If ever there was a song to best capture the communal love-in and the bleary-eyed sentimentalism of Glastonbury, you’d struggle to do better than LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All My Friends’. “And if it’s crowded, all the better – because we know we’re gonna be up late,” sings frontman James Murphy. “But if you’re worried about the weather, then you picked the wrong place to stay. That’s how it starts.”
Fortunately, the weather gods smile down upon Glasto today. The last time the NYC indie sleaze ravers graced Worthy Farm was for a stellar Other Stage headline slot in 2016; perfect conditions for their punk nightclub vibes. There was a fear that daylight and potential grey might dampen what LCD have to offer – and make their comedy giant disco ball seem a little redundant – but the combo of blinding sunset and the band’s Balearic bliss makes Somerset feel a lot more like Ibiza.
“Hi everybody,” begins Murphy. “You outnumber us again, but we have speakers and stuff so we’ll do our best not to cheat”. There’s no bells, whistles or trickery – just an artfully curated 75 minutes. ‘Oh Baby’, ‘I Can Change’ and ‘On Repeat’ make for a tantric opening, then the naughty and gnarly ‘Tribulations’ marks the come up before the cheeky but euphoric ‘Tonite’ tells Glasto what they’re in for: “There’s only tonight, life is finite, but it feels like forever”.
Al Doyle and Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem during day three of Glastonbury Festival 2024(Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
The band are certainly living in the moment. Murphy is fighting fit with banter, showing some sass with his hand on hip for ‘Beat Connection’ and pulling off some kung fu shit for ‘Losing My Edge’. Synth player Nancy Whang pulls your gaze with her laissez-faire rockstar cool, and guitarist Pat Mahoney shreds like nobody’s business and nearly wipes everyone from the stage as he swings his axe.
‘Losing My Edge’ lingers and explodes, ‘Someone Great’ inspires a few tears in the crowd, and ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ just bloody pumps. Throw in a few interpolations of Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, Yaz and Suicide and that’s a party; a blast of heart, humour and hedonism in equal measure.
The packed-out Pyramid field hold each other tight and reach for the sky as LCD’s 10 song masterclass naturally ends with ‘All My Friends’. This song and this moment are the manifestation of Glastonbury at its best, the memories in the making and the good times and still to come: “And if the sun comes up and I still don’t wanna stagger home, then it’s the memory of our betters that are keeping us on our feet.” That’s how it starts.
James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem during day three of Glastonbury Festival 2024 (Photo by Joe Maher/Getty Images)
LCD Soundsystem’s setlist was:
‘Oh Baby’
‘I Can Change’
‘On Repeat’
‘Tribulations’
‘Tonite’
‘Losing My Edge’
‘Home’
‘Someone Great’
‘Dance Yrself Clean’
‘All My Friends’
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