Entertainment

Foo Fighters, Cate Blanchett and more: Highlights from Glastonbury 2023 so far

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, performing under the name The Churnups, on the Pyramid Stage (PA)
Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, performing under the name The Churnups, on the Pyramid Stage (PA) Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, performing under the name The Churnups, on the Pyramid Stage (PA)
By Kerri-Ann Roper, PA Entertainment Editor

From a surprise Foo Fighters set to raising heart rates with fitness expert Joe Wicks, 2023’s Glastonbury Festival has not disappointed so far.

Here is a round-up of some of the highlights from the music spectacular at Worthy Farm in Somerset:

– Churning it up

After days of speculation as to who the mystery band listed as The Churnups might be, American rockers Foo Fighters gave fans a standout performance on the Pyramid stage on Friday.

Front man Dave Grohl kicked off an electric set with the song All My Life, from the album One By One, with the rest of the set including crowd-pleasers like Best Of You, Learn To Fly and The Pretender.

The band was also joined by new drummer Josh Freese following the sudden death of Taylor Hawkins last year, at age 50, during the South American leg of their world tour.

It is 25 years since the band first performed at Glastonbury and their show drew the attention of other musicians, with Sir Paul McCartney watching on with his daughters Stella and Mary.

US rockers Slash and Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, as well as British singer Rick Astley and actress Kate Hudson were also seen watching from the side of the stage.

– What they said

– Tweet of the day

Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett brought some extra star power to Glastonbury on Friday as she joined US pop-rock duo Sparks for a performance of their recent track The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte.

The Oscar-winning actress, who also features in the music video, joined Ron and Russell Mael on stage, donning the same yellow suit and red earphones she also sports in the video.

The Mael brothers previously said of working with the actress: “We met Cate Blanchett in Paris at the Cesar Awards last year, little knowing that a year later, one of the great actors of our time (and a splendid person!) would graciously consent to lending her bootie-shaking skills to the first video from our new album, The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte.

“Dreams really do come true. We will sleep well tonight knowing that forever we can say we co-starred in a film with Cate Blanchett!”.

– Getting the heart rate up

Joe Wicks, aka The Body Coach, took to the Gateway stage on Friday at midday to guide thousands in a warm-up and 25-minute workout.

Eager exercisers wore everything from sequinned skirts to kilts as they took part.

Others opted for fancy dress, with a group of friends wearing striped Where’s Wally costumes to sweat it out together.

– Still to come

Saturday’s Pyramid stage headliners are Guns N’ Roses, with other performances before them including Lizzo and Lewis Capaldi.

Singer Lana Del Rey performs on the Other stage, while the Park stage will welcome The Pretenders, who have promised they will be bringing some friends to Worthy Farm.