And the stage goes quiet to the chants of “Stormzy! Stormzy! Stormzy!” There’s no encore and rightly so. It’s fair to say he bossed this. There were no grand political speeches, as some might have hoped for (although plenty of nuanced messages through the big screen displays, interludes and stage attire). Instead, Stormzy kept it upbeat, raucous and relentless. It came and went in a flash, yet its impact will last for generations – a set that told the story of UK grime’s unstoppable rise over the last two decades.
“That was music history. That was black British history,” says Clara Amfo. “It was a truly inclusive show.”
Stay tuned for our review from Alexis Petridis, posted here shortly. Thanks for joining me as Stormzy made history tonight – over and out!
“Finale business!” It’s Big For Your Boots. Did people really think Stormzy might not have enough material for this set?!
Fun fact is that when this came out I thought Stormzy was rapping: “I got the big size fours on my feet” – making it the first UK rap song about having tiny trotters.
Blinded By Your Grace Pt 2 getting the full gospel treatment here – it may as well have been written for Glastonbury. And it gets the full pyrotechnical works too. Stormzy takes a moment to take it all in ...
Stormzy is down the front, topless, touching the palms of those at the front. “I feel like the 25 years of my life has led up to this moment right here,” he says, before namechecking the icons who made it possible: Wiley, Dizzee, Skepta, Giggs, Ghetts, Kano, Tinie Tempah, Lethal Bizzle, and then an even longer list of those coming through: Unknown T, Little Simz, Geko, Bugzy Malone, Nadia Rose, Novelist. And now it’s Shut Up, taking things full circle with its sample of XTC’s original grime classic Functions on the Low.
Vossi Bop now, Stormzy’s first UK chart-topper. Time to reflect ... it was 2005 when grime first hit Glastonbury festival, albeit on an underground scale, as DJ Cameo brought the likes of Trim and JME to the Roots tent. Since then we’ve had Tinie Tempah, Skepta and Dizzee play the Pyramid stage (really, Dizzee should have headlined, because he owned it every single year). I was going to write something about grime’s journey here but ..… no time, there are BMX bikers on the stage.
Stormzy ... that fire is coming from the liveblogger’s keyboard. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Before that, BBC bosses quivered as a video of Ghetts cussing his mouth off was used to introduce Bad Boys. Now Dave is on the stage for Funky Friday. Meanwhile, my typing fingers are down to the actual bone and all I’m doing is writing about what is happening. No time for any added commentary!
Dave doesn’t leave the stage without delivering an emotional message:
I gotta say thank you bro, before I leave this stage. You’ve made it possible, bro. You’ve allowed man like us to believe, bro. This is your moment, the greatest. I love you, bro!
If you’re thinking Stormzy isn’t feeling the pressure of this headline show, then perhaps have a listen to the lyrics to The Crown in which he wrestles with his newfound position as the voice of black Britain: “I tried to be grateful and count all my blessings / But heavy is the head that wears the crown.”
Oh here he is. From one Glastonbury headline expert to a soon-to-be other … Chris Martin is on stage taking it to church by playing the intro to Blinded By Your Grace on a keyboard. I wonder what tips he gave him as to how you get invited back? The pair sit on the piano stool crooning together. After George Ezra’s performance earlier, maybe the 90s “stool-rock” movement is back?
