If Glastonbury’s ethos can be boiled down to one thing, it’s a spirit of joyful togetherness, regardless of language, race or culture. On the Pyramid Stage mid-Friday (June 28) afternoon, that atmosphere is alive and well as SEVENTEEN make history as the first K-pop act ever to perform at the iconic British festival. What starts as an introduction to a group largely unfamiliar to the crowd ends in giddy jubilation, with the previously uninitiated leaving the field swept up by the boundless energy pouring off the stage.
Throughout the performance, the 13-member boyband subtly but emphatically highlight their strengths and talents. As the set begins, the cameras pan to keyboards at the back of the stage, where singer and producer Woozi – the key component behind SEVENTEEN’s music – takes his place to deliver the opening melodies of ‘Maestro’ with a live band. Moments later, he joins the rest of the group to execute flawless choreography, but the point is clear: SEVENTEEN are here to challenge any preconceptions in the best way possible – by showing exactly what they’re capable of.
Much of the set is smartly tailored to the festival experience, with emphasis placed on rockier cuts and vibrant anthems. ‘SOS’ – one of only two English-language tracks showcased today – allows the group to break free from formations and bound along the walkway at either side of the stage, hyping up the crowd as they bounce across the platform.
The riff-heavy ‘Clap’ and a searingly fierce ‘Hot’ up the audience participation, Hoshi leading a chant at the latter’s end. ‘Headliner’, the emotional ballad from the festival-themed ‘Seventeenth Heaven’ EP, unites the crowd in waving their arms aloft, creating a beautiful sea of motion in front of the Pyramid.
In the middle of the set, SEVENTEEN switch things up and dig deeper to highlight the different strengths that they possess across their line-up. “So many members, right?!” Hoshi points out after ‘Rock With You’. Vernon picks up his point and explains the next portion of the performance: “Now, we’re going to split up into teams so the other guys can refresh.” As the rest of the members leave the stage, he and Joshua take the spotlight for the pop-punk-infused ‘2 Minus 1’ before handing the baton to the performance unit, comprised of Hoshi, The8, Jun and Dino, for the dance-focused and sultry ‘I Don’t Understand But I Love You’. Seungkwan, Joshua, DK, Jeonghan and Woozi – the vocal unit – pick up the pace with an uplifting ‘Cheers To Youth’, while hip-hop unit S.Coups, Mingyu, Wonwoo and Vernon take it to fever pitch with the explosive ‘LALALI’.
Ahead of SEVENTEEN’s history-making appearance at Glastonbury, there was some doubt among sections of the festival’s audience about whether they would fit in at the event – or even if they deserved their spot. By the time we reach the final two songs, though, those uncertainties should have been firmly blasted out of anyone’s mind. The performance the group deliver today more than matches up to the grand context surrounding it, proving both SEVENTEEN and K-pop as a whole has a future here on Worthy Farm.
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Earlier in the afternoon, when Glastonbury is still just getting acquainted with SEVENTEEN, Joshua makes a sage point. “Language isn’t a barrier,” he tells the crowd. “We can connect through song.” That’s something the group demonstrate throughout their time on the Pyramid, but perhaps no stronger than in the final two numbers. ‘God Of Music’ has the crowd chanting the hook, drawing out the anthemic joy that courses through the track.
‘Very Nice’, meanwhile, brings a playful and utterly exuberant close to proceedings, the boyband bringing their tradition of delivering repeated, energetic reprises of the chorus to the festival as they whip up the audience one last time. As SEVENTEEN say thank you in both Korean and English, they launch into one final round of the infectious refrain, their mark well and truly made on one of the biggest festivals in the world.
SEVENTEEN played:
‘Maestro’
‘Ready To Love’
‘SOS’
‘Rock With You’
‘2 Minus 1’
‘I Don’t Understand But I Love You’
‘Cheers To Youth’
‘LALALI’
‘Clap’
‘Hot’
‘Headliner’
‘God Of Music’
‘Very Nice’
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