Key occasions
Jalen Ngonda reviewed
Safi Bugel
West Holts, 12.30pm
By the point Sunday rolls round at Glastonbury, some severe TLC is required (particularly when you spent the early hours trekking again from Block9). However with Jalen Ngonda, the rapidly rising east coast-born singer-songwriter, we over at West Holts are in protected arms: his slick soul bops and shimmering sluggish groovers, laced with an imposing falsetto, are sufficient to assuage any sore, serotonin-depleted heads.
However it’s extra than simply background music. As quickly as Ngonda and his band step into their swaying opening monitor, these parked up on blankets and tenting chairs saunter forwards; inside 20 minutes he has individuals wailing a fraction of a refrain again to him, albeit shakily. “Y’all should be actually hungover or one thing!” he laughs.
Ngonda’s music harks again to the heyday of soul and clear parallels may be made with legacy acts like Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye – simply take heed to that vocal vary! – but it surely resists feeling corny or pastiche. Identical to his breakthrough 2023 album Come Round and Love Me, his Glastonbury debut is a pointy, stylish affair, with sufficient candy hooks and killer vocals to chop via and stand by itself toes.
Over the weekend I’ve been engaged on my concept that Glastonbury is a little bit of a nostalgia pageant as of late, particularly for ageing millennials (hello). I feel that’ll be in full impact in a while when Avril Lavigne performs the Different stage: it’s type of horrifying to understand that her debut single, Sophisticated, is 22 years previous. For those who want any reminding, you may compensate for her catalogue with Alexis’s latest Ranked right here…
…and revisit my frankly torturous 2019 interview along with her right here.
The Zutons reviewed
Gwilym Mumford
Different stage, 11.15am
For those who’re on the lookout for a brand new iPhone alarm, you might do worse than Zuton Fever. Many a dishevelled, bleary head emerges out of a Glasto tent on the screeching riff of the Zutons’s unofficial theme tune.
The Zutons, who haven’t performed Glastonbury for 16 years, are a extra noisy, abrasive band than you could keep in mind, with Abi Harding’s squawking sax bringing an influence and sharpness to their bluesy rhythm part. Tracks resembling Pauline and the insistent You Will You Gained’t really feel like a chilly, invigorating slap at the moment within the morning.
Clearly one tune receives a cheer 10 instances as massive all of the others mixed: Glasto singalongs are a rarity earlier than noon, however Valerie prompts one. The Zutons’ authentic isn’t prone to dislodge Amy Winehouse’s cowl in most individuals’s affections, however its extra energised stomp feels superb for a giant Different stage crowd.
“We had been shitting ourselves about this,” admits vocalist Dave McCabe halfway via the set. However, bar a couple of false begins for Strain Level, they don’t look flustered in any respect. As a substitute there’s a tightness and synchronicity consistent with a band who’ve been round, on or off, for greater than 20 years now. A consummately skilled – if noisy – method to kick Sunday off.
I’m going to wish greater than Berocca to mitigate towards the infernal thud-thud-thud of Seasick Steve pounding over from the Pyramid stage.
And right here’s Alexis on final evening’s headliners, Coldplay, whose laser-heavy razzle dazzle made “Dua Lipa’s efficiency on Friday evening appear to be the dernier cri in shy understatement”, he writes.
As Sunday will get going, revisit the very best of yesterday from our crack pictures group, who actually have the toughest job of all of us within the Guardian Glasto group, hoofing round heavy gear in typically punishing warmth.
Interlinked by Birmingham Royal Ballet reviewed
Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Pyramid stage, 11.30am
For any sore heads, jangled nerves and discombobulated limbic techniques after what was a really massive Saturday evening out for a lot of, no full-sugar beverage or shoulder therapeutic massage may have matched what Birmingham Royal Ballet so superbly carry to the Pyramid stage. Interlinked is a manufacturing from 2022, choreographed by Juliano Nunes, and impressed by “how the power that we exude bounces from one particular person to the following, in a by no means ending circle” – ie an especially Glastonbury vibe.
Luke Howard’s string-led rating contains a central melancholy octave-jumping motif that appears to reflect the dancers’ leaping and stretching in direction of each other. Massive teams contract to pairs of dancers, permitting intense bonds to kind earlier than being folded into the group once more, very like your common Saturday evening at Glasto spent copping off with somebody you’ve simply met earlier than mixing your good friend teams in a while. And with women and men alike in flowing tulle skirts, Birmingham Royal Ballet have clearly obtained the memo about Glastonbury’s radically relaxed angle to gendered clothes, whereas one male dancer has an impressively punkish quantity of ink.
The dancing is beautiful – poised however not brittle, and so alive to the potential for human connection. Top-of-the-line emotions at Glastonbury is that everybody right here is reaching in direction of magnificence in a method or one other; in direction of the very best of what humanity can do and be. This efficiency thrillingly embodied these values.
Let’s go women!
Laura Snapes
Approximating the phrases of as we speak’s legends slot: let’s crack on. It’s Sunday at Glastonbury (which appears to have gone extraordinarily quick), it’s overcast exterior, spirits are moderately excessive within the Guardian cabin and I really feel like I noticed the solar rise far too lately to be up at this hour. We have now opinions to return of the likes of Rachel Chinouriri, Janelle Monáe, Avril Lavigne, SZA and extra. Completely no prizes for guessing who I’m most excited to see as we speak (for the thirty eighth time).
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