Lana Del Rey casts a spell over Glastonbury

Though Metallica may be chewing up the column inches with their headline set later tonight, they’ve nothing on the enigmatic LDR. Even glorious oddball Jack White seems pretty damn mundane in comparison to her. For all the furore, there’s no doubting it; this is a star.

Even amongst the mud of Worthy Farm, the aura of someone truly other worldly is unavoidable. ‘Body Electric’ is a woozy, glorious poison, ‘Blue Jeans’ as smokey as the cigarette Del Rey nurses throughout. “I love you too,” she responds to crying fans, before slipping into a slow burning ‘West Coast’. The lack of visible enthusiasm shouldn’t be marked down to a lack of personality. There’ll be none of the usual Glastonbury whooping and hollering to the crowd here - that would break the spell.

There’s an audible gasp as ‘Born To Die’ slips into its dazed groove, by now several thousand people hanging on every word. ‘Summer Sadness’ sweeps like rays of an Instagrammed sunset, ‘Video Games’ requires some prompting when the opportunity of a sing-a-long breaking out comes along, the crowd too enthralled by every stolen word and hint of a smile that may cross her lips.

Speaking of Glastonbury as a “legendary place” before closer ‘National Anthem’ only goes to encapsulate exactly why Del Rey is here. In a theatre dripping in myth and legend, where bands become something more, here stands the queen of the projected narrative. More than an act, if we’ll ever truly understand her game is debatable at best, but there’s no doubt she does. For better or worse, we’re all part of Lana’s wicked game.

Lana Del Rey played:

Cola
Body Electric
Blue Jeans
West Coast
Born To Die
Ultraviolence
Young & Beautiful
Summertime Sadness
Ride
Video Games
National Anthem

Photo: REX/Jonathan Hordle

Tags: News, Festivals, Lana Del Rey