Glastonbury is over for another year. Whether you were there or not, we’ve collected together 70 of our finest images from the festival for your viewing pleasure. Behold the story of Glastonbury 2013, starting with punters arriving clean, fresh into the mad, glorious bedlam of Worthy Farm.
Django Django drew a hefty crowd on Thursday evening before the music kicked off properly on Friday. Their massive tune ‘Default’ from the eponymous debut album was a highlight.
Major Lazer’s Diplo described Glastonbury’s legendary Stone Circle to NME as “dope”. He’s not wrong. The difference between this photo and the wonderfully dystopian Tolkeinesque post-rave mess it resembles at 5am is quite remarkable. Watch our interview with Diplo and co..
You’re never too far from somebody raising fancy dress to the next level at Glastonbury.
Fatboy Slim brought the big beats in a surprise DJ set on Friday afternoon, one of six appearances.
Despite people at home grumbling about Glastonbury’s middle-class, tofu-munching, Cath Kidston-wearing herds, there’s a sense of freedom, friendliness and hippy-rave vibes that you’d struggle to find anywhere else.
Enter Shikari drew a large crowd to the Other Stage. “This isn’t easy music,” said frontman Rou Reynolds, wearing a T-shirt declaring ‘NHS Not Trident’, “But when music starts getting predictable, you stop thinking, you stop using your mind. And if you don’t use your mind, somebody else will.”
Reynolds led the post-hardcore quartet through an eclectic and energetic set featuring the likes of ‘Sssnakepit’ and ‘Gandhi, Mate, Ghandi’ during which bassist Chris Batten and guitarist Rory Clewlow ran down to the front of the stage and started beating large plastic bins.
“You’re not watching fucking Tame Impala, are you?” sneered bassist Chilli Jesson by way of an introduction to Palma Violets’ Glastonbury debut on The Park Stage, before careening into opener ‘Jonny Bagga’ Donuts’.
Watch Palma Violets and Haim take the NME Glastonbury quiz.
The Vaccines took to the Pyramid Stage at 6.30pm. Dressed in a black denim jacket, frontman Justin Young said: “OK Glastonbury, hands in the air, oh yeah” before a rousing version of ‘Wetsuit’.
Like something out of a J.G Ballard novel, the Block 9 area was a mind-scrambling trip.
Over on the Sonic stage, Disclosure brought their chart-topping hits to an overfilled tent. The duo were joined onstage by a number of their guest vocalists including Aluna Francis for ‘White Noise’, her second guest spot of the day after also popping up during Dizzee Rascal’s set, and Jessie Ware for ‘Confess To Me’.
Arctic Monkeys have closed the first day of Glastonbury 2013, performing a headline set to an enormous crowd at the Pyramid Stage. The Sheffield band began their set with new single ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ before playing ‘Brianstorm’ and ‘Dancing Shoes’. Dressed in a suit, Alex Turner asked the audience if they were “ready to party” to a chorus of cheers.
Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich played two secret DJ set in Shangri-La. It was an eclectic mix which included Prince, N.W.A, Talking Heads, reggae, dancehall and jungle. Ed O’Brien from Radiohead and Prince Harry were in attendance.
Nile Rodgers, the man behind the disco strut of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ played a string of his legendary hits including David Bowie’s ‘Lets Dance’, Diana Ross’ ‘Upside Down’, Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’ and ‘Le Freak’ with his band Chic.
On Saturday afternoon, Azealia Banks took to the Other Stage to play a 45-minute long party set, which included ‘212’, ‘Jumanji’, ‘Luxury’ and ‘1991’ – which she said was her favourite song in her career “thus far”. Dressed in a flamboyant spiked green bikini outfit, this was her first ever time at Glastonbury.
If this counts, it wins the award for Great Hat Of Glastonbury 2013. And trust us, the competition was fierce.
Haim played the Park Stage on Saturday before a secret guest slot with Primal Scream later on.
Sheffield-based rock duo Drenge drew an impressive crowd to their first ever Glastonbury set. Playing at the new William’s Green stage a little after noon, the band put in a performance which included tracks ‘Dogmeat’, ‘I Wanna Break You In Half’ and ‘People In Love Make Me Feel Sick’, which singer/guitarist Eoin Loveless playfully described as “a love song”.
Rows of iridescent flags = quintessential Glastonbury.
AlunaGeorge got the packed out tent dancing to the likes of ‘Just A Touch’ and ‘You Know You’ Like It whilst a huge cheer greeted ‘Attracting Flies’. It was a busy weekend for Aluna Francis – she sang her hit ‘White Noise’ with both Dizzee Rascal and original collaborators Disclosure.
Who knew there was a half pipe at Worthy Farm?
Despite rumours of The National, David Bowie and Daft Punk, it was US alt-pop act MS MR who took to the stage in the John Peel tent to fill the mystery 2pm slot. The duo ran through the majority of their debut album including set highlight ‘Fantasy’.
Palma Violets’ Pete enjoys a smoke backstage. Best sunglasses of the weekend? Probs.
“Glastonbury!” said Johnny Marr after playing ‘Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before’. The former Smiths guitarist and NME Awards 2013 Godlike Genius winner also played his old band’s ‘Big Mouth Strikes Again’, ‘How Soon Is Now?’ and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’, plus a host of his own solo material including single ‘Upstarts’.
Anyone know who this crew are meant to be?
The official police statistics for Glastonbury 2013 revealed that crime is down considerably on the last time the event took place.
Alabama Shakes brought a soulful vibe to the Other Stage, where their Glastonbury debut was well-received by a large crowd baking in the early-evening sun. Beginning with ‘Rise to the Sun’ and leading into ‘Hang Loose’ and ‘Hold On’.
Public Enemy (without Flava Flav) were pitted against the Rolling Stones slot but still managed to draw a crowd, playing ‘Don’t Believe The Hype’, ‘Bring The Noise’ and ‘I Shall Not Be Moved’.
Solange brought summer vibes to the Park stage peaking with ‘Losing You’.
The Strypes drew a large crowd for their 4pm slot in the John Peel tent, with many festival-goers keen to check out the much buzzed-about Irish teenagers for themselves. Opening with ‘Mystery Man’, frontman Ross Farrelly stomped angrily around the stage, glowering at the audience behind an ever-present pair of sunglasses.
Toy played the John Peel Stage on Saturday afternoon and told us afterwards to expect an album in December. Watch the interview here.
The second day of music at Glastonbury 2013 concluded with a showstopping Rolling Stones set packed with classic hits.
“I’m going to tell you something, you know it’s great to be here doing this show,” Jagger said from the stage before third song ‘Paint It, Black’, during which two flares were lit up in the crowd. “You all look amazing, after all these years they finally got around to asking us. Thank you Michael [Eavis].”
Talented upstarts Drenge hang out backstage.
Vampire Weekend made a triumphant return to the Pyramid Stage in front of a large crowd that crept all the way up the top of the hill. The New Yorkers, who last played the festival in 2010, walked on to a colourful floral wallpaper backdrop and got things underway with their 2009 single ‘Cousins’.
The xx played a secret warm-up show at the BBC Introducing stage ahead of their scheduled headline slot tonight on the Other Stage. Crowds spilled out of the tent as the trio played just two tracks – ‘Chained’ and ‘Fiction’ from their 2012 album ‘Coexist’.
Deap Vally’s appearance on the John Peel tent was briefly delayed by an impromptu bit of karaoke in honour of the stage manager’s 60th birthday, but the L.A garage-rock duo soon arrived to enliven a crowd largely suffering from the night before. “Wake the fuck up, Glastonbury!” sang Lindsey Troy.
On the John Peel stage, Jessie Ware begun with her album title track ‘Devotion’. “I’m so excited to be here, thank you so much for being here and not going home yet!” she shrieked before ‘Still Love Me’. “This is me being adventurous,” she said as she climbed down to the front of the stage. “I once saw Florence Welch climb up that pole. That’s not going to happen today!”
The brilliant Cat Power drew quite a crowd for her Sunday evening set. She played songs from new album ‘Sun’.
Earlier, Tyler, The Creator’s Glastonbury debut went ahead without Earl Sweatshirt, his fellow OFWGKTA bandmate, who was forced to pull out following a bout of pneumonia. Tyler, sporting an FC Barcelona top, seemed subdued throughout, and the crowd gradually thinned as the headliners approached. Regardless, the front rows of the tent were delighted to hear ‘We Got Bitches’ and ‘Yonkers’.
Mumford and Sons brought Glastonbury 2013 to a close with their debut headline set on the Pyramid Stage. The band took to the stage at 9.45pm to a crowd that was dense, but notably smaller than that for The Rolling Stones last night. Beginning with ‘Lovers Eyes’, Marcus Mumford then told the crowd, “We came for a party,” before playing ‘I Will Wait’.
‘Thistle And Weeds’ started a less barnstorming portion of the set including ‘Ghosts That We Knew’ and ‘Hopeless Wanderer’. After that, Lovett mentioned the night before’s superstar headliners. “So we’ve been a band for coming on six years, The Rolling Stones have been together for a lot longer than that,” he said. “The big difference between them and us is we’ve played Glastonbury four times.”
