Standing to the side of stage, looking directly at camera, Lorde’s intention is clear. Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up The Hill’ has just finished. The softly spoken introduction to ‘Green Light’ silences a very busy Other Stage as people watch, expectant. First with a smirk, a snarl and finally a strut, Lorde takes the spotlight.
It’s not just those great whites with teeth to show. Fangs out, ‘Homemade Dynamite’ hypnotises and bewitches before the vocal-with-a-touch-of-the-ridiculous “boom” lets everyone know this is something else entirely. And Lorde just keeps on giving. The weight of expectation is nowhere to be seen as she greets the crowd like best friends she just hasn’t met yet while a living art exhibition rises and falls behind her.
Walls are made for breaking and Lorde quickly starts tearing them down and arranging the pieces into something bold, colourful and intimate. ‘Pure Heroine’ showed off the voice, ‘Melodrama’ brings the vision. Stand back to get it all in and behold.
Those who pegged Lorde as the voice of a generation got it wrong. This is bigger than that. The music, the scope, the marvel is timeless, and tonight’s set is one for the ages. With a grin and a playful want for adventure, if she wasn’t already the brightest star around…