THE 11 BIGGEST MOMENTS OF GLASTONBURY 2025 – FROM KNEECAP TO PULP

I’ll just say it: this year’s Glastonbury was the best I’ve ever been to. The consistent combination of pure fun and politics, of generation-defining, all-time greats and thrilling new talents, of those unique, surprising “moments” (even when you see them coming) and a sense of hedonism that comes with any Glastonbury before a fallow year – this has been special and will make the two-year wait for the next one even more unbearable. But don’t worry if you missed it – I’ve recorded everything that happened on the farm so you can imagine you were there, without having to suffer the smell. Enjoy!

Kneecap’s explosive West Holts show 

Long before Kneecap took to the West Holts stage on Saturday, their show had become one of the most controversial in Glastonbury history – debate about whether or not it would go ahead, with Mo Chara on bail for terrorism charges, and whether the BBC would broadcast it, has raged on for weeks. In the end it was not shown live (but is available on iPlayer), and it was so rammed that the area was shut down 45 minutes before it started. It proved just as incendiary as expected: angry, unapologetic, and only more charged-up by the critics who tried to stop them – including the prime minister, who was victim of a loud “F**k Keir Starmer” singalong. Read our full report of the show here.

“Free Palestine”

Support for Palestine was not limited to Kneecap. Palestinian flags waved in every crowd I was in, hundreds of people wore keffiyahs, and dozens of artists used their shows to protest the relentless bombing and restriction of food in Gaza, from CMAT crying out “free free Palestine” to The Libertines waving a Palestinian flag. Most controversially, punk duo Bob Vylan, in their (televised) West Holts show, led “death to the IDF” chants, forcing Glastonbury to issue a statement the following morning, expressing that they were appalled.

However you feel about what Glastonbury or the BBC should and should not platform, it’s been a long time since Glastonbury has felt this political – and the displays everywhere were a lot more powerful than, say, one viral “Jeremy Corbyn” chant.

Read Next: ‘I’m a free man!’: Kneecap drew in the masses for an incendiary Glastonbury set

Lewis Capaldi’s emotional redemption

A new record for me, as I cried on Glastonbury day one. Two years ago, Lewis Capaldi’s anxiety and Tourette’s overcame him on the Pyramid Stage and he was unable to complete his set. He hasn’t performed since.

But on Friday afternoon, in a “surprise” performance that drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend, he returned to finish what he started. It was incredibly moving to see Capaldi, 28, command the stage and grow in confidence in front of our eyes. His voice was totally beautiful and his obvious relief and astonishment at the support of the audience – who were choked up along with him – even more so. Read our full report here.

The Red Arrows gatecrash Pulp

Speaking of “surprises”, the not-so-mysterious band “Patchwork” listed on the Pyramid Stage for Saturday afternoon turned out to be Pulp. Shocker – even my dad texted me earlier in the week after reading about it in a newspaper. This was a proper classic Glastonbury moment – and came 30 years and four days since their first show here. Jarvis and co were fantastic, opening with “Disco 2000” and swaggering about, gesturing, chatting away as if the enormous audience (even bigger than Capaldi’s) was as intimate as a school classroom.

And one secret that didn’t leak ahead of time was the Red Arrows flypast, which zoomed over us during “Common People” in a moment of pure euphoria. That’s just genius if you ask me. You can chase all the highs you want at Glastonbury but there is absolutely no more powerful stimulant than a Britpop anthem and really fast RAF planes. I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it and actually felt patriotic for the first time in my life.

Lorde’s Virgin album release show at Woodsies

Two more badly kept secrets: Glastonbury superfans Haim and their excellent Park Stage set on Saturday evening, and Lorde at Woodsies on Friday morning. The Kiwi star released her new album Virgin that day and played it in full to the fans who forced themselves out of their sweaty tents early doors. And – of course – it was worth it. This was really captivating – and bold, given how few people would have been able to listen to the songs ahead of time. Debuting a new record at a festival is risky, but if anyone can pull off a move like that it’s Lorde, especially given she closed with electrifying old favourites “Ribs” and “Green Light”. Forget about debuting her album – for lots here this show will have been the debut to the festival itself and set the bar extremely high for the weekend to follow.

The BBC did broadcast Neil Young, after all

Remember when Neil Young said he wasn’t playing Glastonbury because it had come under “corporate control”? And then very promptly was announced as Saturday night’s Pyramid headliner? And then refused to let the BBC broadcast it? Well, anyway, the grumpy bugger abandoned his boycott at the last minute, which is a relief because I went to Charli instead and can now cry along when I get home and am recovering in bed on Monday. Read our full review of the show here.

Rod Stewart

I’d thought Rod Stewart was a bit of a naff Legends booking, but in the end an undemanding, old-school corny singalong was exactly the right vibe for a hot Sunday afternoon when you’re absolutely knackered. Rather than try to get down with the kids, he leaned into his legacy act and took the crowd back to the 70s with guests Lulu and Ronnie Wood and his dated all-female dancers. His most significant guest, though, was 89-year-old Michael Eavis, who came out on stage, as is now tradition, to some of the loudest applause of the day.

Skepta shut down the Other Stage

Dropouts are usually a disaster. But when on Saturday afternoon, American metal band Deftones were forced to cancel their Other Stage slot because of illness, grime legend Skepta stepped in. It turned out there could not have been a better artist to get the crowd warmed up before Charli XCX’s headline set, and as we jumped screaming our heads off to “That’s Not Me” and “Shutdown”, it felt like a properly triumphant celebration of British music. Hope the Deftones recover – but this felt like fate.

Brat summer is for ever

Speaking of Charli – her propulsive, sweaty, filthy, athletic, weird and thrilling Other Stage Saturday night show was a strident victory lap for a woman who has managed to make a zeitgeist moment last a whole year. It was a tough choice between Saturday’s headliners – she was competing with Neil Young, Doechii and Scissor Sisters – but while I love Young and he’s an all-time great, I could not let myself miss Brat’s second summer and indisputably one of this weekend’s most-hyped shows.

She performed without special guests, without gimmicks, without anyone else on stage at all, in fact. For some that was a disappointment – she’s brought out collaborators Billie Eilish and Lorde in other shows, and we are hardly short of famous people on site here. Yet the celebrity she chose to perform the viral “Apple” dance on camera with was Gracie Abrams, which was a bit deflating given there’s little fan crossover there. But those watching her show without all that internet-fandom context littering their expectations will have finally understood the hype about this commanding woman, dripping in talent and uncompromising in her imagination and energy. What an icon. Read our full review here.

Matty Healy was infuriating – because he’s so good

Okay, Charli was brilliant. But the most enjoyable show for me was The 1975 – funny, exciting, silly, ridiculous and joyful, as the most annoying frontman in pop won me over… I can’t believe I found this guy hamming it up with a pint and a ciggie on stage charming, but I must report I’ll be watching it back as soon as I get home. I just loved it. Read my full review here.

Other highlights for me: Jade becoming the first Little Mixer to perform Glastonbury with a stunning show at the Woodsies set that I hope proved to her and everyone else just how strong of a solo artist she is, and Brandi Carlile’s gorgeous Pyramid Stage show on Saturday lunchtime. I’ve been here for four days and I still have FOMO because there are just so many clashes (I’m writing this entry while The Libertines play and I can hear “Don’t Look Back into the Sun” across the fields) but those are a sign of a good festival and I’ve never been at one better booked than this.

The overcrowding problem is better – now let’s talk about the heat

Last year, Glastonbury weekend came a few days before the general election, and everyone expected that Labour’s imminent landslide would make the festival especially political. In fact, hardly anyone mentioned it and instead talked endlessly about the crowding, which would go on to dominate the news and force them to address it ahead of this year’s festival. Earlier this month, Emily Eavis announced that they had sold a few thousand fewer tickets, and they have introduced other measures, including expanding the Other Stage.

Read Next: Glastonbury 2024 has a major problem: overcrowding

Has it worked? Look, there are always going to be massive crowds at a festival like this and there are times, as everybody rushes away from a headliner at the same time and heads to catch the same DJs, when you’re going to get stuck in a bottleneck.

But there were nowhere near the number of panics about dangerous overheating, stages being closed down, or texts warning people not to bother trying to get into certain areas.

When Kneecap and Scissor Sisters filled up early, they stopped letting people in at a decent time and sent out a notification on the app – in fact, every day, the app issued a crowds update to advise on which places were likely to get busiest and at what times.

There’s always going to be work to do on crowd safety – and as Glastonbury’s demographic skews ever younger, more and more punters are going to be swarming in the late-night areas. But stewards were vigilant, advice was followed, and it was clear that the complaints last year have been taken very seriously.

More pressing an issue to me feels like the heat, which continues to reach 27 degrees even before you’re stood in a sweltering crowd. While heat warnings are sent out regularly on the app, and the water queues are manageable, there is hardly any shade available and it feels like something worth seriously examining in future.

British summers are only getting hotter, and with 2026 a fallow year (I can’t bear to think about it) they’ve got two years to work out how to cool us down.

2025-06-30T05:40:08Z