Culture | Music “I need you to understand that you're witnessing greatness,” Little Simz announced, a couple of songs into the biggest show of her entire career. “I say that not with arrogance, but with confidence.” The London rapper had every right to feel so assured – playing second-top on Glastonbury ’s Pyramid stage, she demonstrated that she has all of the necessary chops.
The set opened with double helping of 2022’s NO THANK YOU – the soulful and assured Silhouette, followed by the music industry-critiquing No Merci: “Givin' 'em our truth and they gave us blackface,” she rapped, “Why you wanna make a mockery of my pain?” Both paved the way for a flawlessly crisp rendition of I Love You, I Hate You – a barbed, bittersweet outpouring of complicated familial feelings: “Is you a sperm donor or a dad to me?” Sharp and polished, Simz was frequently alone on Glastonbury’s biggest stage, effortlessly holding court, and never missing a beat. She performed on top of a mirrored plinth which reflected the enormity of the crowd back out from the stage. Her Drop 7 collaborator Jakwob – complete with a pair of alien sunglasses – joined to assist on the heavy, dance-inflected stomper Mood Swings, while her Sometimes I Might Be Introvert collaborator Obongjayar guested for an exceptional rendition of Point And Kill.
As a special treat – this was Glastonbury, after all – Simz also aired brand new song The Code, which came with strong neo-soul vibes.
