Off The Beaten Track: A guide to Glastonbury 2025

Glass Beams – West Holts – 14:30

With consistently stellar performances throughout the weekend, you can’t go wrong with the West Holts Stage, particularly when it comes to Off The Beaten Track goodness. For those looking to ease into their weekend with some far-out grooves and ethereal atmospheres, the Fray afternoon performance by enigmatic Melbourne/Naarm outfit Glass Beams is the place to be.

The project, spearheaded by Indian-Australian multi-instrumentalist Rajan Silva, blends the age-old sounds of Eastern folk influences with modern psychedelia and funk, creating something as inventive as it is captivating.

Given their impressive run of sold-out shows across Europe last year, you can expect big crowds at West Holts for these instrumental masters, but if anybody is well-equipped enough to create an intimate atmosphere of togetherness and spirituality in that sea of mud and gyros vans, it is Silva and his band of masked psych-funk mysterios.

Burning Spear – Pyramid Stage – 15:00

Reggae music has had an enduring presence at Glastonbury Festival going back decades; in all truth, there is no better style of music to soundtrack a weekend spent surrounded by your friends in the sunshine. This year, the festival will play host to multiple reggae, dub, rocksteady, and ska artists across the weekend, from the 2 Tone sounds of The Selecter to the timeless reggae rhythms of Black Uhuru, but the presence of Burning Spear will certainly be a difficult act to follow.

A pivotal artist in the history of roots reggae, Burning Spear – the stagename of Saint Ann-born Winston Rodney – has been sharing his musical gift with the world since the late 1960s. He previously performed at Worthy Farm back in 1999, when the festival was being headlined by the likes of Beautiful South, Manic Street Preachers, and REM. His politically-charged reggae rhythms have outlasted countless contemporaries, continuing to resonate with audiences over half a century on from his heyday. It is no surprise that Burning Spear has earned a spot at the Pyramid Stage for his 2025 appearance.

Witch – Greenpeace – 15:15

Glastonbury’s ‘legend’ slot is typically on Sunday afternoon, but don’t discount the rest of the line-up as far as legends are concerned. Over at the Greenpeace stage on Friday afternoon, Zamrock progenitors Witch are set to take the stage, demonstrating the infectious blend of blues-rock, psychedelia, and traditional Zambian rhythms which have made them such a beloved group for upwards of 50 years.

For the uninitiated, Zamrock blossomed during the early 1970s, when musicians across the African nation began to experiment with incorporating rock and roll into their traditional folk sounds. The results were utterly groundbreaking, and Witch were always at the forefront of that incredible scene. Although the initial incarnation of the group faded away in the mid-1980s, as Zambia became immersed in political turmoil, the revived group have continued to espouse their Zamrock roots, in addition to recording brand-new material, since 2011.

Choosing between Witch and Burning Spear is like picking a favourite child but do not worry, if you cannot catch them at Greenpeace, they will also be performing at Shangri-la at 18:30 on Thursday evening.

Vieux Farka Touré – West Holts – 16:00

Continuing the theme of African musical icons on Friday, you can rush over to West Holts after Witch to catch the groundbreaking guitar mastery of Vieux Farka Touré. One of Mali’s most renowned artists, Touré has been composing expansive soundscapes since the mid-2000s, drawing upon the seemingly disparate worlds of blues, jazz, soul, rock, and Mali’s extensive history of folk expression. Following in the trailblazing footsteps of his father, Ali Farka Touré, the guitarist has become an essential figure is spreading Mali’s rich cultural history across the globe.

Touré has always been particularly adept at offering a modern angle to that cultural heritage, bringing the centuries-old folk sounds of the African nation firmly into the 21st-century, with the aid of unending innovative and compelling compositions. So, if you’re not overly arsed about the identity of the ‘TBA’ act at the Pyramid Stage on Friday afternoon, there is no better place to be than the West Holts stage, with Farka Touré’s timeless guitar tones washing over you.

FÜLÜ – Avalon – 11:30

An early start on Saturday morning might not be a part of your plan for Glastonbury weekend – after all, Saturday mornings are for nursing sore heads, refuelling, and paying over the odds for a tarted-up smoothie. However, if you can manage to drag yourself out of your tent for 11:30 and head over to the Field Of Avalon, you will be rewarded with one of the most original, eclectic, and bizarre performances of the weekend, courtesy of Toulouse-based outfit FÜLÜ.

Hidden behind wooden animal masks, the French collective delivers an onslaught of influences, immersing the audience in everything from modern electronica to old-school jazz. Driven by a particularly captivating brass section and the defiant voice of Lilli Stefani, the enigmatic outfit offers a unique electrobrass sound, which is a surefire way of getting your Saturday off to a good start. 2025 will mark their second appearance at Glastonbury, following a late-night set at Toad Hall last year, and those who witnessed that set are sure to be coming back for more in the Field Of Avalon.

Ichiko Aoba – Park Stage – 12:45

If pounding electrobrass isn’t your cup of tea for a sluggish Saturday morning, opt instead for a gentle, therapeutic start to the day with the ethereal tones of Japanese folk songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ichiko Aoba. Fresh from the release of her most recent debut album, Luminescent Creatures, which hit the airwaves earlier this year, the Urayasu-born songwriter has amassed quite a dedicated, global following in recent years, and it is easy to see why. Her songwriting power has something of a universal quality to it, rooted in her own surroundings and lived experiences, but with enough emotional weight to speak to audiences around the world.

What’s more, the gentle, naturalistic imagery of her songwriting seems perfectly suited to an early afternoon slot below the (hopefully) blue skies of Worthy Farm. Aoba was previously in the UK back in April, touring Luminescent Creatures with a select few dates across the country, but her 12:45 slot at the Park Stage is set to be her final appearance infront of UK audiences before a landmark performance at the Royal Albert Hall in March 2026 – in other words, she is certainly not one to be missed.

TC and the Groove Family – Lore – 00:00

Usher in your Glastonbury Sunday with Leeds’ premier Afrobeat collective; TC and the Groove Family have repeatedly proven their worth as the perfect festival band, and their midnight slot at Lore on Saturday night/Sunday morning will be enough to keep you dancing all throughout the day. Blending influences of jazz, funk, hip-hop, and the timeless groove of Afrobeat, the West Yorkshire collective put on a truly euphoric show which is just as suited to mid-day sets in the sunshine as late-night dance antics.

Luckily, therefore, the band are performing a total of five sets over the course of the weekend. So, if you are too busy taking in the profound songwriting of Neil Young to switch immediately to brass Afrobeat brilliance, do not fret. Their first performance of the weekend will be on Thursday night at West Holts Social Club, and the next night will see them take on another midnight slot, this time at Toad Hall. Their Lore slot will be preceded by a 20:15 set at The Hive, and their exhaustive weekend of musical euphoria will draw to a close at 16:00 on Sunday, with a show at The Bandstand.

Abel Selaocoe & The Bantu Ensemble – West Holts – 12:30

By Sunday, if you are simply too exhausted to continue trudging around the colossal festival site in Somerset, simply drag yourself back to West Holts and stay there all day; the line-up is pretty flawless, as we will explore. The second set of the day, for instance, will see the incredible South African cellist Abel Selaocoe take over the stage, with the help of his group, The Bantu Ensemble, which is a guaranteed good start to your final afternoon of the festival.

A masterful cellist, Selaocoe has repeatedly reaffirmed himself as a master of classical compositions, but he is at his best when blending those classical sounds with the influences of traditional South African folk and jazz. His set at West Holts is only scheduled to last for an hour, but there is no guessing just how many different sounds, styles, and inspirations the instrumentalist will draw upon during that time. He moves with effortless grace and a range of differing emotions and atmospheres, creating something which is emotionally moving and always incredibly engaging.

Cymande – West Holts – 14:00

Another group that could easily fit the bill of a ‘legend’ slot, Cymande put British funk music on the map during their initial tenure back in the early 1970s. An amalgamation of influences which spanned from West Africa to the Caribbean, the outfit crafted some of the greatest funk tunes ever put to record, and their infectious sounds have only increased in relevance as the decades have gone on. January of this year saw the group make a triumphant return, with new album Renascence reaffirming their funk credentials and inspiring a new age for the masters of musical multiculturalism.

Appearing at West Holts at 14:00, immediately following Abel Selaocoe, the group are sure to keep the good times rolling, demonstrating the universal rhythms that have made Cymande such a commanding and beloved presence over the British funk landscape for over half a century. Bizarrely, given that unparalleled presence, 2025 will mark the band’s first-ever appearance at Glastonbury Festival, and it is sure to be a special one. For those enjoying the festival from the comfort of their own homes, the set will also be broadcast live on BBC iPlayer, so no excuses.

Black Uhuru – West Holts – 15:30 

Continuing the trilogy of captivating live acts at West Holts on Sunday, pioneering reggae outfit Black Uhuru are set to follow Cymande. Originally formed in Kingston, Jamaica, back in 1972, the group quickly became one of the most important and influential groups in the history of reggae music, culminating in groundbreaking albums like Sinsemilla and working alongside everybody from Arthur Baker to Keith Richards over the course of their extensive career.

In addition to being one of the greatest reggae bands in history, Black Uhuru also have a noted history with Glastonbury Festival. They first performed at the event back in 1982, but it was their 1984 appearance on the Pyramid Stage which made Glasto history, when vocalist Puma Jones became the first Black female vocalist to perform on the iconic festival stage. Although Jones tragically passed away in 1990, Black Uhuru’s return to Glastonbury will be sure to honour her memory, marking the band’s first appearance at the event in 36 years.