Charli XCX draws thousands at Other Stage as Doechii takes stage

Noor Nanji
Reporting from Glastonbury

And with that, class is dismissed.
Doechii’s set was only 45 minutes long, but the Swamp Princess (a nod to her Floridian roots) made her Glastonbury debut count.
She sang, rapped, danced and changed outfits multiple times, supported by backing dancers climbing on props and going down a slide. Tracks such as Persuasive, Anxiety, Denial Is A River and Alter Ego were delivered flawlessly and had the audience shouting the lyrics back at her.

Doechii’s rise over the past year has been nothing short of phenomenal, and it feels this Glasto headline slot is just another feather in her cap.
It made me forget anything else that was happening at the festival tonight, and that’s exactly what you want music to do.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

“You got time for another one?” asks Neil Young, to massive cheers, before launching into a ragged version of 1995’s Throw Your Hatred Down. The star, an outspoken critic of President Trump, has been relatively quiet on the political front tonight – but this feels like a deliberate choice.

The lyrics criticise politicians and the war machine, contrasting the idealism of the 1960s to the cruelties of the modern world. Both as a protest song and a lament for human nature, it’s a powerful way to end a peerless set.

Charli XCX’s set list included several songs from her pre-brat era.

During Blame It On Your Love she crawled along the stage – and licked it – before launching into 2012 hit I Love It.

Neil Young’s audience stuck with him throughout the set – a testament to how compelling his set has been tonight. After he finishes up with the classic Old Man, the crowd bays for more… And, after an unexpectedly long pause, he obliges. Right now, he’s tearing up the stage with a full-throttle version of Rockin’ In The Free World. In the words of Danny Zuko, It’s electrifying.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

How good is Doechii? Well, let’s put it this way – Harry Styles is in the field, watching with everyone else, safety be damned. We spotted him dancing around, with a man bag slung over his shoulder, apparently unbothered by fans. How did he do that?

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Charli just answered my question – a series of graphics just flashed up on the screens here to let us know that brat is in fact not over – brat is forever.

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Is Charli XCX telling us something in tonight’s set? Not only did it begin with a giant frayed and decaying green brat curtain being set fire to, but the 32-year-old, who has famously punctuated her sets with a host of famous special guests, has yet to bring anyone on stage so far to perform alongside her. The vocals of Lorde rang out on her song Girl, So Confusing and those of Billie Eilish on Guess, but neither collaborator appeared in person.

Could it be that she wants one final moment to shine as solo artist before she says goodbye to the brat era for good?

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Charli XCX arrived on stage dressed in a black top, hot pants and boots, with a diaphanous skull motif scarf.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

Neil Young’s playing Like A Hurricane – a long-time highlight of his setlist, with a time-bending guitar solo that’s inspired hundreds of people to pick up their first plectrum.Tonight’s version doesn’t disappoint, twisting into new forms and taking flight in a drizzly night sky. Young always seems to get great pleasure playing this one, and it’s mesmerising to watch.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

I just abandoned my post at Neil Young and sprinted up to The Other Stage to catch a quick moment with Charli XCX.

No dice. Even with backstage access and BBC passes, the Other Stage is closed. I can hear her, I can see the lights. Luckily, Annabel is there to soak it all up and report back.

André Rhoden-Paul
Reporting from Glastonbury

Wow, we’re being treated to a very high energy performance by Doechii.
The concept of the show is the Swamp Princess giving us lessons in hip-hop.

She is aided by her eight dancers, twerking and even voguing down a slide.
There was even a costume change behind umbrellas, making light of criticism the US singer received on social media over a viral Met Gala video in which she demanded umbrellas to hide her outfit.

From the high tempo Alter Ego to viral hit Persuasive, she is giving a master class in contemporary rap.

Noor Nanji
Reporting from Glastonbury

Doechii’s stage presence is fantastic. Her and the backing dancers are all in varieties of multicolored mini skirts (it’s outfit number two for her), her dance moves are dizzying to watch, and she’s currently getting the audience to shout the lyrics of Alter Ego back to her

Noor Nanji
Reporting from Glastonbury

Time now for one of the most hotly-anticipated sets at Glastonbury Festival… the Swamp Princess and TikTok sensation Doechii has just taken to the stage.

Her set is only 45 minutes long and she’s competing with the mighty Charli XCX, Neil Young and Scissors Sisters, but there is still a packed turnout here at West Holts.

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

The moment we’ve all been waiting for… the Apple girl is revealed: it’s Gracie Abrams.

For those of you unfamiliar with the reference: the Apple girl is a surprise guest who appears when Charli XCX plays her song ‘Apple’ and who does a TikTok dance known as the Apple dance.

Noor Nanji
Reporting from Glastonbury

Time now for one of the most hotly-anticipated sets at Glastonbury Festival… the Swamp Princess and TikTok sensation Doechii has just taken to the stage.

Her set is only 45 minutes long and she’s competing with the mighty Charli XCX, Neil Young and Scissors Sisters, but there’s still a packed turnout here at West Holts.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

“Awwwwww.”

The section of the crowd I’m in actually swooned as Neil Young plucked the opening chords to The Needle and The Damage Done, a heartbreakingly beautiful song about the consequences of heroin addiction, originally from his 1972 album Harvest.

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

Charli XCX brings a high octane start to her set. Dressed in a black top, hot pants and boots, she belts out 360 in front of a backdrop emblazoned with the word brat – which is quickly set on fire, perhaps symbolising the true end to the brat era.

Annabel Rackham
BBC Culture reporter at Glastonbury

There’s hardly any room to move over on the Other Stage as thousands wait for Charli XCX to make her way to the stage. An early observation is that the crowd is fully armed with merch – we have Brat hats, slogan tees prefaced with her lyrics and, of course, a host of Charli themed flags.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent, reporting from Glastonbury

You never know what sort of set you’re going to get with Neil Young, but based on the fuzztone distortion the last 15 minutes, I reckon we’re in for one of his gnarliest rock shows.

He’s just dug his teeth into a crunchy version of Cinnamon Girl – and it’s the first track of the night the audience have really been able to sing along to.

It’s a good crowd, though. Attentive and into it. And they all laugh when Neil makes a joke about his sudden decision to allow the BBC to broadcast the performance.

“How you doing out there? How are you doing at the back?” he asks.

“And how about you people with your TVs in the bedroom?”