Not inspired by the Glastonbury headliners? These 6 acts blew me away

Metro

01-07-2025

Glastonbury headliners are always the talk of the town – but there's so much more to the beloved Worthy Farm music festival.
Away from the celebrity sightings and fallouts over particular sets, there have been some stellar performances across the weekend.
With hotly anticipated acts like Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, The 1975 and yes even our mysterious Patchwork (which turned out to be none other than Pulp), 2025 was bursting with talent.
The weekend finished with a bang as The Prodigy provided festival goers with 90s Big Beat goodness in tribute to their late, legendary frontman Keith Flint.
This year even saw a dramatic last minute replacement for Deftones in the form of Skepta, who brought in massive crowds despite just five hours' notice.
While the headliners might bring in the biggest crowds – be it a Pyramid performer or the likes of Scissor Sisters on Woodsies – here are our picks for the six acts that will make 2025 go down in history.
Walking onto the Park Stage with a group singers dressed as nuns is a sight to behold but Self Esteem is way more than just visuals.
Her Friday set, nestled between Biffy Clyro and the headliners, drew a sizeable crowd and for good reason. This is a pop star on the brink of superstardom.
Rebecca Taylor, better known as Self Esteem, effortlessly switches between dance numbers like 69 and self love anthems like Focus is Power and Cheers to Me.
Her backing vocalists give a choral element to the performance, elevating the entire set above your average pop princess. Her genre-defying third album, A Complicated Woman, was released in April to critical acclaim so don't be surprised if you see more and more from Self Esteem soon.
She has an honesty to her lyrics and a twinkle of mischief in her eye; like a British Renee Rapp. You can tell Rebecca has so much more to give and in a few years could be headlining – watch this space.
The return of Rizzle Kicks after almost a decade away was met with thunderous applause from the Other Stage audience. Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sulé defined British summer music in the 00s and 2010s but have been on a nine year hiatus.
There's an infectious joy about Rizzle Kicks' music that embodies summer, particularly for those who were teenagers when their original albums dropped. Every single track is a crowd pleaser from opening song Lost Generation to When I Was A Youngster.
Their music just screams fun, honestly, who else would bring out a combination of iconic DJ Fatboy Slim, rising star Rachel Chinouriri, and their own parents. Yep, Jordan's mum ran on stage with a Palestine flag while Harley's dad was revealed to be in the band.
Chaos and summertime vibes, what more could you want from this beloved duo?
Very few artists could shut down Woodsies at 11.30am but that's the power of Lorde. Even fewer could hold that crowd as they sang their brand new album, released that day , in its entirety.
Lorde, real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor, is a bit of a myth herself thanks to her reclusive tendencies and quirky personality. Shape shifting slightly for each album, with Virgin marking an era of 'freedom' for the star as she sheds gender conformity.
Her onstage presence is hypnotic, moving between awkward and sexy with ease. Her vocals are equally as mesmerising, suiting this new album in a way that some of her older tracks haven't (looking at you Solar Power).
One of 2025's many not-so-secret sets, Lorde's appearance was one of the most hotly anticipated of Glastonbury. While fans may have seen her popping up recently, this marked her first gig since XXX and pressure was on.
the nature of a large stage secret set marks you for icon status immediately but a secret set that marks your return and album roll out after four years away. Now that's historic.
Smug fans will mention this for years to come and we can't blame them (did we mention we were there too?).
It's been a few days now but Glastonbury and the world are both still recovering from the emotional reaction to seeing Lewis Capaldi return to the stage.
In 2023, Lewis was helped to the finish line of his emotional set by the crowd, as his battle with Tourette's became a difficult one at Worthy Farm on the occasion.
That set turned out to be one of the last that the Someone You Loved singer would perform for the next two years, making his grand return over the weekend.
Another not so secret set, Lewis joked about everyone knowing that it would be him taking that Saturday slot. On stage for 30 minutes, the Hold Me While You Wait hitmaker made of point of 'finishing what he started' before launching into new single Survive.
Tears were shed by both viewers and Lewis alike throughout the set, but Survive broke anyone who wasn't already in floods. Where better to mark your return than the very stage you last walked off.
The crowd welcomed him back with open arms, belting his lyrics back to him. This time he didn't need Glastonbury to help him, but the crowd was there regardless. A real triumph.
Kaiser Chiefs sparked outrage with those watching at home as they were not broadcast live on the BBC. But at Worthy Farm it was hard to miss the I Predict A Riot hitmakers on stage.
Getting Glasto-goers up on Saturday morning after a late night is no easy task but at midday, Kaiser Chiefs pulled in a crowd usually reserved for the likes of legends or headliners.
Everyone was singing along to the lyrics to hits such as Ruby (with note perfect 'ahahahahahahh's from the crowd). Even those walking past or sitting in the shade, away from the crowd were singing along to those classic tracks.
What better way to kick off your Saturday, even if it's bit loud for the hangovers. Next stop, headlining – or at least getting on TV next time!
Doechii The Tampa, Florida rapper and singer has caused quite the stir over the last 12 months, and she crowned her recent successes with another stellar live set to rival her already legendary NPR Tiny Desk slot.
Weezer The American veteran rockers were on a Glastonbury stage for the first time in 1995 and they brought a wholesome hits collection with them, playing their California power pop songs to a sun-kissed crowd on the Saturday.
Denzel Curry The US rapper's star has risen considerably over the last decade and he made sure to bring the noise and energy with his set at Worthy Farm, racing through a collection of his best work his with typical rapid-fire rap delivery.
St. Vincent The Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire brought her guitar-wielding weirdness to Glastonbury over the weekend, confirming once again that she's always one to watch if her name pops up on a festival bill.
Royel Otis The duo from Bondi Beach, Australia performed a string of their upbeat surfer tunes on Sunday, as well as their covers of Murder on the Dancefloor and Linger, which were just as captivating as the first time they went viral with them.
The Prodigy 90s dance heads reckon The Prodigy paid perfect tribute to their late frontman Keith Flint. An electrifying and exciting set on the Other Stage closed the weekend and had fans at Worthy Farm and at home with their hands in the air.
Madalitso Band This Malawian duo deserve a nod simply for playing the most unique instrument at the entire Glastonbury Festival in 2025: a single-string bass known as a babatoni, which underpins their sweet East African folk tunes.
Pulp famously headlined Glastonbury Festival 30 years ago with just 10 days notice – this was after original headliners The Stone Roses had to pull out thanks to an injury in the band.
A lot of time has passed since then, and Pulp aren't interested in pretending it hasn't – frontman Jarvis Cocker is older in the face and older in the voice, but beautifully so.
The Sheffield pop rockers launched into a fine collection of their biggest hits of the 1990s after being unveiled as the secret surprise act Patchwork, despite multiple denials.
Opening with Sorted for E's & Wizz and then launching into Disco 2000, Jarvis didn't ignore the fact that a song that was once about the future is now set 25 years in the past – and applied the same gravitas and pathos to his entire performance. More Trending
He was so approachable with the crowd and so eager to catch up with old friends that he had to be told he was running out of time after chatting between almost every song.
Keyboardist Candida Jones continued to amaze as well, providing incredible work on her assortment of synths and keyboards despite having to manage her rheumatoid arthritis on the day.
Catch up with Glastonbury Festival 2025 on BBC iPlayer.
Article co-written with Robert Oliver and Pierra Willix.
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