Filipinos longing for the thrill of live bands and musical performances got a treat from Globe, bringing the world-famous Glastonbury Festival live at Worthy Farm in partnership with Karpos Multimedia and exclusively streamed through GMovies and Upstream last Sunday, May 23.
Filmed across the festival’s Worthy Farm site at landmarks such as the Pyramid Field and the Stone Circle, the five-hour musical extravaganza was headlined by none other than British rock band, Coldplay.
Playing in front of the Pyramid Stage with fields illuminated by an impressive light and laser show, the four-time Glastonbury Festival headliner rocked out as only they could, playing hits that nearly every Filipino is familiar with. From “Fix You,” to “The Scientist,” to “Clocks” and “A Sky Full of Stars” to a brand-new song entitled “Human Heart.” Coldplay made the most out of a rather odd situation as lead man Chris Martin noted.
“This is very weird but very fun,” shared Martin who joked that he and the rest of his bandmates were playing to “thousands and thousands of cows.”
While the situation was no doubt strange to a band that was used to Glastonbury’s raucous and oftentimes rowdy crowd, one thing they were already used to was getting drenched in the rain.
"If there's a day you didn't want to stand in a field, it's today," quipped Martin with a sly grin. Still, the sight of the festival’s most renowned performers energizing the stage and screens everywhere was a deft reminder of just how missed live performances are in this day and age.
Still, the Glastonbury Festival made the most of what they had as they set up lights, small stages and tents in various locales, which gave each musical performance a unique vibe.
Wolf Alice got the show started, playing in the stone circle, with blue skies and expansive rolling hills serving as the backdrop as lead singer Ellie Roswell—who was garbed in a lacy white dress—and the rest of the band strummed and grunged away. Mercury Award winner Michael Kiwanuka, who played next under a canopy, brandished his guitar to deliver a pared-back performance along with his ensemble of pop-soul back-up singers.
Bristol punk band Idles also delivered a blistering set that was done inside a barn that had all the energy of a jostling mosh pit. Like many of the bands that played in Glastonbury, they too played to each other in a circular formation, a welcome modification that kept performances fresh and lively and less staged and sterile.
Up next was HAIM, the Los Angeles sisters who won the International Group award at The Brit Awards 2021. Singing hits like “Summer Girl” and “The Steps,” HAIM no doubt brought some cool LA flair to the proceedings and singer Danielle Haim relished every second of it, saying, “This is our favorite festival in the whole entire world!"
With a massive, illuminated moon set up above, Damon Albarn then played under a downbeat set that featured music from his upcoming project, “The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows.” Jorja Smith then brought the energy back up with songs like “Blue Lights” and “Be Honest.” This was soon followed by Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood who debuted their new musical project called “The Smile.”
British rapper Kano then showcased his eccentricity as he performed his grime anthem “Rude Boy” with a marching band outside while wearing an all-white ensemble. With an energy that was seemingly seeping through screens, he powered through hits like “Teardrops” and “Free Years Later” before closing out his set with “Can't Hold We Down” and “SYM.” The performance set up Glastonbury Festival’s final act— a DJ set by Honey Dijon—that was done on a customized bus on the festival’s Block9 area.
In the end, Globe treated Filipino music fans to an enthralling and visually arresting celebration of Glastonbury Festivaland its equally famous site, which many hope to be back at more sooner than later.
In addition to livestream events, GMovies also provides a seamless booking service for over 100 cinema locations nationwide and 3rd parties providing online video streaming services.
The GMovies app is available on the App Store, Google Play, and the App Gallery.