Glastonbury 2022: Six of the biggest talking points from the Worthy Farm festival

Many of Paul McCartney’s fans have already gathered at the Pyramid Stage to get a good spot for his headline show tonight.

Festival attendees were seen waiting at the foot of the Pyramid Stage barriers from early in the morning on Saturday, hours before the live music began.

Speaking to BBC News, one reveller, Jess Day, said she had been “training for it like a marathon”.

She claimed that she had been working out methods to avoid going to the toilet in order to maintain the front-of-crowd spot all day.

“Lots of pelvic floor exercises, lots of clenching,” she said. “It’ll be worth it.”

“I’ve been slightly dehydrating myself so hopefully it will be no problems,” another fan, Henry Thurgood, claimed.

Wondering what the weather’s looking like for the rest of the weekend?

Here’s what the Met Office is saying:

A 40-minute blast of pure, undiluted zeitgeist. A gigantic crowd stretching away over hill and vale. A generation’s prejudices and expectations overturned like a flick of dust off the shoulder. A setlist chiselled into quicksilver by Zeus and carried to the stage by a choir of winged roadies. Or maybe just the Dalai Lama, blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.

These are just a few of the reasons why a gig playing out on the hallowed grounds of Worthy Farm might go down in Glastonbury folklore – one of those iconic moments that don’t just make the weekend, but mark out the evolution of pop culture. Glastonbury is where musical history is made and cultural colossi are crowned on a near-annual basis.

Here are the 22 greatest Glastonbury performances of all time:

Greta Thunberg has announced a surprise appearance at Glastonbury festival.

The Swedish climate activist will appear on the main Pyramid Stage on Saturday afternoon (25 June), to deliver a short speech about the environment.

“I’m excited to announce that today I will be on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 5.15pm,” wrote Thunberg on Twitter. “See you there!”

Her appearance at Glastonbury comes ahead of the release of her latest project, The Climate Book.

Billed as a “holistic overview of the true state of the planet and an essential tool for everyone who wants to help save it”, the book sees more than 100 scientists, communicators and activists weigh in on the climate, ecological and sustainability crises.

The John Peel tent looks absolutely rammed for the fabulous Self Esteem and her boob corset (seriously, have a look).

She just did a lovely shout out for Big Jeff, the famous music fan known for attending pretty much every gig in Bristol. He was seriously injured in a fire at his home a couple of weeks ago and is currently in hospital in Swansea. IDLES also did a nice “get well soon” message for him yesterday. Sending love your way, Jeff, we need more people like you in the world.

I don’t know why this is making me laugh so much

The John Peel Stage has been one of the best settings of this Glastonbury, having played host to barnstorming sets from Sigrid and Phoebe Bridgers, and now Self Esteem.

“I feel like Robbie Williams,” announces Sheffield-bred singer-songwriter Rebecca Lucy Taylor, as she dives into the sublime “F**king Wizardry”, from her acclaimed 2021 album Prioritise Pleasure, a paean to owning your femininity.

Hers is a bold, catchy brand of maximalist pop: huge choruses, stabbing synths, slinky R&B. Live, it’s even more powerful, with her backing singers head-flicking, high-kicking and strutting in unison.

Performing under a backdrop that says, “There is nothing that terrifies a man more than a woman that appears completely deranged”, Self Esteem sounds superb: crisp and full of heart.

Highlights include “Moody”, a reflection on self-destruction that starts, “Sexting you at the mental health talk seems counterproductive”, the bassy, building “You Forever”, and set-closer “I Do This All the Time”, a gorgeous, sort-of 2020s Baz Luhrmann’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”, but with more bite.

After a decade spent languishing in indie band Slow Club, Self Esteem has found her true voice, and we’re all richer for it. ★★★★☆

We’ve been doing a little bit of snooping around to see which stars have rocked up to Worthy Farm, there are a few of them around!

Louis Tomlinson has been spotted a bunch of times, including by TV presenter Jamie East, along with his former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin and his longtime partner, actor Dakota Johnson, are also hanging around, and Paolo Nutini, who is definitely not not performing a secret set at 7pm this evening.