Glastonbury 2025: Lorde makes a bold move into a new era at Worthy Farm
The one resounding certainty from Glastonbury so far: Lorde did something brave. After the singer basically confirmed her Woodsies secret set yesterday, everyone knew the tent would be hectic. By 10am, the area was packed, so packed that they had to tell people not to sit down as there wasn’t room. So, by the time she emerged at 11:30am, people were restless. Then she played a new song, and another new song, and then a third without comment.
Her fourth album, Virgin, came out at midnight last night, and at this early morning surprise set, she announced that she’d be playing all of it, front to back. “This is the release,” she declared halfway through, “the album isn’t out until after this show.” But obviously it is out, and obviously all of us have been here, so no one has heard it. It means that for 11 songs, barring the big era opening single ‘What Was That?’ and other teaser releases ‘Man Of The Year’ and ‘Hammer’, no one can sing along.
This frank admission by the New Zealander did send a few sardined folks towards the exit. Even the most ardent fans wavered a fraction in the baking heat. Sometimes you do just want to hear the hits, especially early morning, and especially at a festival. But I’ll eat my words. By the time we were midway through the record, the artistry of this bold move began to shine through.
A legion of fans have hotly anticipated the record, and being forced to pay attention, to dance, to enjoy the songs without knowing them yet, felt deeply immersive. It felt like a pre-release event. Sweaty fans seemed to swagger away from the tent as the curtains closed with a profound understanding of Virgin despite the solitary listening experience. The songs were presented without distraction in whatever way Lorde wanted people to hear them.
In this case, it’s a band set up. Obviously, Lorde is still a popstar, but today she looked more like a rockstar as her backing band crowd around in a circle, focusing in and moving through the album’s landscapes from crunchy industrial rock to more stripped back, vocal-effect-laden moments reminiscent of Bon Iver. Above all, this assortment implied a deeply emotive album, waxing and waning through a journey.
Lyrics stand out in this live context, too, not something you typically leave a festival set thinking. Without a choir of fan voices screaming over the top of her every utterance, boldly unveiling an album in a live setting created a space to focus in as Lorde presented something new that she’s clearly proud of. At times, it became clear even the New Zealander was still figuring out the depths of her latest material.
But she also knows her role as an entertainer, and at the end, she offered up two classic tracks. She introduced ‘Ribs’ as a fond memory, reminding her of her first set at the festival in 2017. The nostalgia seemed to wash over the crowd like a much-needed breeze. ‘Green Light’ followed, providing the moment everyone had patiently expected hours earlier. The huge hit proved as hooky as ever, and it saw the whole crowd jumping. Someone who had clearly been patiently waiting and likely worrying that the moment might never come let off a green flare. There was no ‘Royals’ and the world survived, possibly even thrived.
In the end, this was clearly the set of an artist determined to evolve and defy typical etiquette. No audience expectations and no old teenage hit will hold Lorde back.
