There’s a moment in the middle of Sabrina Carpenter’s headline set at BST Hyde Park tonight (July 5) where, during a cheeky rendition of The Weather Girls’ iconic ‘It’s Raining Men’, the ominous clouds that have been looming over the park all day strain a little, and droplets of rain start to pepper the crowd. It’s the kind of divine timing you couldn’t write, but that’s the story of Carpenter’s career – everything seems to happen exactly when it’s supposed to.

• READ MORE: Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Short n’ Sweet’ review: a new pop princess ascends

It’s easy to forget the rapid ascent that Carpenter has achieved. Still, it was only two years ago that the pocket-sized singer stood on that same stage as a support act for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK, and now she’s carrying it herself for two sold-out nights to crowds of 65,000 each, and no one has ever looked more comfortable.

Opening the show, she bursts onto the stage in a bedazzled red bodysuit singing ‘Busy Woman’, which feels fitting for the point of her career she’s at right now. When Carpenter put out ‘Short n’ Sweet’ last year, many people found it surprising that it was her sixth studio album. She’d made minor waves with singles like ‘Nonsense’ and ‘Feather’, which both get a moment to shine in the setlist, but it was the release of the immediately omnipresent ‘Espresso’ that launched her into a kind of superstardom that is usually afforded to pop ingenues, not artists who’ve been plugging away for years.

With ‘Short n’ Sweet’, she perfected a corner of the pop girl landscape that’s all her own. It’s part Dolly Parton, part Betty Boop and part horned-up pocket rocket. It’s a cocktail that could curdle if not mixed correctly, but on stage, each facet of her performance personality feels perfectly honed. The show has the lens of a ’70s sex comedy, which is realised through its vintage-inspired mid-century apartment homage set and winking infomercial ads for her biggest songs. It’s also the kind of double-entendre-laced vibe that allows her to sing some of the horniest songs imaginable while the crowd around you is equal parts young-adult women feeling themselves and children fawning over her doll-like pop fantasy world.

Of course, that contradiction sometimes misses the mark. The announcement of her upcoming album, ‘Man’s Best Friend’, due out on August 29, whipped up a storm of controversy thanks to its cover, which sees Carpenter on her knees at the feet of a man while he pulls her hair. Discourse questioned whether her horny schtick had officially run out of road, but ‘Manchild’, the recently-released first single from the upcoming record, elicitsed one of the biggest responses of the night. Fans know every word and throw their arms in the air as they scream along with lyrics that lament the state of modern dating, proving that internet drama has no real sticking power in a field of powder-blue babydoll dresses.

From there, Carpenter cycles through a tight setlist that’s as much a showcase of her back catalogue as it is the kind of genre gymnastics she can do. She performs songs like ‘Coincidence’ and ‘Sharpest Tool’ from ‘Short n’ Sweet’ semi-acoustically, giving space to her trilling country-tinged vocals and quippy songwriting, while performances of ‘Because I Liked A Boy’ and ‘Couldn’t Make It Any Harder’ provide moments of belting catharsis.

But all of that feels like edging before the big release, which no doubt Carpenter could write an expertly cheeky lyric about. A ‘Parental Advisory’ warning emblazons the screen before ‘Bed Chem’, which Carpenter sings to a top-down camera as she lies on a bed. It’s the moment in her tour where she’s joined by a male dancer and some Austin Powers-esque shadow work with a screen that shows them enacting a sex position. This time, she invites two male dancers who kiss each other before they all fall into bed together. As the lights dim, a chorus of “Happy Pride!” breaks out in the crowd.

Then comes ‘Juno’, the big crescendo, where Carpenter does her usual bit of ‘arresting’ a hot person in the crowd. On tour, this slot is usually given to her celebrity friends and admirers, but this time, she chooses a fan who’s been warming the barricade all day. It’s a nice reminder that, though celebrity cameos make for good TikTok viral moments, there’s something much more genuinely heartwarming about seeing someone get noticed by their favourite artist.

Talking of viral stunts, Carpenter has been making waves on tour for picking new sex positions to act out as part of ‘Juno’ each night to the lyric “Have you ever tried this one?”, including a much-discussed Eiffel Tower in Paris. This time, she forgoes the bit to let off two t-shirt guns into the crowd, which is the same move she did at her most recent headline slot at Primavera Sound in Barcelona. Still, she’s far from censoring herself, as she corrals the crowd to sing “I’m so fucking horny” along with the lyrics at the top of their lungs, which may be one of the more joyful things you can experience in a field.

Finally comes ‘Espresso’, the moment even the slightly concerned dads in the crowd who are mentally figuring out how to explain the concept of bed chem to their 10-year-old daughters on the way home can’t help but bop along to. Fireworks shoot out of the stage as Carpenter sings the biggest song of her career, which is only a year old, but somehow feels like the only song ever made. It’s catapulted the singer from an artist orbiting the pop girl league tables to one of its reigning champs, but her command of this space is a testament to the years of graft it took to get there. All she needed was time.

Sabrina Carpenter played:

‘Busy Woman’
‘Taste’
‘Good Graces’
‘Slim Pickins’
‘Manchild’
‘Coincidence’
‘Sharpest Tool’
‘Because I Liked A Boy’
‘It’s Raining Men’
‘Nonsense’
‘Couldn’t Make It Any Harder’
‘Feather’
‘Bed Chem’
‘Juno’
‘Please Please Please’
‘Don’t Smile’
‘Espresso’

The post Sabrina Carpenter live in London: A testament to playing the long game to pop superstardom appeared first on NME.

You may have seen that meme about how slapping a ‘Directed by David Lynch’ sticker on your window helps this bewildering world make a little more sense. It’s that same prism that Dublin’s Fontaines D.C. view the shitshow through. Arriving to their take on ‘In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)’ from Eraserhead mashed up with a ghostly stripped-back ‘Starburster’, the band drag Finsbury Park’s 45,000-strong crowd through the screen and into the surreal.

• READ MORE: At home with Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten: “Our personality is bigger than the sound that we make”

The acid, neon and sci-fi of 2024’s ‘Romance’ is a world of its own. As Amy Taylor of support act Amyl And The Sniffers puts it, “Fontaines, especially their last album, remind me of how it feels to be alive today, which is really fucking confusing”. She points specifically to the profound ‘Modern World’ as a soundtrack to these times of horror fatigue and livestreaming atrocities.

That universe is reflected in today’s line-up and their actions – soulful, fierce and independent acts. The fight for Palestine dominates the day, not least from Kneecap (who Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten joins for the cutting polemic ‘Better Way To Live’) and it’s a cause shared by the flag-baring, freedom-calling crowd.

Fontaines are among their people. When they arrive on stage, they’ve got that something that the best bands do – they look like a gang that you want to be part of, and you can. The crowd, dressed in their Bohemian F.C. shirts, continue Fontaines’ anime street gang aesthetic, its brash colours the makeshift uniform of a subculture.

From the acidic sleaze of ‘Here’s The Thing’ through to the punky promise of ‘Boys In The Better Land’ and the recent sunset single of ‘It’s Amazing To Be Young’ feeling like a warm hug at a lock-in, Fontaines are absolutely on one. Chatten stomps the runway, having grown into a fearsome frontman, while Conor ‘Deego’ Deegan III proves the cool anchor of the band, Conor Curley the mystique, Tom Coll the heartbeat, and Carlos O’Connell the wild card.

Highs come with the holler back for that stuttering refrain “Shit / Shit / Shit / Battered” on ‘Death Kink’, the gothic swamp of newbie ‘Before You I Just Forget’, and the Deftones K-hole of ‘Desire’. ‘A Hero’s Death’, ‘Big’, ‘Hurricane Laughter’, ‘Favourite’ and “that violent, ‘How do you do?’” of the stonking ‘Liberty Belle’ continue to incite mosh pits – then we hit peak Lynch.

Images of warped faces, creepy hallways and a two-headed, double-ended, red-eyed pig greet us through snowglobes. “Maybe romance is a place,” offers Chatten, returning for the encore. It is here in Finsbury Park tonight. The “selling genocide” line from ‘I Love You’ lands a sledgehammer blow when the screens declare “Israel is committing genocide, use your voice” to rapturous support, before we end on that short-sharp inhale of “momentary-blissness” with ‘Starburster’.

The show doesn’t hit the same as their dumbfounding ‘Romance’ launch at Glastonbury 2024 or the drama and theatrics of their Ally Pally show last year, but this feels more like a victory lap and proves that the band can totally lay waste to a show of this size.

Their first London show was just around the corner at The Finsbury pub to about 20 people. Now here we are. Headlining Finsbury Park has led to epic folklore gigs by the likes of Pulp, Oasis, New Order and Arctic Monkeys. They more than deserve to be listed among them. They are the most important band of this decade. They’ll headline Reading & Leeds in no time, and maybe Glastonbury needs that fallow year to take a very deep breath and prepare for a Fontaines takeover.

Fontaines D.C. played:

‘Here’s the Thing’
‘Jackie Down the Line’
‘Boys in the Better Land’
‘Televised Mind’
‘Roman Holiday’
‘It’s Amazing to Be Young’
‘Big Shot’
‘Death Kink’
‘A Hero’s Death’
‘Before You I Just Forget’
‘Motorcycle Boy’
‘Horseness Is the Whatness’
‘Big’
‘Bug’
‘Hurricane Laughter’
‘Nabokov’
‘Desire’
‘Favourite’
‘Liberty Belle’
Encore:
‘Romance’
‘In the Modern World’
‘I Love You’
‘Starburster’

The post Fontaines D.C. live in London: surreal, powerful statement from future Glasto headliners appeared first on NME.

In partnership with Open’er Festival

Words: Jordan Bassett and Kyann-Sian Williams

There’s nothing like a big rock show. We love a sweaty gig in a tiny venue just as much, but there’s something special those days that build towards the event, as you dig out your old band tee, text mates about your setlist dreams and prepare to get silly to your favourite tunes.

Day four at Poland’s Open’er Festival was all about that energy. This was thanks to Linkin Park’s headline set, the excitement for which was palpable hours before the band took to the main stage. Perhaps they weren’t not entirely responsible for the fact that the field felt busier than usual (the colossal line-up also featured world-beating rap, pop and art-rock), but the huge amount of LP T-shirts on display showed what a draw the Cali metal titans are.

It was fitting farewell, then, to a truly magnificent festival. Here’s how we said do widzenia to Open’er 2025… (JB)

Doechii turned the main stage into a swampy wonderland

From the moment she rose above the stage, standing on a mossy platform like a supernatural bayou deity, you knew you were stepping into Doechii’s world. The Tampa-born rapper turned Open’er into a lush, fog-drenched fantasy with tangled green foliage, misty visuals and her voice cracking like a whip through the humid night.

She honoured the golden age of hip-hop with reverence and a sly wink, paying homage to its fundamentals: DJing, raw rapping and fashion that flexes both power and play (oversized hat, corset, baggy pants). At one point, her DJ shouted, “We bringing real hip-hop shit to Poland tonight!” – a promise Doechii kept in full.

Her set played like a feverish, genre-warping mixtape. She flipped hip-hop classics such as Nas’ ‘Oochie Wally’ and ‘The World Is Yours’, incorporated the leaned-out drawl of Underground Kings, slipped into her viral Beyoncé cover (‘America Has a Problem’) and sampled ballroom house before she duck-walked and vogued down the runway to ‘Alter Ego’ – where she gleefully rapped JT’s verse and danced deep into the crowd.

@adrianblnc

Doechii pierwszy raz w Polsce @Doechii #doechii #doechiichalenge #doechiicrazy #doechiiwhatitis #poland #opener #openerfestival #dc #viral #dlaciebie #fyp #fyppp

♬ dźwięk oryginalny – Adrianblnc

She thrashed through a rock remix of ‘Anxiety’, guitars snarling as she sprinted the runway, spun and struck poses like a goddess possessed. Between tracks, she beamed and asked, “How you say, ‘Make some noise,’ in your language?” A fan called it back and she roared the words joyously – a small, electric exchange that turned the sea of strangers into her extended hype squad.

This was all about fearless freedom and total don’t-give-a-fuck self-expression. During ‘Persuasive’, she led us in a chorus of bad-bitch affirmations (“I’m that bitch, I’m serving face…”), then posed the million-dollar question: “How does it feel to be tha-that that that bitch?” By the end, we all knew exactly how it felt: unstoppable. (KSW)

Poland gave Linkin Park a warm welcome back

To a casual onlooker, Linkin Park might seem to be defined by their first album, 2000’s rock-rap classic ‘Hybrid Theory’. Yet when the Gdynia-Kosakowo Airfield filled with the band’s fans on Open’er’ final day, an overwhelming number of their T-shirts bore the words ‘Year Zero’, the name of LP’s divisive comeback album with new singer Emily Armstrong. Indeed, the festival’s merch shop was gridlocked for most of the day, with a queue snaking up and down the field. No prizes for guessing why. In their box-fresh shirts, fans seemed determined to show their support for the group’s new era.

Linkin Park haven’t performed in Poland since 2017, when they appeared at Kraków’s Impact Festival just over a month before original vocalist Chester Bennington’s tragic suicide at the age of 41. If certain corners of the internet have been less than convinced by Armstrong stepping into his shoes, punters at Open’er Festival were so enthusiastic that the atmosphere grew heady and intense. This was by far the biggest audience of the weekend, with the crowd stretching way back through the festival site and packed tight around both sides of the stage as digital clocks counted down to the band’s appearance.

When the group finally graced the stage, the audience’s roared response was ecstatic bordering on religious fervour. “The welcome back is very much appreciated,” vocalist and co-founding member Mike Shinoda said. “Put your hands up if this is your first time seeing Linkin Park live.” It seemed like every other pair of hands in the field reached out to the heavens, which explains why the new album’s lead single ‘The Emptiness Machine’ was as rapturously received as such classics as ‘One Step Closer’. As fans opened up a huge circle pit to the band’s brutal sonic assault, Armstrong purred approvingly: “I knew you had it in you, Poland…” (JB)

The best of the rest

After Doechii’s high-octane Polish debut, Camila Cabello offered a syrupy-sweet counterpoint. Surrounded by plush quilted blocks and draped in delicate white off-cut fabric, she looked like an angelic lullaby come to life while she danced her way through her discography – from her new hyperpop-inflected songs to her big, belting bangers. She even practiced her Polish, declaring her love with a gleaming smile: “Kocham cię!”

Between the pleasant pop of Cabello and Conan Gray and the post-punk of Molchat Doma and Wolf Alice stood Samara Cyn. Over at the Flow stage, she drew passersby in with her conscious, heartfelt hip-hop. Clearly inspired by the likes of Common, Mos Def and Erykah Badu, Samara exists in that radiant middle ground where neo-soul meets storytelling rap – every song a meditation, every bar purposeful. Even if the Polish crowd didn’t catch every word, they tuned into her energy, swaying gently to her mellow, soul-soaked tunes.

At the end of the night, the cultish rap disruptor JPEGMafia offered the perfect warm-up for anyone craving that unruly, rock-coded thrill before Linkin Park‘s headline set. Always sonically unpredictable, Peggy’s sound blurs the line between rap and rock: chaotic, skittish, ear-bleeding – but always magnetic. Casual fans headbanged and die-hards jumped nonstop, screaming every sample and glitchy drop back at him – unhinged devotion was in abundance for Peggy. (KSW)

Wolf Alice introduced Poland to their new era on the Tent Stage, as the London art-rockers performed in front of a ritzy stage design adorned with lights that looked like they’d been nicked from the set of The Last Showgirl. Singer Ellie Rowsell rocked the high notes on epic comeback track ‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ as if determined to make those bulbs burst one by one, while hazy new song ‘The Sofa’, which includes a shout-out to north London ‘hood Seven Sisters, helped us settle into a final day winddown.

We’ll miss you, Open’er 2025. As Rowsell sang on the gorgeous ‘Delicious Things’: “The vibes are kinda strong here…” (JB)

The post Doechii and Linkin Park close Open’er Festival 2025 with chaos and catharsis appeared first on NME.

In partnership with Open’er Festival

Words: Jordan Bassett and Kyann-Sian Williams

Day three at a festival can be a tricky business. You’ve been sapped of the energy of the first couple of days, but the end isn’t quite in sight enough for you to dig deep and push through. The hangovers have piled up on one another, you haven’t slept and your tent is such chaos it looks like Cardiff city centre after an Oasis gig. All it takes is a wobbly line-up and things could go south very quickly indeed.

Luckily, Poland’s Open’er Festival has a few tricks up its sleeve on Friday (July 3). Little Simz spread love and joy and Muse rolled out riffs the size of the aircrafts that land on this airfield when it’s not full of superstars and music fans, before Justice razed the whole thing to the ground with their molten dance tunes. We go again tomorrow – but here’s what rocked our world on day three. (JB)

Little Simz shone bright

There’s something so pure about Little Simz. Even when her sound leans into dark, swelling industrial tones, her voice cuts through like a beam of untainted light. That clean-heartedness radiated on Open’er’s Friday.

She began her set in a cap, huge bomber jacket and blacked-out sunglasses, looking like a secret agent on a mission backed by her special ops: her bassist and keyboardist. She looked guarded, rapping ‘Thief’ and ‘Flood’ from her recent album ‘Lotus’ through gritted teeth, stomping and swinging across the stage as if to shake off the world’s heaviness.

But once she ditched her shades, her eyes burned with joy under the sunset – her warmth glowed in full force as she strolled down the ramp with an infectious smile and cheery “’Ellooooooo!” Her light is untameable.

@koncerty.i.festiwale

Znakomita Little Simz! Open’er Festival 2025! #LittleSimz #OpenerFestival #Opener #Festival #Festiwal #koncert #koncertywpolsce #live

♬ dźwięk oryginalny – Koncerty i Festiwale

The Polish are always appreciative, but no one seemed more grateful than Simz. Every time the audience clapped, she clasped her hands and bowed, thanking them again and again, pausing to feel the love vibrating throughout. Before ‘Free’, she had a tender moment, reminiscing on days she rapped for 10 people and now marvelled at the sea of fans before her. “Thank you so much. I don’t take any of this for granted,” she said, her London accent exposed.

While showing off her sonic range from jazzy funk to her new industrial-rock-meets-Nigerian-highlife sound, Simz’s set momentarily turned into a collective self-affirmation session during the heart-squeezingly tender ‘Only’. The Islington star guided the Gdynia crowd in a chant of “Only love in my heart” – a manifestation to clean the soul before the boogie that came swiftly after. She wanted us to “imagine” she was our friend from London, who was in Poland for one night, and show her our moves in some “sweaty, underground party”. Then she launched into the enthralling funk of ‘Mood Swings’ and ‘Fever’ from her 2024 ‘Drop 7’ EP. And the audience responded – bodies thrashed around, lost in her glow.

What could have been a pensive set became something healing and communal, like we had the chance to witness her bruised heart turn into a blooming lotus – and we all left freer and fuller for it. (KSW)

Muse brought planet-sized riffs and impressive levels of glam

Every rock star worth their salt needs an ego walk: that bit of the stage that comes out into the audience so they can swagger down, bust their moves and soak up the rapturous applause. Mere minutes into Muse’s main stage set, frontman Matt Bellamy was wheeling along said ego walk, headbanging to his own monsters of rock. You know you’ve got tunes to spare when you can dispatch the planet-sized ‘Hysteria’ just three songs in: the tension ratcheted up with that famous teasing intro, which then gave way to absolute carnage in the pit as Muse unleashed its jumbo-sized riff.

The massive crowd swelled around the viewing platform and sound system opposite the stage as Bellamy squalled out high-pitched notes on his guitar, which fans then sang back to him. It was a bit like Freddie Mercury’s famous call-and-response vocal at Live Aid, but with more devil horns. This was a classic rock show, but it was also – to namecheck the band’s 1990 album – pretty ‘Showbiz’, given Bellamy’s light-up bomber jacket and the glitzy lightboxes that flashed with various colours on stage. By the time multicoloured streamers burst from the stage and over the front rows, you half-expected Simon Cowell to come and give an appraisal.

Can you feel it in your bones? @opener_festival tonight.

circusxhead pic.twitter.com/nwjttszq00

— muse (@muse) July 4, 2025

Curiously, given the general State of Things and Muse’s obsession with dystopias and evil governments, the frontman made no grand political statements. There was, though, a video that filled with a John F. Kennedy Cold War speech, which was also broadcast over the speakers: “[The Soviet Union’s] preparations are concealed, not published; its mistakes are buried, not headlined; its dissenters are silenced, not praised.” With the people’s help, though, he continued, America could be “free and independent”. Recontextualised in a world riven with political upheaval and violence, perhaps that said it all.

The best of the rest

As Liam and Noel Gallagher took to the stage at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium for the long-awaited Oasis reunion, FKA Twigs and her troupe of uber-cool dancers put on a very different show on Open’er’s Tent Stage. Still, there’s more to link Liam, Noel and Twigs than you might imagine, as all three have received NME’s coveted Godlike Genius Award.

Last night, Twigs showed us how she earned the title. When she and her troupe pulled off immaculate dance moves atop an industrial-looking rig and wowed the huge audience with her unique blend of art-pop and R&B, there was only one word for it: Godlike.

Speaking of art-pop: New York chameleon St. Vincent appeared on the Tent Stage at 11.30pm, following Muse’s main stage set with competitive levels of riffage and theatrics. She pulled off her own killer dance moves, seeming to be blasted back and forth by the sheer volume of the music, as she treated Poland to tracks from 2024’s ‘All Born Screaming’ for the first time. Things even got a bit proggy when she closed with the title track, a multi-epic that encompasses lilting yacht rock, experimental electronica and something close to a Gregorian chant. You could well imagine Matt Bellamy backstage, taking notes. (JB)

Tucked under the Alter stage was a hyperpop fever dream led by the mastermind that is AG Cook. His glitchy, candy-coated synths and warped vocals had the crowd bouncing like they’d mainlined a bag of Skittles. At one point, it fully transformed into a Charli XCX singalong club, thanks to his absolutely brilliantly reimagined flips of their collabs including ‘Everything Is Romantic’ and ‘365’ – the crowd even screamed during the ‘Von Dutch’ bridge with religious fervour. Surrounded by strobing visuals and chaotic drops, AG felt more like a mad scientist than a DJ, turning the late-night tent into a sweaty, rainbow-hued wonderland.

Meanwhile, those disappointed by Trippie Redd’s last-minute cancellation were more than rewarded by local hero Otsochodzi. If you’re curious about the Polish rap scene, start here: he’s perfected a mix of frenetic, computerised melodies and razor-sharp lyrical precision. His modern trap features angsty, brooding synths, which grumble over throat-rupturing bass and invoke chaos galore. Even non-Polish speakers could surely catch onto the infectious flows and mind-melting hooks. Sometimes, a festival surprise ends up being one of the best sets of the day. (KSW)

The post Muse unleash monster riffs and the old razzle-dazzle at Open’er Festival 2025 appeared first on NME.

“THIS IS NOT A DRILL,” beams the message over the big screens before a montage of all the headline rumours, hearsay and eventual confirmation of this – the moment we thought would never happen. That opening badass riff of ‘Fuckin’ In The Bushes’ suggests war, but we’re told again: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over.”

• READ MORE: “They taught me what it means to move someone’s heart with music”: artists on the impact and influence of Oasis

Ever since Noel Gallagher stormed out of that Paris dressing room in 2009, the idea of Liam hollering “OASIS IN THE AREA” on a pissed-up Friday night in Cardiff seemed a fantasy – let alone seeing the brothers arriving arm-in-arm. Not that we didn’t love the to and fro and the drama, though. “It’s gonna happen very fucking soon,” Liam told NME back in 2020. Sure. “There’s never really been a serious offer about ‘The Big O’ getting back together,” Noel would reveal to us in 2023. Alright then!

Digging up and reanimating John Lennon and George Harrison seemed a more likely reunion. Then this: “Hello, hello, it’s good to be back”. All that toxic wibbling rivalry, the years apart, the ‘potato’ barbs, and those cursed, piss-boiling words “dynamic ticket pricing” are all lost to all that Oasis fans have ever really wanted: another chance for a proper fucking party.

Made in the cauldron of the era of acid house, Spike Island and Madchester, it’s said Oasis always followed that lineage of the crowd being as much a part of the band. That throbbing throng at Knebworth made it the event, and you can’t have The People’s Band without The People. That’s why we’re here tonight – for the Gallaghers to give ‘90s survivors a trip back in time but mainly something for the younger generations that are yet to have a reason to feel like they could live forever.

At Liam’s solo gigs especially, you’d have spotted scores of bucket-hatted Gen Z-ers. He is the eternal teenager. The make-up of the deafening Principality Stadium crowd proves Oasis have transcended time and are part of the fabric of life – for the football terraces, the wedding disco, pouring one out at a funeral, the last hug at an all-nighter. “Because we need each other, we believe in one another,” Noel sings back to Liam on ‘Acquiesce’ – an anthem of unity and optimism that means something once again.

After a ‘90s heyday and an often maligned post-millennium era, this is Oasis redesigned for the 21st Century. Playing before a pop-art-meets-psychedelia visual spectacular that never distracts but will look sick on a phone, they seem the quintessential stadium band playing the greatest hits of greatest hits. Come come, now: ‘Morning Glory’, ‘Some Might Say’, ‘Bring It On Down’, ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’, ‘Fade Away’, ‘Supersonic’ – all in succession at the top of the night? It just never relents.

“Beautiful people, I want you to do us a favour,” pleads Liam. “I don’t ask for much,” before asking everyone to throw their arms around the person closest to them. “It doesn’t take fucking GCSEs, man”. It’s a love-in. Not just of nostalgia where “the dreams we had as children fade away,” but one very much in this moment.

This is all you ever would have wanted from Oasis in 2025: they look cool, sound fucking amazing, and they want to be here. The truth is Liam’s voice hasn’t sounded this good in 20-odd years – three-dimensional between the punky bile of that skyward “TAKE ME THERE” in ‘Slide Away’ and the heartfelt call for brotherhood in ‘Stand By Me’. Noel’s lead moments spotlight him as the songwriter’s songwriter and still The Chief – with ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Half The World Away’ having the same impact without the R’N’R sledgehammer as the other jukebox bangers – and then we need to talk about the other lads on stage.

“Thank you very much to Gem Archer on the guitar, Andy Bell on bass guitar, our 14th drummer Mr Joey Waronker, and this fucking uber legend here,” ends a humbled Noel, with the camera panning to Saint Bonehead. This latest iteration of the best rock’n’roll band of all time just fucking pumps, and it needs to. “This song is for all the people in their twenties who have never seen us before and kept this shit going for 20 years,” shares Noel, introducing the opening encore track ‘The Masterplan”.

It’s breezy and drama-free, complete with a classy tribute to the late Diogo Jota. Noel has a cheeky mention of the dynamic pricing fiasco, and later Liam asks: “Is it worth the £40,000 you paid for the ticket?” As the flares light up for ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ into the spoils of colossal closers ‘Wonderwall’ and an everlasting ‘Champagne Supernova’, the sweet escape comes to an end. Lord knows we needed a taste of that halcyon ‘90s hope and abandon in 2025 – especially for the raving and craving Gen-Zers. The world is a rotting shitty bin-fire and tomorrow never knows, but tonight, you’re a rock’n’roll star.

Oasis’ Cardiff setlist was:

‘Hello’ 
‘Acquiesce’ 
‘Morning Glory’
‘Some Might Say’
‘Bring It On Down’
‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’
‘Fade Away’
‘Supersonic’
‘Roll With It’
‘Talk Tonight’
‘Half The World Away’
‘Little By Little’
‘D’You Know What I Mean?’
‘Stand By Me’
‘Cast No Shadow’
‘Slide Away’
‘Whatever’
‘Live Forever’
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’
‘The Masterplan’
‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’
‘Wonderwall’
‘Champagne Supernova’

The post Oasis live in Cardiff: a supersonic reunion for a new generation appeared first on NME.

In partnership with Open’er Festival

Words: Jordan Bassett and Kyann-Sian Williams

As we’ve discussed this week, you never know quite what to expect at Open’er Festival, the four-day extravaganza in Gdynia, Poland, which this year sees epics sets from Muse, Linkin Park, Little Simz, Doechi and loads more. When you’re not enjoying one of the admirably odd attractions such as the Guess Jeans dance hall where you can have a boogie and watch a video of some trousers rolling around the washing machine, there’s plenty further down the line-up to make your eyes pop.

Take Dom Qultury, a smaller tent tucked away in the corner of this enormous airfield, which on Thursday (July 3) hosted the Gender Blender, a series of drag and cabaret acts that included a guy in a pink suit who did an extremely wholesome acrobatic striptease on a bistro table to Jason Mraz’s ‘If It Kills Me’. Here’s what else we saw on day two.

Nine Inch Nails upstaged the guy in the pink suit

Hard to believe, but somehow true. In what was admittedly a very different performance, Trent Reznor and his merry band of techno-punks took to the main stage at 10pm for a truly electrifying set. The band was packed tight together, hemmed in by rows of gigantic, white-hot lightbulbs at the front and sides of the stage; it was sort of like Kanye West’s 2015 performance at Glastonbury, but without a slightly awkward rap on top of a crane.

It was less divisive, too. The sound of that buzzing, grinding guitar seemed to jolt the huge audience, who bounced and jostled as one seething mass, only extracting themselves from one another to form a huge circle pit to the pulverising likes of ‘Copy Of A’. Punters spilled way back past the viewing platform towards the middle of the field, marking this as one of the most enthusiastically attended shows of the festival so far.

Reznor seemed to appreciate the explosive atmosphere at the Gdynia-Kosakowo Airfield. Clad in industrial-looking black jeans, boots and jacket, he swung on his mic stand as the pit scythed before him and threw his hands up like a preacher when the band pumped out the liquid funk of horndog anthem ‘Closer’. At one point, backed by the galloping beat of ‘God Break Down The Door’, he parped away on squalling sax. At another, before a cover of David Bowie’s stuttering ‘I’m Afraid Of Americans’, he intoned, “This is a song we got to work on with our hero,” adding that its sentiment “seems to get more true” with every day that passes.

The only crowd member who didn’t seem to be completely transported by the whole affair was one guy towards the left of the stage, who stood there calmly juggling balls while the carnage erupted around him. You see it all at Open’er. (JB)

Future helped Poland master the art of the mosh pit

The saying goes that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. So, having seen Future repeatedly at various festivals, you’re prepared to be underwhelmed: something about a trap pioneer – a musical needlemover, if you will – pacing the stage, performing half his lyrics like we’re in a karaoke bar, gets old. Plus, Future was nearly an hour late at Open’er and killed all anticipation – especially when every other set here has been so prompt. But, rocking his new bleach blond ‘fro and simple (yet probably expensive) tee and shorts, he swiftly apologised by being a chaos merchant, flipping the crowd’s disappointment into pure wildness with his classic trap war-cries.

The mosh pit is his kingdom – a sweaty, chaotic space where controlled chaos reigns suprem and only he knows how to command it. “Open it up!” quickly became one of Future’s go-to lines and with just these few words, the masses moved as crates were carved in the heart of the crowd, creating a sandy haze as powdery mud and sweat rose throughout the air amid the jumping. On a cold coastal night, you left the pit drenched – preferably in your own sweat, but maybe someone else’s too. “I knew Poland was gonna turn up with me tonight,” Future praised, dripping with raw reverence as though we’d be tired at one-something in the morning: we’ll rage at any time.

This Polish rap audience has truly embraced the art of moshing. Here, taking cues from rock’s originators, kids pushed open a huge circle and let it be: limbs swinging to the 808s, shadowboxing their inhibitions – but they also banished the mindless and robotic collisions of a normal rap mosh pit. You felt safe in arguably the most dangerous place in the crowd. With pyro flaring behind him, Future’s set didn’t just bring the heat – it was a visceral reminder of how a live rap show should feel: wild, unruly and utterly alive. (KSW)

The best of the rest

The crowd chanted, “Tyla, we wanna party!” – and party we did at the South African pop princess’ Polish debut. Bringing amapiano straight from Johannesburg to Gdynia, she owned the Open’er main stage with dancers in tow replicating the same moves that set dancefloors ablaze back home. Tyla slunk across the stage, swishing her hair and hips with effortless cool, before breaking into the Bacardi dance she made viral. She was clearly on a mission to provide energy under the Polish sun, and Tyla did just that.

It felt like the crowd was transported to 3025 during J Balvin’s set. Inflatable cars floated above the stage while supercomputer-like graphics scrawled across the screens behind him, the Colombian reggaeton legend rocking a pair of glasses only Marty McFly could also pull off. The otherworldly visuals perfectly matched the out-of-this-world energy pulsing through the crowd. Self-proclaimed salsa specialists swung their friends around, tangoing under the stars to the fiery Latin pop pouring out from the Tent stage. Though many didn’t speak Spanish, Balvin indicated “we’re all Latino” in spirit, uniting the masses while delivering his fiery rhythms that lit up the night. (KSW)

At 1am, as Future put on his grand, dramatic and at times somewhat gothic performance on the main stage, Caribou’s Dan Snaith padded onstage before a packed audience in the Alter tent, dressed down in a white t-shirt, cream trousers and a pair of blue socks. You felt like you were in the dance whizz’s living room as he and his four-piece band jammed through ‘Volume’, his louche, discofied take on electro pioneers M|A|R|R|S’ influential 1987 hit ‘Pump Up The Volume’. Ever-zen, Snaith didn’t even bat an eye when a drone sauntered through the air, whizzed around the stage and headed back into the audience. (JB)

The post Future and Nine Inch Nails bring pyro and circle pits to Open’er Festival 2025 appeared first on NME.

In partnership with Open’er Festival 2025

Words: Jordan Bassett and Kyann-Sian Williams

The problem with too many festivals is that you can’t go on an enormous set of swings made from office chairs, slide down a big blue slide and buy yourself a tiny toy car from a Hot Wheels stand before seeing some of the greatest artists on the planet. Fortunately, that’s exactly what you can do at Open’er Festival, the annual bonanza held in Gdynia, Poland.

Now in its 22nd iteration, the festival this year features a huge line-up including the likes of Nine Inch Nails, Muse, Future, Linkin Park, Doechi, FKA Twigs, J Balvin, Massive Attack, JPEGMAFIA, Little Simz, St. Vincent, Wolf Alice and many more. Surely that’s one of wildest line-ups of the year.

Even besides the music, though, there’s something for everyone here. Held on the Gdynia-Kosakowo Airfield near a bucolic coastline, the 90,000-capacity festival also includes loads of eccentric and extremely entertaining diversions such as the ones mentioned above, making it a unique event in a packed summer of fun. Here’s what went down on day one (July 2).

Massive Attack brought hope and dystopia

Bristol trip-hop legends Massive Attack put on an uncompromising set that melded their political outspokenness with a dazzling audiovisual show, which included video screens broadcasting cut-up images of conflict, people dancing and even clips of a rudimentary robot that looked like it had been assembled and filmed in the 1970s. Even if you didn’t know it to be the case, you’d reckon cult filmmaker Adam Curtis was involved somehow.

After an opening montage, the videos – which were eerily soundtracked by Italian producer Gigi D’Agostino’s house banger ‘In My Mind’ – suddenly cut out as the band kicked off with the dark, grimy ‘Risingson’. Naturally, the audience’s cameraphones came out for the classic ‘Angels’, ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ and ‘Teardrop’, though the biggest cheers were perhaps reserved for the band’s numerous statements in support of the Palestinian people.

These statements were part of a general theme of unity that permeated the set and stood in compelling contrast to the dystopian images onscreen: Vladimir Putin swaggering through a palatial corridor, night vision footage of a military raid. Perhaps Massive Attack’s unusual set-up contributed to the feeling of togetherness, as core members Robert Del Nata and Grant Marshall were joined by regular vocalists Horace Andy, Elizabeth Fraser and Deborah Miller. They had the feeling of a travelling circus of likeminded renegades, come to speak truth to power around the world.

At one point, the screens were filled with rolling Polish-language gossip headlines about pop culture figures from Taylor Swift to Ryan Reynolds; combined with the harrowing images, it was like injecting raw internet into your veins. Throughout it all, the though, the music was transcendently hopeful. When Elizabeth Fraser returned to the stage for a gorgeous ‘Teardrop’, the rallying cry for change was clear: “Love, love is a verb / Love is a doing word.” (JB)

Gracie Abrams sprinkled a little magic

Taking over from the glitzy, Gatsby-style spectacle of Britain’s beloved crooner Raye, Gracie Abrams offered something even gentler on the main stage for her Polish debut. The indie-pop juggernaut rifled through her ever-changing carousel of instruments while treating her mic stand like a trusted confidante in a public confessions session. From the bittersweet honesty of ‘I Miss You, I’m Sorry’ to the emotional gut punch of ‘Tough Love,’ Gracie offered a set of angsty life lessons wrapped in ethereal, escapist tunes. She even lived out her “dream” of performing ‘That’s So True’ “someday outside at a festival as the sunsets”. She joked, “It’s freaky I’m doing it right now,” before thanking “the gorgeous people” of Open’er for making it happen.

@daniel_szumacher

najbardziej cute moment z tego koncertu, czyli Gracie Abrams robiąca sobie selfie z fanami #opener #gracieabrams #koncert #openerfestival #gracie #dc #dlaciebie

♬ dźwięk oryginalny – daniel | koncerty, newsy

She offered her love in abundance, collecting fan-made beaded bracelets, playfully pointing at the crowd while giving out beaming smiles – she even took a FaceTime call with a fan mid-song.

“I love you,” Gracie beamed, reminding everyone they’re “just pure magic” – but really, this set was pure magic too. With her tender explorations of love and all its trials, she turned the field into a glowing, intimate singalong where friends could hug, clap, two-step and throw whatever dance moves they want into the mix, running free under the open sky. (KSW)

Other acts that caught our eye

If you were able to pull yourself away from the kaleidoscope of emotions and introspection on the main stage, there was endless fun under the tent stage, too. Bodies stuck together by cloying beads of sweat, people cramped under the shelter to jump around to Schoolboy Q’s ferocious rhymes and vicarious tales of being a man from South Central. Still reeling in the success of last year’s critically-lauded ‘Blue Lips’, he celebrated by crip-walking around the stage to the soaring jazz ode ‘Blueslides’ before whizzing through his stacked roster of bangers. His biggest were ‘Collard Green’ and ‘That Part’, which feature Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West, respectively. “Are we still going to do the Ye verse, though?” Q asked the crowd mid-mosh, then shrugged his shoulders, expelled a “Fuck it” and rapped along word for word anyways.

Jorja Smith also blessed Open’er with a tranquilising set, lulling the crowd into a safe sense of serenity. Outside, bodies swayed and contorted in joy and release, but outside the Tent Stage, many sat and watched the Walsall star sing on a huge video screen as if she were an Oscar-award winner in the latest big musical. Backed by her big band as always, Jorja was dressed casually in her cargos and baggy tee, but there was nothing casual about the grandiose arrangements as she reinvigorated her old and new hits alike. There may have been a small stumble when she fluffed the opening lyrics to her infectious garage tune ‘Little Things’, but she laughed through and the crowd cheered on: nothing could ruin the vibe.

As the night winded down, even the cool sea air couldn’t temper the heat from Polish hip-hop duo Dwa Sławy. Full of fire and vim, the Łódź boys spat quickfire bars at the adoring fans, attacking every 808 and synth with precision while punching in a witty bar or three as they went. (KSW) 

The post Massive Attack, Gracie Abrams and more kick off a stacked Open’er Festival 2025 appeared first on NME.

Here we again: Glastonbury is over for another year. By now, you should have put a big wash on, slept hard enough to ignore a nuclear war and be able to concentrate without the thudding echoes of the South East Corner entering your thoughts and reducing you to a crumbling mess.

Welcome back to reality. Yes, we know it sucks – even more so this time as we have to wait until 2027 for another Glasto due to a fallow year coming next.

To keep you going until then and to relive the magic of what just went down, Team NME bring you the biggest, best and most unforgettable moments from Glastonbury 2025. Until next time…

Words by: Rhian Daly, Liberty Dunworth, Andrew Trendell

Heartworms’ dose of joyous gloom

Your social feed may be swamped with pics of the sunburned masses raving it up and soaking up the rays, but the opening Thursday night of Glasto kicked off with a little gloom courtesy of post-punk maestro Heartworms beneath the drizzle up at Strummerville. The NME cover alumni’s gothic, barbed spiderweb of sound perfectly suited the downpour and got one helluva rise out of the early revellers spilling up the hill. Who knew darkness could feel this good? (AT)

Maruja’s shirtless fight for peace

“It is our differences that make us beautiful,” barked Maruja frontman Harry Wilkinson to Glastonbury’s Strummerville. “Fuck the fascists,” he went on, introducing the brutal new single ‘Look Down On Us’, taking aim at our “so-called leaders” taking us down a cursed path of their own design.

Shirtless and battle-ready as they stomped the stage, invaded the crowd and dizzied with their ever-ascending sax-meets-noise jazz-rock, they captured what anyone who was actually there will tell you was the true spirit of this year’s Glasto straight out of the gate. “We may be aggressive, but our message is one of peace and unity”. Amen. (AT) 

Lorde’s epic ‘Virgin’ release party

Lorde opening a festival isn’t something you’re likely to see much these days, but that’s exactly what happened at Glastonbury 2025. The Kiwi pop star celebrated the release of her fourth album ‘Virgin’ by turning up for a secret set at Woodsies, where she played the whole record in full. Of course, word had already got out and the whole field was rammed as far as the eye could see while the star danced her way through the new songs. As a reward for indulging her, Lorde ended her set with ‘Ribs’ and ‘Green Light’ – both of which turned the tent into a heaving club awash with blissful euphoria. Check out the full review here. (RD)

Supergrass take us back to ‘95

Supergrass opened the Pyramid stage with a bang on Friday, paying homage to their 1995 set — which saw them on the bill alongside fellow Britpop royalty Oasis and Pulp — and celebrating the 30th anniversary of their iconic debut ‘I Should Coco’. After delivering hits like ‘Alright’, ‘Caught By The Fuzz’ and ‘Mansize Rooster’, frontman Gaz Coombes told the crowd it was an “hour and a privilege” to be back on the main stage – and based on the cheers that followed, love for the Oxford band has only intensified over time. (LD) 

CMAT’s camp’n’country finest hour

Equipped with, in her words dear reader, “an amazing ass and the best Irish rock’n’roll country band in the world” (who she repeatedly hailed as “very sexy”), CMAT brought all the sass, joy larger-than-life showmanship of new album ‘Euro-Country’ to her Pyramid Stage debut for one of those proper Glasto “I was there moments”.

After a sun-kissed set of camp’n’country – complete with Eurovision choreography and a dance-along to the viral ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’ TikTok trend – she told the packed-out field the set marked “single-handedly the most amazing and the best thing I’ll ever do”. At the very least, it slapped a wide smile across Glasto and set the bar for the weekend. Check out the full review here. (AT)

Faye Webster dreams us a little dream

Faye Webster’s set at the Park stage came as a breath of fresh air as the sun beamed down on Glastonbury on Friday. With her signature blend of lovelorn vocals and sonic guitar melodies, the Atlanta singer-songwriter had the crowd captivated from the moment she began, up until she closed with the melancholic 2024 single ‘Feeling Good Today’. If you were after a dreamy vibe for your Glasto weekend, this was the perfect spot to be. (LD)

Ding ding! Wet Leg step into the ring

Wet Leg’s new era continued apace with an enormous Other Stage performance on Friday. Frontwoman Rhian Teasdale strode out to meet the crowd like a boxer showing off their might ahead of a big match and then proceeded to obliterate the competition with a performance that was strong, sexy and powerful. New songs like ‘Mangetout’ and ‘Davina McCall’ landed big punches and old favourites ‘Chaise Longue’ and ‘Ur Mum’ proved they still have a firm place in fans’ hearts. (RD)

Lola Young proves more magical than messy

A lot has changed for Lola Young since she first performed at Glasto back in 2022. Returning now having played at the BRITs, graced the NME Cover and having her song ‘Messy’ reach over 700million streams on Spotify, there is no doubt that this moment on the Woodsies stage was a powerful one for the London singer. Alongside some of the first live renditions of new tracks ‘One Thing’ and ‘Not Like That Any More’, the most magical moment of her set came with the emotional ballad, ‘You Noticed’, Young looking visibly moved by the huge response from the packed crowd. (LD)

Lewis Capaldi finishes what he started

In 2023, Lewis Capaldi performed on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage but struggled with his voice and exhibited tics from his Tourette’s throughout, causing him to end the show prematurely. On Friday, he returned to finish what he’d started with a secret set on the same stage.

It was his first performance since his last time on Worthy Farm and the festival crowd showed up to support him, with the Pyramid field packed with cheering onlookers. Capaldi was back on top form as he ran through the short set, including new single ‘Survive’ inspired by his experiences and mega hits like ‘Someone You Loved’. “I’m Lewis Capaldi and I’m fucking back, baby!” he declared at the end of Glastonbury 2025’s most emotional set. He certainly is. (RD) 

Franz Ferdinand call for a doctor

With high-kicks, sweet licks and indie bangers, Franz were already winning at Glasto, then pulled one helluva surprise out of The Tardis. “One of the things I love about Glastonbury is the rumours,” Alex Kapranos gathered at The Other Stage just as Lewis Capaldi’s neighbouring Pyramid show had finished. “You know, all the gossip that goes around”.

Well, we take great pride in our ability to stay on top of that gossip and ruin all surprises here at NME (you’re welcome), but not even the ghost of King Arthur could have known what was to follow. “You may have heard a rumour that a fellow Glaswegian who goes by the name of Capaldi [is playing]. Well, Glastonbury, it gives me great joy to say that these rumours are true. He is here with us tonight. The original Capaldi – Peter Capaldi!”

Doctor Who himself then took to the stage, looking cool as fuck, to belt out ‘Take Me Out’. Sealed with the kiss of indie-sleaze wunderkind Master Peace taking to the stage and you’ve got the stuff of Glasto history right there. Backstage and still beaming, Capaldi, Kapranos and Peace told us about the chances of a future supergroup. Let’s make it happen. (AT)

Gracie Abrams provides the antidote 

“I was thinking about how the world is so wild and upsetting right now, but being here right now… it feels like the antidote,” Gracie Abrams told us towards the start of her ethereal set at the Other Stage. From there, it was clear she was determined to make this statement into a reality — pushing an enchanting performance that echoed messages of hope, resilience and compassion. (LD)

It’s a one Wunderhorse race

Wunderhorse’s second album ‘Midas’ has taken the band from indie concern to band about to trouble the mainstream, and that trajectory continued at Glastonbury as they played on The Park stage. ‘Arizona’ and ‘Purple’ elicited huge sing-alongs from the crowd, while the latest single ‘The Rope’ showed where the group could be heading next. Regardless of what direction they take, though, their masterful set proved that, for Wunderhorse, the only way is up. Check out the full review here. (RD)

Biffy Clyro bring a little love

A new era of The Biff awaits, as seen in by the LCD Soundsystem dancey piano stabs of recent single and set opener ‘A Little Love’. It’s mantra of unity and call for togetherness makes a lot more sense here at Worthy Farm, where you’re only a nod away from a hug at any given time.

“We’re gonna ask a lot of you tonight,” offered frontman Simon Neil by way of “dancing, clapping, bouncing, shagging”. “I’m sure you’ve got that part taken care of,” he nodded to the last part. Still, it didn’t stop ‘em trying to share a little togetherness, with the “angels of Glastonbury” giving the love back for ‘Biblical’, howling along to ‘Wolves Of Winter’ and proper havin’ it throughout, peaking with Neil’s tender cover of The Beach Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’ in tribute to the late Brian Wilson. That’s love. (AT)

Self Esteem eyes up the Pyramid Stage with pure theatre

Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s slot at Glasto has been a long time coming. She recently laid out her rage in the powerful new record ‘A Complicated Woman’, and she kept the momentum going with her theatrical performance on the Park Stage on Friday. From opening with an eerie nod to A Handmaid’s Tale to getting the crowd moving with tongue-in-cheek new single ‘69’, Self Esteem‘s set was even more ornate than you might expect at Glasto, and not one to be forgotten in a hurry. When the Pyramid is ready for Taylor, there’s no doubt she’ll be able to fill it. (LD)

Loyle Carner makes Glasto feel intimate

It was no secret that Loyle Carner’s headline set on the Other Stage was one close to his heart, as the rapper recurrently looked out in disbelief at the sea of people before him, and delivered a poignant speech about his decade-long journey to this very moment.

While he made waves by bringing out both Jorja Smith and Sampha as surprise guests, the most impressive part of his set was how he was able to make his biggest show yet feel like an intimate affair. Illuminated by a gentle spotlight and letting the music speak for itself, the performance was arguably the most poignant of the whole weekend, and not one that will be forgotten any time soon. Check out the full review here. (LD)

The 1975 shun headlines for spectacle and bangers

“Use your platform, that’s what they say, right?” said The 1975 frontman Matty Healy towards the end of their Friday Pyramid headline set. Oh, here we go! More right-on soapboxing from the Tumblr Trotsky of the modern age. “We don’t want our legacy to be one of politics, but to be one of love and friendship”. Oh, we weren’t expecting that.

Instead of chasing headlines, the Manchester pop giants instead let the music do the talking, albeit backed by a self-referential stage show and spectacle celebrating the band’s eras to date – peaking either with Matty arriving on stage with a rollie and Guinness with a pre-split G, ripping the piss out of his own lyrics and delivery of ‘Chocolate’, or decadently lounging in the back of a car complete with ‘ME ME ME’ licence plate. They may not have said a lot, but they left it all on the stage. Check out the full NME review here. (AT)

Alessi Rose finds a new home 

Fresh from supporting Dua Lipa on her stadium tour, new alt-pop star Alessi Rose opened the Other Stage on Saturday with charm and big earworms aplenty. A horde of young fans gathered at the early hour to watch the Derby singer show why she’s one of the leaders of the next wave of British pop heroes, the likes of ‘imsochillandcool’ and ‘Stella’ providing relatable – and infectious – hooks to grab onto. “This is my first time at Glastonbury and my first time playing Glastonbury,” Rose said in disbelief at one point, but on the strength of this set, it won’t be her last. (RD) 

Sorry show us who the fuck they really are

“Who the fuck is Sorry?” read the screen at the back of Woodsies as the north London band took to the stage on Saturday afternoon. Over the next 45 minutes, they detailed their identity very clearly – a spiky, unpredictable band making some of the most interesting indie music in the UK right now. Recent single ‘Jive’ opened proceedings, veering from stripped-back verses to crunching, crispy beat-driven breakdowns, while the careening ‘Let The Lights On’ showed the band’s tender side without compromising on the haphazard feeling of their music. (RD)

Beabadoobee brings the romance

Summer felt like it was in full force over Worthy Farm as Beabadoobee took to the Other Stage on Saturday for her enchanting afternoon slot. Repeatedly sharing her love of the iconic festival – including how she once found romance here and how she had survived camping just hours before her slot – there was no question that the feeling was reciprocal from the crowd, who wholeheartedly sang along to her hits ‘Real Man’ and ‘The Perfect Pair’. Beabadoobee, you have our heart. (LD)

Japanese Breakfast arrives in style

Japanese Breakfast’s Glastonbury debut was long overdue. In 2023, Michelle Zauner’s band were scheduled to play the Other Stage but were forced to pull out at the 11th hour due to travel delays. Finally on Worthy Farm, the band made up for lost time with a set largely culled from their last two albums, ‘For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)’ and ‘Jubilee’. ‘Honey Water’ and ‘Mega Circuit’ dazzled under the sweltering mid-afternoon sun, Zauner bouncing around the stage in a big white hat that felt perfectly crafted for the romantic, artistic ‘For Melancholy Women’ era. (RD)

Weezer reign eternal 

“Glastonbury, are you ready for Weezer time?” Rivers Cuomo asked at the start of their set at the Other Stage. The sea of hands in a ‘W’ formation that shot up quickly gave the frontman had his answer. Much like Pulp, the Los Angeles hitmakers had played here back in 1995, too – and based on the raucous response they got for hits like ‘Beverly Hills’ and ‘Buddy Holly’, it felt like no time had passed at all. Once a Weezer fan, always a Weezer fan. (LD) 

Kneecap’s party for solidarity 

“Shame on Glastonbury, they have destroyed it with one pathetic band,” the words of Sharon Osbourne rang out over the PA – not the future president of the Kneecap fan club. She has been one of the loudest critics of the Irish rap trio since their “fuck Israel” Coachella message, leading to a tornado of attention. In it’s wake: countless headlines and a highly-publicised terror charge and a lot of disagreement over this – one of the biggest and most-talked about Glastonbury sets of the weekend.

Tens of thousands of fans closed off the area with the field at capacity long before Kneecap took to the stage. Palestinian flags flew and a relentless rave began with no tabloid fodder hate speech – but they’re not fans of “shit Jeremy Corbyn” Keir Starmer – just banger after banger and words of love for the Irish language and for solidarity. Móglaí Bap shared the “disclaimer” that there should no “riots outside court” when currently “free man” Mo Chara reappears, adding that focus should be on solidarity and “just support for Palestine”.

Their star was on the ascent with five stars going to their debut album, BAFTA-winning biopic and epic live show, while tabloids only fan the flames of attention. Still, they maintained that “they are not the story” and all eyes should be on how “nothing compares to the suffering of Palestinians”. With a thunderous new song thrown in a set closed with the hedonistic ‘Get Your Brits Out’ into ‘H.O.O.D’ and ‘THE RECAP’, this was a feral and feel-good rave of defiance and unity. (AT)

Amyl & The Sniffers give it some real aggy headline energy

Over three days since the gates opened, no one brought the energy to the Other Stage quite as intensely as Australian punk group Amyl & The Sniffers. Delivering the electrifying ‘Security’, ‘Some Mutts’, and ‘Hertz’, the unfiltered vigour of the band was contagious and one that gave even that night’s headliner, Charli XCX, a run for her money. (LD)

Pulp’s worst-kept secret 

“Sorry, the people who were expecting Patchwork,” began Jarvis Cocker to the biggest gathering that Glastonbury 2025’s Pyramid Stage had seen at that point in the weekend. “Did you know we were gonna play? How?”

Secret sets don’t come much less secret than this, but that didn’t put a dampener on the relentless rush that only a set of pure wonky pop from indie’s different class. New cuts from comeback album ‘More’ already feel like old friends, ‘Sorted For E’z & Whizz’, felt like the unofficial Glasto anthem, and a Red Arrows fly-past during ‘Common People’ sealed the deal: Oasis mania may be about to take the second coming of Britpop to another level, but somewhere in a field in Glastonbury ‘Pulp Summer’ was all that mattered. Read the full NME review here. (AT)

Haim top everything

When Haim first played at Glastonbury, it was on The Park, and 13 years later, they returned to that same stage in a much different phase of their lives. The band are now one of the most established indie-pop groups going, can easily command arenas, and in Alana Haim, have an Oscar-nominated actor among their number – not something you would have had on your bingo card in 2012.

Celebrating their fourth album ‘I Quit’, the sister trio played new songs and old favourites during a secret set, battering their floor toms for ‘Now I’m In It’ and sharing dating horror stories on a screen behind them during ‘Relationships’. “This tops everything,” Alana told the crowd while reflecting on that first-ever Worthy Farm performance, and she might just be right. (RD)

RAYE shows us a headliner in waiting

This Saturday marked a huge milestone for RAYE. Two years after her heartwarming afternoon performance, the Mercury-nominated singer-songwriter was back at the Pyramid Stage for the 2025 sunset slot, and took things up a notch.

“I’m so nervous right now… but excited,” she exclaimed after kicking off the set – a pretty fitting statement as she made her entrance by bursting out of a box labelled “fragile”. What followed was an epic spectacle that saw the crowd glued to her every move as she was backed by a full brass band, surrounded by pyro, and bringing the techno vibes to the main stage. It’s only a matter of time before she advances again to headliner status, and we can’t wait to see it. (LD)

Skepta shuts down The Other Stage as stunning replacement 

One can’t lie about being absolutely devastated that Deftones pulled out at the last minute – made all the more painful by their stellar setlist and teasing new music at Crystal Palace the very next night. The clash of scorched art-metal seeing the sundown before Charli’s big ‘Brat’ finale was set to be a worldie, but Skepta stepped in and didn’t disappoint.

A shit tonne of fans pegged it over to the Other Stage at the news. Pumped by the element of surprise, they absolutely had it as Skepps delivered a no-frills, all-bangers set and a taste of Big Smoke. The man knows how to shut it down. (AT)

Doechii makes herself a winner for life

“Everybody wanted to know what Doechii would do if she didn’t win… I guess we’ll never know,” played overhead as Thee Swamp Princess made her entrance, dressed as a school teacher and there to deliver a masterclass in rap.

What followed was an unforgettable, larger-than-life set that proved why she is one of the hottest names in hip-hop right now. From the silky vocals in ‘Anxiety’ to the charisma of ‘GTFO’, the Florida rapper became the uncontested queen of the West Holts stage with her Saturday set. Check out the full NME review here. (LD)

Charli XCX’s last big ‘Brat’ finale

Miss Partygirl herself was never going to put in a dull performance at Glastonbury and Charli’s ‘Brat’ victory lap was nothing short of incredibly good fun. The pop star rose to the occasion of headlining the Other Stage perfectly, bringing pyro (and a burning ‘Brat’ banner), attitude and all her best bangers to Worthy Farm. To do it all with no special guests made the set feel even more special and more of a statement – Charli XCX was in complete control and ruled the stage. Check out the five Brattiest moments here. (RD) 

Westside Cowboy show what the Emerging Talent Competition is all about 

“Good morning, Glastonbury,” Westside Cowboy gently echoed into the mic as they opened the Woodsies stage on Sunday morning. For their third set of the weekend, the four-piece started with a sombre acoustic vibe – perfectly aware that the audience were still weary from the mammoth sets from Charli XCX and Doechii the night before.

After a gentle start, they kicked things into gear with more powerful tracks like ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love’ and ‘Alright Alright Alright’ – determined to prove why they beat off thousands of competitors to be named winners of the 2025 Emerging Talent Competition. This definitely won’t be the last we see of the rising Manchester band. (LD) 

Gurriers’ noisy Sunday service

“This is big,” beamed Gurriers’ frontman Dan Hoff, looking out at the early Sunday morning crowd spilling into Woodsies. “There are a lot of people out there. Fuck.”

It’s a testament to the Irish punks’ reputation as one of the finest new live acts going that so many would defy their nuclear Glasto hangovers to be here, but Gurriers proved it worth our while. On stage, they’re an animated onslaught of noise, politics and pogoing as they rattle through their circle pit-inspiring anthems against “American imperialism”, how much they “fucking hate the Irish far-right”, national identity and calling for “a free fucking Palestine” – all weirdly anchored by the sheer magnetism of Charlie McCarthy elastic and acrobatic moves. This was the fiery Bloody Mary to the senses that we needed. (AT) 

The Libertines’ good Ship Albion sails on 

“I know why you got the front nice and early, I see you,” smiled Pete Doherty to some more mature ladies on the front rows, resplendent in Rod Stewart wigs, waiting it out for his following Legends slot. “Iiiiif ya want my body, aaaaand ya think I’m sexy, coooome on baby let me know,” he went on, arguably better than Rod himself? We’ll leave that to you.

Still, as legends in their own right, The Libertines and all their scratchy and ramshackle brilliance has only grown better with age and felt like a breeze on this hot Glasto afternoon. Backed by a replica of their beloved Albion Rooms in Margate and a string quartet in iconic red tunics, an older, wiser, more fine-tuned Libs shine. From the gentle grace of newer cuts ‘Merry Old England’ and ‘Shiver’ from 2023’s ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ to the indie grenades of ‘Up The Bracket’, ‘Boys In The Band’ and the closing ‘Don’t Look Back Into The Sun’, the more mature Libs proved that wherever they are on the bill, it’s always time for heroes somewhere. (AT)

Djo turns Worthy Farm upside down

There was a moment in Djo’s set where he – aka Joe Keery – scooched off to the side of the stage and took a seat to marvel at drummer Wesley Toledo’s impressive solo. The joy and awe on his face was genuine, and as the improvised rhythms got more complicated, Keery’s jaw dropped and he raised the can he was sipping from to the crowd in wonder.

It’s this kind of passion and enthusiasm for music that coursed through the whole of Djo’s set, and made it a delight to watch. By the time the final one-two of ‘Delete Ya’ and ‘End Of Beginning’ rolled around – with both given a huge reception – you were firmly on Stranger Things star Keery and his band’s side. (RD)

Royel Otis better not steal the groove – and don’t! 

Amyl & The Sniffers weren’t the only Aussie band who were turning things up over at Glastonbury this year. Over at The Park stage on Sunday, former NME cover stars Royel Otis also broke out one of the most feel-good performances of the entire weekend and used the set to break out new single ‘Moody’. Standout moments included the renditions of their breezy tracks ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ and ‘Sofa King’, as well as the epic sing-along that followed as they broke out a cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s classic ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’. Good vibes all round. (LD)

Rod Stewart sails away a legend

There was a sigh of disappointment across the left-leaning fans of Glasto when Rod Stewart‘s “give Farage a chance” interview dropped earlier in the week. Still, politics were put aside as the usual masses headed to the Pyramid for that teatime legends slot. With little time for chatter as he didn’t get the extra long showtime he “begged” for, Sir Rod does well to just rattle through the greats with a little help from Lulu, Mick Hucknall and a Faces reunion with his pal Ronnie Wood. What more could you expect from the duck-haired shagger? Not much, truth be told. Just look at how happy Michael Eavis was with his on-stage tribute. Legendary stuff. Read the full review here. (AT)

Turnstile: how to incite a proper pit

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll be well aware that Turnstile have a reputation as being one of the wildest bands on the hardcore scene right now — and with their blistering set on Sunday, their Glasto performance cemented them as the absolute daddies. Holding back on elaborate stage production and needless chatter between songs, Brendan Yates and co. turned their focus to the pounding music itself, and helped create volcanic moshpits that put even the biggest metal festivals to shame. Check out our full review here. (LD)

The Brian Jonestown Massacre take us to another world

Based on the number of posts that they had shared on social media in the run-up to their set, it was no secret that a return to Glastonbury was something that The Brian Jonestown Massacre had high hopes for. From the opening with 1997’s ‘Super-Sonic’ and moving through to renditions of classic tracks like ‘Anemone’ and ‘Pish’, the shoegaze icons brought the good vibes over to the West Holts stage on Sunday evening. From start to finish, the performance perfectly captured the feel of the festival and proved why Anton Newcombe and co. are still the masters when it comes to creating something both arrestingly beautiful and flawlessly executed. (LD) 

Wolf Alice make a bid for the Pyramid

If ever there was an audition for future Pyramid Stage headliners, it was Wolf Alice’s Other Stage set on Sunday evening. During golden hour, this golden band gave the performance of the weekend, frontwoman Ellie Rowsell fully stepping into her rock god potential, and the full band firing on all cylinders. A special cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ sparkled in the sunlight, but it was the Wolf Al originals that really shone, whether the screaming punk of ‘Yuk Foo’ and ‘Play The Greatest Hits’ or the skyscraping romanticism of closer ‘Don’t Delete The Kisses’. When Glastonbury returns in 2027, it needs Wolf Alice at the very top of its bill. Check out the full review here (RD)

The Maccabees return to a field of superfans 

“Hey everybody, guess what? We’re The Maccabees!” guitarist Felix White announced to The Park on Sunday night. The reunited band made their return to Worthy Farm as emphatic as the excitement in White’s sentence, delivering a set that felt like they’d never been away.

There were bangers aplenty in ‘Lego’, ‘First Love’ and ‘Can You Give It?’, and beautiful, emotional cuts like ‘Spit It Out’ and ‘Something Like Happiness’, plus surprises, too. Florence Welch made an unexpected appearance to aid ‘Love You Better’ and perform her own ‘Dog Days Are Over’, and to share in the sheer joy of having The Maccabees back in the world. “Do we have any Maccabees super fans in the crowd, ‘cause we definitely have one on stage,” she told the audience of kindred spirits. Check out the full review here (RD)

It’s Olivia Rodrigo, it’s Sunday, we’re in love

Closing out the Pyramid stage before a fallow year is no easy feat for any artist, yet with her eruptive showcase on Sunday night, Olivia Rodrigo pulled off the huge task with ease. Whether it was by engulfing the stage in flames in ‘Obsessed’ or by bringing out the legendary Robert Smith for heartfelt covers of The Cure’s ‘Friday I’m In Love‘ and ‘Just Like Heaven’, there wasn’t a dull moment across the performance. The next headliner planned for 2027 had better start planning their set now if they want to top this. Check out the full review here. (LD)

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Until last October, it seemed like The Maccabees would never play anywhere again, let alone at Glastonbury. The beloved British indie band’s 2016 break-up seemed like one of the most final splits in modern music history, with the five bandmates all immersing themselves in new projects and different fields in the years that followed.

• READ MORE: Inside The Maccabees’ reunion rehearsals: “It’s as if we hadn’t stopped”

Thankfully, though, that sense of absoluteness crumbled, with the band announcing their reunion nine months ago. Last week, they took to the stage again for the first time in eight years for a tiny charity gig and, after a series of intimate European warm-up dates, are now back in the sprawling space of Worthy Farm to headline The Park stage’s final day.

A heaving crowd is ready to welcome them back with open arms as they close out the hillside stage for the weekend. ‘Latchmere’ is the perfect opener, capturing the giddy excitement of a brilliant band making their return, while ‘Lego’’s punky exuberance lifts the mood even further. “Hey Glastonbury, guess what? We’re The Maccabees!” guitarist Felix White tells them afterwards – no surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention, but a thrilling sentence to hear in 2025, nonetheless.

This could go down as one of The Maccabees’ most euphoric shows. There are few things more joyful than witnessing White grinning ear to ear as he hypes up the crowd between songs. Frontman Orlando Weeks, meanwhile, looks happier than ever, joining his bandmate in some rare instances of geeing up the crowd and looking truly appreciative of the moment.

“It’s a long time to hold your nerve with the faith you had in a band and then trek up a hill to see if you were right,” he shares after a scintillating ‘No Kind Words’. “’Land, are you OK?” White asks him seconds later before relaying the singer’s off-mic response to the audience: “He says he’s very good, he’s very, very, very good.”

That positivity imbues much of the setlist, too. ‘Marks To Prove It’, which opens with a roaring scream from White, fizzes with fire, while ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ sounds sweeter than ever. Songs like ‘Spit It Out’ and ‘Something Like Happiness’ sound beautiful and stately as they roll out over the hill, the emotion contained within them dialled all the way up as the glowing sun sets in the distance.

There’s time for another reunion, too, when Florence Welch – an old friend of the band – joins them for ‘Love You Better’ and a bouncing version of her own ‘Dog Days Are Over’. “Do we have any Maccabees super-fans in the crowd? ‘Cause we definitely have one on stage,” Welch shares between the two, the delight on her face a perfect reflection of the feeling in the crowd.

It’s only when finale ‘Pelican’ rolls around that the bliss that covers The Park stage starts to slowly fade. It feels too soon for The Maccabees to be leaving after living without them for so long, but the hour they spend on stage is perfect and not to be taken for granted. Now, their reunion rolls on to more UK dates and their big day out at All Points East. Start praying now that they decide to continue beyond that, too.

The Maccabees played:

‘Latchmere’
‘Lego’
‘X-Ray’
‘Feel To Follow’
‘Kamakura’
‘Wall Of Arms’
‘First Love’
‘Precious Time’
‘Can You Give It’
‘Spit It Out’
‘No Kind Words’
‘Marks To Prove It’
‘Something Like Happiness’
‘Toothpaste Kisses’
‘Love You Better’
‘Dog Days Are Over’
‘Pelican’

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“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people. I can’t believe this is my life right now,” Olivia Rodrigo exclaims as she takes to the Pyramid Stage as Glastonbury 2025’s final headliner. If she hadn’t told us, you’d be forgiven for forgetting what a milestone moment this is for the American pop star. She arrives on top form and runs through the performance of a lifetime with utter, effortless ease.

Kicking off with an explosive rendition of ‘Obsessed’, the set captures the same charm and grandeur as some of the rock greats that inspired her, and she wastes no time breaking out huge hits like ‘Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl’ and ‘Vampire’, complete with a carnival firework display and a metal-inspired backing band. Things only escalate from here.

One of the most impressive feats of her set comes with her ability to navigate the raging energy of her punk numbers like ‘Brutal’ and ‘All American Bitch’, along with the heartfelt and tender additions like ‘Traitor’ and ‘Favorite Crime’. Not only does she manage to intertwine each with an effortless flow, but she lets her emotions shine through in a way that feels authentic.

The California songwriter has always worn her alt-rock influences on her sleeve, landing surprise collaborations from indie royalty like David Bryne. It only makes sense that the surprise guest tonight befits such a historic occasion. Introducing him as “probably the greatest songwriter to come out of England”, Robert Smith took to the stage for unforgettable duets of The Cure classics ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’. It was electric, and closing Glasto in style is something the godfather of goth knows plenty about.

The flawless vocals and choreography sometimes work to make the set can feel a little too perfect and polished, with seldom a moment for the singer to take a break from the carousel of hits to really connect with the eager fans amassed. That being said, there is no doubt about the commitment that Rodrigo has put into this set. For the few naysayers doubting whether or not the 22-year-old was ready to take on the coveted Pyramid slot as the last headliner before a fallow year, this one that will stand the test of time and leave us impatient for the Glasto magic to return.

Olivia Rodrigo’s Glastonbury 2025 setlist was:

‘Obsessed’
‘Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl’
‘Vampire’
‘Drivers License’
‘Traitor’
‘Bad Idea Right?’
‘Love Is Embarrassing’
‘Pretty Isn’t Pretty’
‘Happier’
‘Enough For You’
‘Friday I’m In Love’ (with Robert Smith)
‘Just Like Heaven’ (with Robert Smith)
‘So American’
‘Jealousy, Jealousy’
‘Favorite Crime’
‘Deja Vu’
‘Brutal’
‘All-American Bitch’
‘Good 4 U’
‘Get Him Back!’

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