41. Pet Shop Boys, Pyramid Stage, 2000
For their first Glastonbury, the Pet Shop Boys, squeezed between Ocean Colour Scene and Travis, feared the worst; but by the time they reached the bombastically triumphant finale of Go West, the place was eating out of their hands.
40. New Order, Pyramid, 1981
Despite singer Bernard Sumner falling over blind drunk and playing guitar from the floor, this was a punchy, post-punk invasion of the then-hippy mecca. (That said, over-running into Hawkwind’s scheduled time caused a mini-riot later.)
39. English National Opera, Pyramid, 2004
Ninety-one musicians and 11 soloists woke late-sleepers on Sunday lunchtime, beneath gathering storm-clouds, by tearing into Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries, encouraged by a muddy mass using rolled-up newspapers as horns.
38. LCD Soundsystem, Other, 2016
The Brexit vote came through at this festival, and these reformed New York electro-rockers proved just the tonic. The crowd were howling along with the opening chorus, “It’s us versus them, over and over again”. It kick-started a dynamic, urgent, danceable set.
37. Gabriels, The Park, 2022
Sometimes less is more. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, L.A. outfit Gabriels’ heartfelt, fusion of gospel and R&B, fronted by the stunning soul voice of bow-tie-clad Jacob Lusk, gently swept a whole hillside away with them.
36. The Smiths, Pyramid, 1984
Glasto 1984 was still mostly about spliff-friendly acts such as Weather Report and John Martyn, so The Smiths’ arrival came as a shock. An enthused set-ending stage invasion during Hand in Glove sealed their place in festival lore.
