Glastonbury 2023 Friday round-up: the Foo Fighters rave and Arctic Monkeys show their class
While Wednesday and Thursday at Worthy Farm might offer plenty in a cultural sort of way, it is the Friday when things really get moving at Glastonbury Festival. Under the sweltering sun, the main stages got underway and warmed up an already baked crowd, beginning with Ben Howard’s bliss on the Other Stage before the worst-kept secret of who The Churnups were was finally revealed.
On Thursday, small pop-up sets by the likes of Katy J. Pearson and SBTRKT might have offered plenty for punters, but Friday sees things go full swing. With Sean Dyche stomping around the hallowed ground of the Pyramid Stage, Glastonbury was back to being its own little bohemian utopia once again.
Across the 62 stages at the 900-acre site, you had performances from Carly Rae Jepsen, Texas, Hot Chip, The Hives and about a million others. And the benefit of a 200,000+ crowd means that every act draws a sizeable mass. However, none were bigger than the Foo Fighters’ surprise set, which even rivalled the collection of sweaty bodies that Paul McCartney was able to amass.
Below, we’re recapping the biggest talking points of the day. From the endearing brilliance of The Hives’ hilarity to the Sparks sharing a stage with the stars and Arctic Monkeys capping things off.
Friday at Glastonbury Festival:
Ben Howard gets things moving
Ben Howard kicked things off on the Other Stage in the prestigious slot of being the first act on the big stages proper. With the sun roaring, his mellow efforts from his epic new album, Is It?, provided a blissful breeze in a purely spiritual sense. Like a sonic cold beer, he was at his best and lulled the groggy campers into a state of satiated contentment.
After a string of songs from the new record, he then rattled off an array of tracks from his back catalogue, with the ever-impressive ‘Oats in the Water’ being a crowning volley of a superb musician as Howard exhibited unique new ways to use a guitar. While brief at only eight tracks, it was a set that will live long in the memory of the bliss-basked crowd.
The Sparks bring out Cate Blanchett
Not content with merely having the mega-star actor star in their music videos, Sparks brought out their pal Cate Blanchett for the wildest ‘Glasto Moment’ of the day. Alas, far from a gimmick, the Mael brothers put on one of the finest shows of the day, with one punter loudly calling it the best thing he had ever seen.
Up on the Park Stage, the band embarked on a dance routine with the Annette star during the performance of ‘The Girl is Crying In Her Latte’ from their latest album of the same name. And everyone present relished the most beautifully weird friendship since Piglet and Pooh. Alongside that headline-grabbing moment, they wheeled off hits like ‘The Number One Song In Heaven’, ‘Angst in My Pants’, ‘My Baby’s Taking Me Home’, and ‘When Do I Get To Sing My Way’, and bewitched an awed audience with their quirky class.
The Hives showcase a lesson in showmanship
At one point, The Hives’ frontman Pelle Almqvist declared that his band had commandeered the whole festival and from hereon, they would be the only band performing. This was met with riotous applause, which certainly tells you something. In reality, they might have only been allotted an hour, but for everyone else, they were certainly a tough act to follow.
With comic quips about The Hives attracting the biggest crowd in Glastonbury history with 900,000 people, threats of human sacrifice in celebration of Swedish Midsommar, and more energy than the Duracell Bunny after his morning coffee, Almqvist worked the crowd like a marionette and showcased the underrated virtue of good old fashioned showmanship. He should give lessons for other bands to heed.
The Foo Fighters arrive at Worthy Farm in disguise
Much of the pre-festival hubbub surrounded who The Churnups were. While everyone in the press area was 99.9% certain that it was the Foo Fighters, there was just enough lingering ‘what if-ness’ to create an aura of excitement. That same excitement spread to a monumentally large crowd. While Dave Grohl might have made a slightly barbed comment about being restricted to an hour, he also dropped a noteworthy hint that they might be back next year.
Apart from that, it was good old epic rock ‘n’ roll from the band. They blasted through the hits, welcomed out Grohl’s daughter Violet for a quick singalong, and wrapped things up with a touching dedication to Taylor Hawkins. They didn’t reinvent the musical wheel, but they did provide a wave of energy that will be hard to beat all festival.
Arctic Monkeys provide a divisive set
Staggering away from the Pyramid Stage, the narrative that ran amid the sweaty masses was a lot of people citing childhood dreams, envious remarks, and lusty asides for the handsome members of the generational band. For all the world, Arctic Monkeys had proverbially smashed it. So, imagine the surprise when it became clear that the view from Twitter was decidedly less complimentary (sarcasm well and truly intended).
However, rather than a staggering indictment against social media, it would seem that the disparity is indicative of some of the teething issues that the band in transition are currently encountering. Undoubtedly they exhibited their brilliance throughout, but there was a notable lull when they wheeled out newer mellower tracks amid the assortment of hits. Ultimately, it was an epic triumph with a little asterisk.
Billy Nomates pulls the plug
Billy Nomates has asked the BBC to take down footage from her performance at Glastonbury Festival after receiving a backlash on social media. She wrote on Instagram Stories: “The level of personal abuse on BBC 6 Music socials for going to work today is insane. I’ve asked for all footage to be removed. I know it’s not for everyone what I do”.
Continuing: “I know lots of people don’t rate me. But the level of personal abuse on that public page is too much. There will be no more shows after this summer. You wouldn’t stay in a workplace that did this to you. Why should I.”
However, on Worthy Farm itself, she was actually well-received. While she didn’t attract the biggest crowd, not many were rushing for the exits as the news might suggest.
