Nadine Shahwas just on the Other stage, sounding incredible I’m told, but to a patchy crowd. Her backdrops are certainly arresting, with a computer-generated image of Keir Starmer serving Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu some beachside cocktails as Gaza burns behind them.
On stage, Shah voices her support for Palestine Action, the group the government controversially plans to proscribe as a terror organisation, and reads aloud the open letter from Artists for Palestine UK, noting that she could risk prosecution by doing so, depending on the outcome of the vote in the House of Commons in early July.
“I just don’t like seeing people being killed, you know? ... I think protest and demonstration are incredibly important, and they’re a basic human right. And, very kindly, Artists for Palestine UK are letting me share their open letter which is in support of Palestine Action, an incredible group. I’m a pacifist. I’m not a violent person. And the open letter from Artists Palestine UK goes:
‘Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide, it is acting to save life. We deplore the government’s decision to proscribe it. Labelling non-violent direct action as terrorism is an abuse of language and an attack on democracy.
The real threat to the life of the nation comes not from Palestine Action but from the home secretary’s efforts to ban it. We call on the government to withdraw its prescription of Palestine Action and to stop arming Israel.’
And if I read this out after 4 July, I could potentially be prosecuted for that.”
The Glasto camera operators provided lingering shots of Palestine flags and people holding fists aloft.
Shah might be one of the most consistent champions of Palestinian freedom in UK culture: on the cover of her 2017 album Holiday Destination, she ran a photograph of a child in Gaza standing amid the ruins of war, flashing a peace sign.
Shahd’s film-maker brotherKarim Shahrecently had his documentary Gaza: Medics Under Fire shelved by the BBC due to impartiality concerns;just yesterday Channel 4 confirmedthat it would be picking it up.
AsPauline Blackannounces, 2025 marks 45 years ofthe Selecter, the West Midlands band who used their punky, ska-inspired rhythms to address the sociopolitical issues of their time: racism, sexism, mass unemployment and the rising far right.
Bounding on to the Pyramid stage, sharply dressed in her signature double-breasted suit and trilby combo, she promises to “fly the flags of two-tone”, and it feels as pertinent as ever.
The next 45 minutes is an energetic romp through the heyday classics, plus a selection of their newer material. Their jaunty, swinging rhythms, laced with winding sax and whistling organ chords, prove to be the perfect boost for the start of the day.
Black is an excellent performer, consistently charismatic and occasionally cheeky. “I would come all the way down there,” she says pointing to the barrier, which is a rite of passage for many Pyramid performers. “But I’ll probably fall ass over tits, so I’m not going to.”
She also addresses some persistent political problems – in a relatively BBC-friendly yet still compelling way. Introducing the 2017 track Frontline, she shouts out the underpaid NHS workers in the crowd (she used to be one), and encourages those around them to pay their respect — they might be needing their support for “all those knees and all those hips in the not-so-distant future”.
Later, she brings on a sound technician whose T-shirt bears a not-so-subtle anagram of “fuck Trump”. “Until the philosophy that holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned everywhere, there will be war,” she announces, before crashing into the also-recent War War War.
In both song and conversation, Black’s punchy, echo-laden voice booms across the field. Only when she reaches for the punky falsetto in On My Radio does it falter (who can blame her, she’s 71), so she invites the crowd to help her deliver the high notes. Maybe it’s the day-four fatigue, but the moment is so heartwarming it brings a tear to my eye. Even after almost five decades, the spirit of two-tone lives on.
While we await our first wave of reviews, feast your eyes upon our latest photo essay, wrapping up all the action from yesterday.
Looking ahead to the rest of the day, we’ve got a stacked lineup on the Pyramid stage – withthe Libertinesat 2pm, followed byRod Stewartin the legends slot, then fellow legendsNile Rodgers & Chic.
Noah Kahanwill be taking us through to the evening, then there’s the final headliner,Olivia Rodrigo. She played the Other stage in 2022, but has since had a massive couple of years. Having seen her Guts tour in London last year, I’m expecting a high-energy, pop-punk spectacle – and perhaps some special guests… (In 2022, Lily Allen joined her on stage for Fuck You, dedicated to those who overturned Roe v Wade.)
Over on the Other stage, I know plenty of people whose plans for the day start withShaboozey(rumoured to play his hit A Bar Song (Tipsy) three times a set – not one time too many!). I can imagine a big crowd forming forSnow Patrol, followed byWolf Alice, but the real energetic high point will bethe Prodigy.
Other highlights ahead areSt Vincent,AJ TraceyandJorja Smithover at Woodsies,the MaccabeesandFuture Islandson Park, and plenty more.
From the chat I’ve heard around the site this morning, it seems that everyone was pleased with the choice of headliners last night. It sounds as ifCharli xcxgave the show of her life over at the Other stage, the climax of her barnstorming Brat era, and blessedly without any crowd issues as had been feared. Read Shaad’s five-star review here.
For those who didn’t want to risk it,Doechii– over at West Holts – was hardly a compromise. I was sent to review her set, and was blown away by her precision and sheer power. And only 26 years old! As the women behind me in the queue for the showers put it, catching Doechii felt like catching a phenomenon just at the point of exploding.
Finally, on the Pyramid, there wasNeil Youngwith hisChrome Hearts, dubbed by Alexis as “the best backing band Young has assembled since Crazy Horse”.
Five stars all round!
Good morning and welcome to the last day – of the Glastonbury live blog and, of course, the festival. I’ve just been out at the Other stage, catching a bit ofLouis Dunfordwith my pal Chris and all the other Arsenal fans on site. North London Forever might have got the first arm-sway of the day going – personally, I’m saving my energy forRod Stewart’s Sailing …
We’ve got lots to look forward to, and our reviewers are posted in the field, primed to deliver – thanks for following along.