Glastonbury Festival: 5 unexpected highlights
As the undisputed king of UK music festivals, Glastonbury always delivers some memorable moments across its plethora of stages.
While the headliners often dominate proceedings, one of the biggest thrills about Glastonbury is its power to produce surprises further down the bill.
As recently highlighted by Betway, that point was demonstrated to perfection in 2011 when Ed Sheeran announced himself to the world with a stunning set in the Croissant Neuf field.
With that in mind, we take a look at five unexpected highlights from this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
Self Esteem
Rebecca Lucy Taylor initially honed her craft as part of Yorkshire folk duo Slow Club, before going solo in 2017 under the Self Esteem moniker.
Taylor has gradually built a reputation for being an excellent live performer and she showcased that to perfection on the John Peel Stage on Saturday.
Resplendent in an over-the-top bustier – a nod to Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield – Taylor’s set was a lesson in having the audience eating out of the palm of your hand.
Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo surprisingly brought Lily Allen stage during her set to stage to call out Supreme Court justices over their Roe versus Wade ruling with a brilliant ‘F*** You’ duet.
The 19-year-old put her neck on the line by calling out justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh over their decision.
Having been dismissed in many quarters due to her Disney and TikTok background, Rodrigo demonstrated societal awareness beyond her years.
Kalush Orchestra
On the back of winning the Eurovision Song Contest in May, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra played their first ever UK concert on the remote Truth Stage on Saturday.
With war raging in their home country, the group were poignantly standing for freedom by playing at the most famous music festival on the planet.
They stood at the end of the show with hands clasped over their hearts, bathed in blue and yellow light. As iconic Glastonbury moments go, this was right up there.
Phoebe Bridgers
Bridgers’ profile has risen massively over the past few years on the back of two accomplished albums - Motion Sickness (2017) and Punisher (2020).
Her duet with British singer Arlo Parks was a standout moment, with the pair delivering a truly beautiful rendition of Graceland Too.
She also waded into the Roe v Wade row, leading the crowd in a raucous chorus of “F*** the Supreme Court, F*** America’.
Wet Leg
While Wet Leg have been making waves over the past year, no one could have predicted the reception they received at the Park Stage.
Isle of Wight duo Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers attracted a massive crowd to watch their exciting brand of spiky punk-pop.
Songs such as Wet Dream and Chaise Longue sent the crowd wild with delight and cemented Wet Leg’s status as one of the UK’s most promising bands.
