Glastonbury Festival 2014: heavy rain doesn't stop revellers from enjoying music

 
Mud bath: revellers battle through torrential rain (Picture: PA)
Gareth Vipers1 July 2014

Heavy rain and an electrical storm caused setbacks at Glastonbury Festival yesterday evening.

Thunder and lightning forced Rudimental to cut their set short while other stages also suffered, with later acts including Lily Allen were delayed.

So far festival-goers have experienced a mixture of sunshine and showers, but more rainfall is predicted for today.

A spokesman for the Met Office said: “Saturday and Sunday look a little bit drier but in general the weather will be a mixed bag.”

Canadian indie-band Arcade Fire headlined the Pyramid Stage last night and will be followed by heavy-metal band Metallica this evening.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">Thanks for an amazing experience <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/glasto?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-221221-https://twitter.com/hashtag/glasto?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#glasto</a> unfortunately lightning struck the stage and we were forced to finish our set early <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/spreadlove?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-221221-https://twitter.com/hashtag/spreadlove?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#spreadlove</a>— Rudimental (@RudimentalUk) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RudimentalUk/statuses/482566919003078656" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-221221-https://twitter.com/RudimentalUk/statuses/482566919003078656" data-vars-event-id="c23">June 27, 2014</a>

The band's top billing has sparked controversy with many claiming their heavy sound does not fit the "hippy" vibe of the festival but the choice has been defended by organiser Michael Eavis.

Mr Eavis previously said he believed Metallica deserved their headline spot as no other band has ever been as "keen" to play the music festival.

"We usually have bands like Radiohead, Coldplay and U2, the Rolling Stones, but I am really looking forward to them," he said.

Glastonbury 2014 - in pictures

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"There's no other band in the whole history of the festival that has been so keen to play, they will do the best set of their lives here."

Yesterday controversial singer Lily Allen blasted Fifa Chief Sepp Blatter during her performance, describing him as “annoyingly corrupt.” She dedicated her ‘F**k You’ sing to the football chief, while flashing her underwear and twerking on stage.

Jack White, Robert Plant, Lana Del Ray and Kelis will also perform on the Pyramid Stage today before headline act Metallica. Pixies, Manic Street Preachers, Goldfrapp and Little Dragon will also play across the vast site along with Jagwar Ma, Beth Orton and Smoke Fairies.

Celebrities spotted in the mud include Radio One DJ Fearne Cotton, Rita Ora, footballer Joey Barton and fashion designer Henry Holland.

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