We were stuck, quite literally at part one – the mud having now morphed into glue – with what was a compelling and rewarding Coldplay headline show. It was the type of musical muscle and flared gusto that more headline performances should inspire towards.The might of Yellow and a rare outing for Everything’s Not Lost were just two musical highlights as frontman Chris Martin bounced naturally around the Pyramid Stage. But a bright Viva La Vida and whirling rendition of Fix You went some way to show people too that they just might become the surprise bill-toppers of the weekend as lasers and fireworks blazed out a near faultless effort.
Speaking of surprises, Pulp proved that despite a lengthy hiatus, they can still pack a punch live, even in their later years. Their not so secret performance had thousands plodding up to The Park Stage early, forcing organisers to close the field.
The show felt a far cry from a twilight reunion paycheque, it was more a mature return and a bottling of vintage indie pop. Those with half a view belted out Disco 2011 and Sorted For Es And Whizz, while fans who could only make it to the outer aeons of the field were stomping and wagging their fingers in homage to Jarvis Cocker as they finished with Common People.
Part two of Saturday proved the wilder, more hedonistic side of Glastonbury 2011 with thousands rammed into the late night arenas. For those that had wandered towards the giant, metallic claw of Arcadia, tech gods Orbital played beneath bellowing belches of fire and lighting-like electricity shots as they finished with ‘Doctor Who’.
Bobby Friction made sure the Chai Wallah bar stayed packed with a dubstep-heavy hour and a half, but it was The Skiff And Inja Show that heralded the magic of the festival’s leylines with a beatboxing and rap attack that fill the tent quicker than a portaloo.Elsewhere, Elbow were sublime on the Pyramid Stage, Wild Beasts magical on The Park Stage and rising electronic star Nicolas Jaar the ideal tonic for the sun finally beating the clouds down at the West Holts Field.
See more pictures from Glastonbury Festival 2011 below
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