Get the latest gossip

Lorde at Glastonbury review – new album playthrough is bold but a little foolhardy


Lorde resembled Patti Smith as she introduced her entire new album Virgin of off-the-cuff angst, but the lack of well-known hits let the energy drop

Arriving on stage to strobe lighting and a huge cheer, Lorde is dressed simply in a white baby tee and cargo pants, resembling, with her shock of dark hair, Patti Smith – and also her younger self. Photograph: Anthony Devlin/Hogan Media/ShutterstockBut though the audience extends her goodwill, bobbing gently to the music, it is just difficult to grasp the shape of these unfamiliar songs, lacking as they do immediate or obvious hooks and dealing with intimate and often challenging subject matter. Clearblue stands out among the new tracks, bringing to mind both Yellow Flicker Beat, Lorde’s excellent inclusion on The Hunger Games soundtack, and Imogen Heap’s iconic Hide and Seek in its pared-back layering of electronic vocals.

Get the Android app

Or read this on The Guardian

Read more on:

Photo of Glastonbury

Glastonbury

Related news:

News photo

CMAT at Glastonbury review – a preposterously fun pop star who’ll surely be massive

News photo

Lottie Moss channels sister Kate's iconic Glastonbury style as she slips into THAT gold dress and wellies - 21 years after the supermodel stunned in the leggy look

News photo

Lewis Capaldi makes emotional return to Glastonbury stage following career hiatus two years after Tourette's battle left him unable finish his set at the festival