Arcade Fire bring Glastonbury day one to epic climax

After an epic rainstorm ended for huge sets by Lily Allen and Interpol, Elbow played a fittingly victorious sunset show on the Pyramid Stage - with frontman Guy Garvey bringing out the choir within the wet, muddy and thoroughly drunk Glasto masses.

Meanwhile, Paolo Nutini pulled a huge crowd over the Other Stage for a career-spanning and hit-packed set, showcasing his evolution and the sheer class of his latest chart-topping album, Caustic Love. 

While the hardcore ravers flocked to The Other Stage for a massive dubstep set dance superstar Skrillex, anyone with guitars in mind went to see Arcade Fire play the best gig of the day (and their careers) on the Pyramid Stage. 

You can always tell a truly great band by whether their fans sing their backing vocals as loud as the chorus - and that is exactly what you have in Arcade Fire. Opening with 'Reflektor', the Canadian indie heroes brought a real carnival atmosphere to Glasto, more than fulfilling the requirements of being a headliner to remember. 

Frequently taking photos of the crowd, frontman Win Butler was clearly humbled by the mass of fans that gathered - as wife Regine Chassagne proved a real spectacle in herself with stunning vocals and a bewitching stage presence. Pumped by the dance-fuelled elements of recent album Reflektor, the band played with an unmatched energy and conviction, with the best crowd reactions saved for 'Rebellion #3 (Power Out'), 'Ready To Start', 'Keep The Car Running' and a tear-inducing rendition of 'Afterlife'. 

Returning for an encore with a stage filled with dancers in their now iconic bobblehead masks, a glitterball covered DJ (rumoured to be Jarvis Cocker) thrilled the crowd with a medley of Oasis, Pulp, Jay Z, Beyonce and other classic Glasto headliners before the band ended with the glorious combo of 'Normal Person', 'Here Comes The Night Time', and 'Wake Up'. 

Make no mistake: Arcade Fire can now count themselves among Bowie and Pulp as one of the greatest Glastonbury headline shows of all time.

Arcade Fire played:
Reflektor
Flashbulb Eyes
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
Rebellion (Lies)
Joan of Arc
The Suburbs
The Suburbs (Continued)
Ready to Start
Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)
We Exist
Keep the Car Running (w/ 'My Body Is a Cage' acapella intro)
No Cars Go
Haïti
Afterlife
It's Never Over (Oh Orpheus)
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Normal Person
Here Comes the Night Time
Wake Up

After that, we danced our tits off at James Murphy and 2ManyDJs very own Despacio tent. It was incredible. We'll probably go back again tonight.