Lorde Kicks Off Glastonbury in Surprise Launch for Virgin

27 June 2025

Joseph Okpako/WireImage/Getty Images

Under a radiant Somerset sky, the world’s largest greenfield music festival sprung to life on June 27 as New Zealand’s Lorde captured global attention with a surprise appearance on the Woodsies stage at Worthy Farm. Just hours after dropping her long-awaited album Virgin, Lorde stepped onto the festival’s intimate corner stage, drawing in a massive, unplanned crowd. The gate quickly filled, closing off access as approximately 200,000 early-rising festival-goers surged forward to catch her debut live performance of the new tracks

Despite not being listed in the official lineup, Lorde’s appearance seemed to ripple through festival grounds almost by word of mouth, a testament to her enduring appeal. Fans rushed in from across the site many skipping their morning rituals clutching coffee cups and towels to stake out front-row views before sunrise. Their energy translated into an electric atmosphere that matched the often introspective tone of her freshly released music.

Near the stage, Jamie Pringle, 26, reflected the sentiment of many when she described the performance as “absolutely incredible,” celebrating Lorde as a radiant artist at the peak of her creative powers. Across the site, Emma and Jacob Lovestead, taking a pause from celebrating their recent Sunday wedding, described the spontaneous set as their first real Glastonbury moment “it’s the best way to be husband and wife,” they said with wide smiles.

Beyond Lorde’s electrifying Woodsies set Rock fans had even more to enjoy. At the Pyramid Stage, Supergrass revived after years apart reclaimed their headliner status thirty years after first playing Glastonbury. Lead singer Gaz Coombes energized the crowd with elan typical of their Britpop heyday, greeting fans with a joyful “Glastonbury, what’s up” that echoed like a declaration of return.

Meanwhile, the festival’s acoustic corner offered a classic twist. The Searchers, a Liverpool outfit with roots in the early Merseybeat era, delivered final bows after 66 years of performances. With calm stage presence and fond reminisces of hits like “Needles and Pins,” lead drummer Frank Allen accepted the invitation to close the Acoustic stage knowing few could match Glastonbury’s cultural weight.

This Friday lineup united generations. The festival, which opened June 25 and will run through June 29, hosted established Legends like Rod Stewart and Neil Young, alongside modern pop icons such as Olivia Rodrigo and The 1975. Performances from Biffy Clyro, Alanis Morissette, Busta Rhymes, Maribou State, and Anohni ensured the sonic palette remained broad, vibrant, and exploratory.

Glastonbury isn’t just a music festival it’s a cultural kaleidoscope that fuses headline acts with surprise performances, political discourse, emerging artists, and communal intimacy. Lorde’s unannounced debut of Virgin signifies more than a promotion it marks the latest example of the festival’s power to architect landmark music moments on a global stage.

More than just a stage or artist, the Woodsies performance captured Glastonbury’s capacity to elevate surprises. For months, festival headliners were known, with acts like The 1975 set for key Friday slots and Olivia Rodrigo closing on Sunday. But Lorde’s set shattered that structure no early program, no red carpet, just pure, shared musical revelation under the rising sun.

Already buzzing online, those there say Lorde created one of the festival’s most unexpected and compelling moments. Setlists remain private, but insiders suggest she performed tracks from Virgin such as “Lust for Life”, “Heartbreak Love”, and “Golden Flowers”. Early fan accounts praised her stage presence as both intimate and commanding, a sign that these songs resonate live as powerfully as they do on vinyl or streaming.

That resonance starts with Virgin, Lorde’s fourth studio album, dropped earlier that day. With themes ranging from grief to self-reclamation, it serves as a bridge between teenage pop reflections and adult identity work. Performing it fresh amid the festival’s communal energy brought both ceremony and immediacy.

Supergrass’s appearance brought its own fireworks. Years had passed since their heyday, but the band treated the Pyramid audience to sing-alongs and nostalgia with tracks like “Alright” woven through their nostalgic yet energetic set. Their performance renewed a buzz for Britpop revival and delighted audiences who remembered earlier Glastonbury glory .

And on the Acoustic Stage, The Searchers showed why longevity can thrive on consistency. Closing their musical arc with gentle classics, they united festival-goers in reflective nostalgia an atmosphere softened by decades of experience.

As day turned to night and stages lit up across the farm, the festival felt expansive and electric. With performances scheduled across ten large stages, Friday’s journey will continue through the weekend, balancing headline spectacle with usable intimacy.

Glastonbury 2025, held between June 25 and June 29, is shaping up as one of its most memorable editions. It is anchored both by Lorde’s unforeseen Woodsies opening and Supergrass’s return bookending a day where spontaneity and legacy met on stage. Whether fans came for renewal, reunion, or surprise, Glastonbury delivered in full.

In the end these moments speak to festival storytelling at its best: a place where the unannounced can become unforgettable, where music meets collective emotion, and where the first chords of a fresh album find life under a summer sky full of promise.