Coldplay, Little Simz and more: all the highlights from Saturday at Glastonbury 2024

Setting a new record as they step out onstage for their fifth Glastonbury headline set, Coldplay have everything and nothing to prove. They're one of the biggest bands in the world and this is far from their first rodeo but equally, when you're on round five, what new tricks can you bring to the table? As it turns out, they have a few - but perhaps not the ones you'd expect. Where many Pyramid headliners will hit up the biggest A listers in their little black books for a guest turn, Chris Martin and co take a classy approach, using the enormous platform (broadcast, for the first time, globally on a live stream) to elevate a diverse series of smaller artists including Victoria Canal and Laura Mvula, with Little Simz also returning to the stage to sing on 'We Pray'. On BTS collab 'My Universe', the Pyramid is turned into a rainbow of colour with the K-pop band projected onto its top, but it's as Coldplay return for an encore that we get a real piece of magic. 

Where the majority of the main set sees them putting on a technicolour light spectacular, complete with - at one point - surreal Monsters Inc-esque characters and costumes, they open the encore with a stripped-back take on early track 'Sparks' before Martin turns the camera onto a series of audience members, making up impromptu songs for each. Then the camera pans to legendary Glasto founder Michael Eavis backstage, who receives his own song to enormous cheers. Then: "And here's another legendary Michael", and out comes actor Michael J. Fox with a guitar. Declaring the importance of Back to the Future in Coldplay's own lore, it feels like a touching way of paying it back, giving the actor - who has openly spoken about the worsening condition of his Parkinson's disease and rarely is seen in public - a chance to soak up the crowd's love, and giving the crowd more than a few damp eyes in return.

It’s always a tough job to go up against a headliner with such universal appeal as Coldplay, but as Jessie Ware takes to the West Holts stage for her closing set tonight, there’s a real feeling of joy in the air amongst the crowd gathered before her. Ushering them in to The Pearl - her fictional bar that acts as backdrop for her performance - hers is a set that sees her transform into the disco-pop icon she was always destined to be. Dressed in a shimmering gown and flanked by two dancers, it’s the gorgeous funk-flecked cuts from her recent albums ‘That! Feels Good’ and ‘What’s Your Pleasure?’ that really stand out tonight. Throw in a dance-along with the NYC Downlow Queens, and a dazzling cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’ (during which Jessie eagerly searches for a way off stage to jump into the crowd, having to weave backstage to do so), and you’ve got an utterly feel-good way to end - or, for some, begin - the Saturday night.

"You're witnessing greatness - and I don't say that from a place of arrogance, I say that from a place of confidence," declares Little Simz to the sea of people that pack out the Pyramid field for her pre-headliner set. It's emotional to watch her visibly soaking in the magnitude of the moment. A latter-set 'Selfish' sees her visibly welling up at the audience's cheers, while she peppers the hour with declarations of appreciation for the trajectory that's got her here: "Everyone that's come to a show or listened to a single, I'm so grateful." With a slick background of towering screens and a band (including former indie boy Jack Penate) who look like trenchcoat-clad characters out of the Matrix, everything about Simz' set gives maximum impact with seemingly minimal ingredients. From an opening 'Sihouette', to 'Point and Kill' where she brings out guest vocalist Obongjayar, to 'Gorilla', Simz oozes confidence and class. There's a new song, 'The Code', added to the mix and a new projected teased - a tantalising carrot dangled from an artist who's fully in her imperial phase.

Yard Act have never come up short when it comes to boisterous (if not existential) vibes, but perhaps taking to Woodsies after secret guests Kasabian has rubbed off on them: their set is popping off from the very first note. Digging firmly into the more dance-punk leanings of second record ‘Where’s My Utopia?’, their energy is infectious, and the live addition of saxophone and backing singers is inspired. James Smith is, as ever, the sardonically perfect frontman (he even requests the crowd join him in a toast to King Charles before cackling in jest), but now, everything feels looser and more comfortable, adding even more unhinged fun into the mix. Throw in an appearance from Katy J Pearson for the taunting funk of ‘When The Laughter Stops’ and you’ve got a riotous good time.

For the last couple of weeks, the rumours of former Pyramid headliners Kasabian playing Saturday’s Woodsies secret set have been circulating so heavily bookies closed the bets. A couple of hours in advance, the slot was confirmed but even frontman Serge Pizzorno is visibly surprised at the sheer amount of fans that heard the last minute clarion call. With crowds spilling out the tent and filling the entire field, the atmosphere is headliner level; every person in the room knows every word, and the band fully understand the assignment - constant hits and the largest 6pm vibes that Glastonbury has seen all weekend. Clad in a full fringed two-piece that looks something like a denim mop, Pizzorno helms the operation in a brilliantly ridiculous, celebratory way that should put to bed any lingering concerns that he would be up to the job. Last time Kasabian played here, he was a side man to Tom Meighan; this time he fully commands the mic like he’s been doing it his whole career. You don’t need us to list Kasabian’s hits; they’re long established. But when a duo in the crowd let off a pair of flame-coloured flares during ‘Fire’, it’s the perfect set-piece for the lairiest secret set in recent memory.

Last year, The Last Dinner Party drew reportedly the biggest morning set crowd at Woodsies in Glastonbury history; this year, they take a strong punt at breaking the Other Stage’s afternoon capacity records too. The field is heaving but where, previously, the hype felt like exactly that - early buzz, these days following debut album ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’ the quintet’s calibre is proven and undeniably on show. Frontwoman Abigail Morris has the stage presence of a festival-headlining superstar: like Florence Welch if she had an Adam Ant fixation. Within the set, meanwhile, they debut new track ‘Second Best’ which shows they’re not lacking in creative juices post-album release. Opening with an operatic Queen-like multipart harmony, it’s theatrical and cheeky in all the ways the quintet have come to be defined by. Ending the set with a speech in which Morris urges the audience watching both live and on TV to vote and continue protesting and boycotting, The Last Dinner Party are using their platform well whilst also evidently converting new followers by the horde.

Half an hour before New York’s Cyndi Lauper takes to the stage, there are hordes of people marching towards the Pyramid Stage for what’s sure to be one of the biggest turn-outs of Glastonbury 2024 so far. It’s a shame then, that, despite best efforts, the legend - who still oozes cool while dressed in a silver corset and flowing blue tulle coat - seems to struggle for the opening of her set, with faltering vocals and timing issues throwing things off pace early doors. Even so, the gathered crowds help out with her biggest hits - ‘I Drove All Night’, ‘Time After Time’ and ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ drawing joyous reactions - while she pauses the latter to highlight the Girls Just Want To Have Fundamental Rights campaign (“It’s time for world leaders to realise woman are half of the population, and we deserve to be treated equally,” she declares) in a move that honours her life as both an artist and activist.

While Glastonbury might be renowned for managing to pull in massive acts, it’s also the perfect place to discover someone entirely new. That’s exactly what the throng of punters gathered at the BBC Introducing stage are embracing early this Saturday, as London-based trio mary in the junkyard take to the stage for a relatively short but darkly sweet set. A captivating watch, the trio may still be a fresh prospect for most watching today, but - fresh from releasing their debut EP ‘This Old House’ last month - their bewitching wares are enough to leave a mark.

Kneecap aren't a what you'd call a natural morning band, unless it's the sort of morning where you still haven't been to bed from the night before. But for those who want to get fully booted into Saturday, the Northern Irish trio are almost certainly the most fun you can have before your first breakfast pint's properly gone down. Móglaí Bap spends most of the set running in circles around the stage, topless, can of Red Stripe in hand, while his lyrical foil Mo Chara is impressively tight, lending a smattering of control to the chaos. That said, chaos still reigns. The moshpit is full of balaclava-clad fans having a big one, while 'Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite''s titular chant is projected in massive letters onto the back screen. It's glorious madness, but with a message too: near the set's end, DJ Próvaí brings a Palestinian flag to the front of the stage, while final chants of 'Free Palestine' are backed up by a closing screen bearing the statement as they leave the stage.

Coldplay photo: Anna Barclay and Matt Cardy.

Tags: Coldplay, Cyndi Lauper, Jessie Ware, Kasabian, Kneecap, Little Simz, mary in the junkyard, The Last Dinner Party, Yard Act, Glastonbury, Festivals, Reviews, Live Reviews