential songs from their repertoire, among them “Common People”, “Disco 2000”, and “Babies”.
Sunday also saw the return to the big stage of another long-lost band: indie act The Maccabees.
They played their set on the Avalon Stage after recently reuniting for the festival season and a tour.
“We never thought we’d be playing these songs again to anybody,” guitarist Felix White said to the crowd before the emotional performance.
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From Disney to Glasto
Ex-Disney star Olivia Rodrigo headlined the Pyramid Stage on Sunday night in the last ‘big’ performance of the festival.
“How are we doing tonight, Glastonbury? I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in my life.”
“Guys, it’s the last night of the festival. Are you ready to have some fun?” Rodrigo asked the excited crowd.
Fresh from the huge success of her latest album, Guts, which came out in 2023, the American songwriter performed some of her most well-known songs, among which were “Get Him Back!”, “All-American B**ch”, and “Vampire”.
Rodrigo’s talent and pure stage presence were difficult to miss as her feral pop-punk ballads sent the audience into a frenzy for the duration of the set.
During her set, the American star introduced “a personal hero of mine”: The Cure frontman Robert Smith.
Smith was a surprise but a well-received one.
The pair played two of The Cure’s most successful songs ever, alt-rock ballads “Friday I’m in Love” and “Just like Heaven”.
Rodrigo then hugged Smith and thanked him for playing with her, saying she was “honoured”.
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Geoffrey H. Latayan 
Vivien Bernardino