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Glastonbury 2024’s first full day of performances (Friday, June 28) is at an end – from the likes of Damon Albarn and Kevin Parker making guest appearances to SEVENTEEN’s historic performance, here are the day’s biggest headlines.
Early in the day, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker stoked rumours he’d appear on stage with Dua Lipa – whose latest album ‘Radical Optimism’ he had many production credits on – when he confirmed a surprise DJ set at Silver Hayes’ Firmly Rooted Soundsystem at 1am.
Paul Heaton and Norman Cook – better known as the DJ Fatboy Slim – were bandmates in The Housemartins, before the group split up in 1988 at the height of their fame. Heaton surprised Glastonbury on Friday by inviting Cook, Housemartins’ former bassist, to perform their 1986 hit ‘Happy Hour’.
Bombay Bicycle Club had teased a special guest for their Glastonbury set, saying someone who had appeared on their latest album ‘My Big Day’ would join them. True enough, they brought out Damon Albarn to perform their collab ‘Heaven’, plus a rendition of Blur’s ‘Tender’.
Albarn took the opportunity to address the audience about Palestine, asking the cheering crowd, “Are you pro-Palestine? Do you feel that’s an unfair war?” He then spoke on the “importance of voting” in the UK general election on July 4, and remarked: “Maybe it’s time we stop putting octogenarians in control of the whole world.”
Norwegian singer Aurora dedicated her Glastonbury set to children in Palestine, saying as she performed ‘The Seed’: “It really bothers me, I feel like the leaders of the world try to fuck us over again and again. This is for all the children in Palestine. I cannot believe these shitty people who hurt our future.”
Sugababes drew a massive crowd to their performance at West Holts – which ended up being closed off. It’s the second time a Glastonbury set by the girl group has resulted in fans being turned away, following their 2022 performance at Avalon.
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Rumours emerged on Friday of a surprise set by Kings of Leon, who shared a video of their 2008 Glasto performance with a caption: “It’s only a short trip away from our little gig at Hyde Park…” There is only one remaining TBA set at Glastonbury, with Kasabian heavily rumoured to be the secret act performing at Woodsies.
PJ Harvey’s Glastonbury set started with a speech by acclaimed conceptual artist Marina Abramović and a seven-minute silence as part of a performance piece. The silence was begun by Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis ringing a gong.
In her speech, Abramović told the crowd: “The world is in a really shitty place… There is war, there is a hunger, there is a protest, there is a killing, there is a violence. But what is happening if we look into the big picture? Violence brings more violence. Killing brings more killing. Anger brings more anger. Demonstration brings more demonstration.”
Dua Lipa closed the Pyramid stage on Friday with an eye-popping headline set that included an appearance from Kevin Parker, whom she worked on for her latest album ‘Radical Optimism’. Together, they sang Tame Impala’s ‘The Less I Know The Better’, from 2015 album ‘Currents’.
See the full setlist and video of Dua Lipa’s Glastonbury set here.
IDLES closed the Other stage on Friday with an electrifying set that featured a guest appearance from rapper Danny Brown on the track ‘Pop Pop Pop’, and a concluding crowd chant of “ceasefire now”, led by the band.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos, rumours and more from Glastonbury 2024. Check out the NME liveblog here for all the latest Glastonbury action as it happens.