Glastonbury 2015: Poetry, politics and powerful women come to the fore on Saturday

Florence and the Machine and Pussy Riot were the talk of Worthy Farm

Florence and the Machine headline Glastonbury 2015 on Friday 27 June (Getty Images)

Friday headliner Florence and the Machine and Russian activists Pussy Riot were the most talked-about acts on Saturday after delivering two very different, yet powerful performances the night before.

Florence ran around and took her top off; Pussy Riot discussed the politics of gender but didn’t take their tops off. The girl power theme continued into Saturday with strong female artists such as Ella Eyre, Paloma Faith, Courtney Barnett and Ibeyi showing that women could attract as large a crowd as their male counterparts.

Award-winning poet and rapper Kate Tempest lived up to her name by delivering a tornado of fast-paced, spirited songs. In a mash-up of tunes from her popular second record, Everybody Down, she spat out incisive observations on ordinary people’s lives to a beat that had the crowd bouncing. The deeply self-deprecating Courtney Barnett, who’s risen through the ranks from the tiny peripheral stages at last year’s Glastonbury to a 50-minute midday slot at the Pyramid, gave a gloriously bratty rendition of “Small Poppies” from her debut Split Peas EP.

Saturday at Glastonbury - as it happened

Earlier in the day, twin sisters Ibeyi did an outstanding set at the Park. Their final a cappella, R&B-infused song “River” was beautiful in its simplicity. Meanwhile, at the Other Stage, a wildly enthusiastic Ella Eyre (left) introduced her new single, “Good Times”, with a catchy drum and bass backing that perfectly suited the sun-dappled mood.