Loyle Carner live at Glastonbury 2025: the lyrical maverick comes into focus by stripping things back

“I was so anxious… I was trying to talk myself back from the edge”, Loyle Carner admits to the crowd at the Other Stage. He’s sharing how he had to take time out just hours before to mentally prepare for this monumental slot, and who could blame him? Commanding the main stages at Glasto is no easy feat, even for the most experienced of artists. Yet he manages to captivate the hearts of the crowd with ease and turn his biggest show to date into a captivating, intimate affair.

• Read More: Loyle Carner – ‘Hopefully!’ review: a masterful balance of melancholy and perseverance

What first stands out about his set is that the production is noticeably more stripped back than expected. For the majority of his 16-song setlist, he is seen merely through the camera affixed to his mic stand, illuminated by a simple warm yellow spotlight. The huge side screens have been switched off too, drawing the focus sorely to him and his band, and centring their musical prowess front and centre. It’s a structure that many artists would shy away from. After all, while all the bells and whistles can help turn a live performance into a spectacle, it can also act as a barrier for an artist looking to open themselves up to the crowd before them.

As we’ve witnessed in his new album, ‘Hopefully!’, honesty and humility are taking centre stage for Carner in 2025. By continuing this approach in his milestone performance, his nuanced instrumental layering starts to shine and the message behind each stirring lyric becomes more meaningful than ever before.

Surprise appearances from Jorja Smith and Sampha take things up a notch, while throwbacks to earlier tracks like ‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’ and ‘Ice Water’ allow the British-Guyanese rapper to both bring the energy and showcase his songwriting evolution.

It’s a touching set, and the gratitude felt by the lyrical maverick is palpable throughout. “I learnt my lines by heart / Sat in broken cars / My eyes towards the stars,” he recites from recent single ‘All I Need’, looking towards the sky with a faint smile. The line, as subtle as it may be, takes on a new depth on the Other Stage. It marks how this moment has been a decade in the making. Carner may not have had a viral moment, nor one hit single that catapulted him to this stage. Instead, his music has gradually resonated with the thousands of people who now stand looking back at him. This feels like the beginning of a new chapter for the artist, and one that proves why he has made his way to the top of the line-up.

Loyle Carner’s 2025 Glastonbury setlist was:

‘In My Mind’
‘All I Need’
‘Ain’t Nothing Changed’
‘Yesterday’
‘Damselfly’
‘Horcrux’
‘Desoleil (Brilliant Corners)’ (with Sampha)
‘Homerton’
‘Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)’
‘Lyin’
‘Loose Ends’ (with Jorja Smith)
‘About Time’
‘Ice Water’
‘Speed Of Plight’
‘Still’
‘Ottolenghi’

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