Glastonbury 2024: 18 Highlights You Might Have Missed

With so much to keep up with crammed into the space of just one weekend, even the most avid of music fans will struggle to stay on top of everything that goes on at Glastonbury.

The iconic festival took place over the weekend, and while you might have heard about Dua Lipa, SZA and Coldplay’s headlining performances, as well as Shania Twain’s appearance in the coveted “legends” slot, other acts further down the bill may have passed you by a little.

Luckily for you, we’ve got you covered.

Here are 17 stand-out moments from Glastonbury 2024 that you might not have spotted at the time…

Michael Eavis kicks things off in style

As has become a long-held tradition, Glastonbury organiser Michael Eavis was the first person to perform, before the actual festival got underway on Friday.

This year, he decided to channel the crooners of old with renditions of the melancholic ballads My Way and It Was A Very Good Year, as well as covering Elvis Presley’s more upbeat Suspicious Minds.

Olivia Dean sets the tone for the rest of the weekend

When you’re one of the first acts on the Pyramid Stage, it’s essential that you bring the energy – and Olivia Dean more than delivered.

The second act on the festival’s iconic main stage on Friday afternoon, she had the crowd in the palm of her hand, and undoubtedly won herself a legion of new fans and supporters in the process.

Seventeen make Glastonbury history

While Glastonbury traditions are an important part of what makes the festival so special, one thing you have to praise co-organiser Emily Eavis for is the way she’s also always trying to bring something new to the event.

This year marked a landmark moment for both Glasto and K-pop, as boyband Seventeen became the genre’s first act to ever perform on the Pyramid Stage, keeping the good vibes coming straight after Olivia Dean’s set.

Sugababes keep on their streak as Glastonbury’s most unexpected breakout stars

And speaking of good vibes on the Friday afternoon – Sugababes famously shut down the Avalon tent when they performed back in 2022 with a set that’s still revered two years later.

This time around they were boosted up to the West Holts Stage, where they once again reminded everyone why they’re one of the UK’s most beloved girl groups of all time, whizzing through a set packed with hits that also looked to the future (the three-piece recently teased new music during an interview with BBC News leading up to their Glasto performance).

Aurora speaks her mind and her audience love it

Taking a moment to make a serious political point during her Friday set, Norwegian singer Aurora called out the leaders of the world for “fucking us all over, again and again”.

More specifically, she dedicated her set to the children of Palestine, Sudan, Congo and Yemen.

Glastonbury fans were spoilt for choice when it came to Friday’s Headliners, with Dua Lipa’s Pyramid Stage set clashing with Jungle on the West Holts Stage

As you can see from the video above, those who decided to take a chance were definitely rewarded.

Meanwhile, on The Other Stage…

Idles’ politically-charged set included leading the crowd in a mass chant of “fuck the King”. The group also lambasted Nigel Farage, made an impassioned display of solidarity with migrants and were one of several acts who explicitly called for a ceasefire in the Middle East. 

Let’s just address the elephant in the room here – yes, there were sound issues at various points

Most notably during SZA, Cyndi Lauper and Shania Twain’s sets (but also Dua Lipa’s), many viewers watching the coverage at home complained about the sound quality, which affected several of the artists’ overall performances.

So we’ve got nothing but praise for all of those artists for soldiering on despite the issues, completing their sets in front of thousands in person and millions watching at home.

For anyone who thought Keane might be a little bit too tame for Glastonbury, check this clip out

Yes, we’d probably be a bit teary-eyed hearing Somewhere Only We Know by this point on the Saturday afternoon, too.

Andy Serkis was one of the festival’s biggest surprises when he joined Nitin Sawhney on the West Holts Stage

Who knew he was such an accomplished saxophonist?

Kasabian were Glastonbury’s worst kept secret on the Saturday afternoon

No, it probably wasn’t the “surprise” set they wanted, but fans still enjoyed themselves all the same.

We don’t have enough time to talk about how good Little Simz was

Let’s just say her set proved why she’s such a force to be reckoned with within the UK rap scene, and why she’s one of this country’s most innovative (and criminally underrated) artists.

We can’t wait to see what she does next. 

Coldplay’s collab with Michael J Fox was a moment nobody could have predicted

Chris Martin explained that he wanted to form a band after watching Marty McFly in Back To The Future, so Michael J Fox’s surprise guitar solo was a full-circle moment for Coldplay.

Rachel Chinouriri truly brought it to The Other Stage

Even Rachel herself was moved to tears by the crowd’s reaction to her set. 

Avril Lavigne’s Glastonbury debut was well worth the 20-year wait

Just get her on a bigger stage next time, alright?

If you unwisely opted for the England match over Janelle Monáe’s set, this is what you were missing

Janelle also took a moment to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and stand up for “all marginalised people” with this speech

And finally…

Excellent.