Radiohead at Glastonbury: A thunderous, turbulent anniversary set

20 years ago 'Ok Computer' was released, an album that would come to define Radiohead for the following two decades. In the same year, 1997, they headlined the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, a performance that's since been heralded as one of the best the UK festival has ever played host to.

With those two things in mind, it's hard not to steep a lot of expectation on their return to the most prominent main stage in the world. Arguably the jewel in the crown of this year's festival, Thom Yorke alongside Jonny & Colin Greenwood, Philip Selway and Ed O'Brien took to the stage for one of the most anticipated shows in years.

Their first song 'Daydreaming', taken from their latest album 'A Moon Shaped Pool' was the serene start to what eventually became a landmark set for the band. Delicate beams of white light washed over the stage as the solemn tones pan around the crowd, in turn easing everyone into their first headline show of the weekend.

At this point, the direction that the band will take over the course of the two and a half hours is unclear. Will it be a showcase of the new LP? Will it be a homage to 'Ok Computer'? Or will it be a classics set that people will look back on for years to come? The answer: It was a mixture of all three.

'Ful Stop' was the first real moment of power that jolted through the crowd. The explosion of the chorus made their statement of intent very clear and every intricate beat was matched by a scolding strobe light. A fitting visual display.

Soon enough though, after a varied and somewhat reserved run of tracks, the crowd-pleasers came out. '15 Step', the rarely played but rapturously received 'Pyramid Song' and the tantalisingly tweaked 'Everything In Its Right Place' fired out in quick succession.

It's hard not to look at the performance without taking a step back to consider the political climate the UK is right now. After a recent, shock surge from the Labour party in the recent general election, both the crowd and band reflected the country's current state of affairs in their behaviour.

During down time between songs, a chant of "Oh Jeremy Corbyn" broke out across the entire field. Thousands and thousands of festival-goers chanting in unison with a seemingly shared passion.

In response, Thom Yorke, who didn't interact with the crowd as much as expected, joked "See you later Theresa May. Shut the door on the way out". Naturally the audience replied with a passionate cheer back at the frontman.

'Bodysnatchers' provided a moment of anarchy that seemed fitting for the night before 'Street Spirit (Fade Out)' provided the touching, singalong moment that everyone had been begging for.

As for an encore, nobody does it better than Radiohead. 'Creep' into 'Karma Police' is enough to send the already jubilant crowd into an emotional meltdown and thus signalled the end of what was a truly special headline set.

At times thunderous, at others, beautifully tender, Radiohead proved once again that they are an act that not only signify the sign of the times, but also move with them. For anyone in attendance, it's a set that won't be forgotten anytime soon, for die-hard fans, it was a delight to see such a varied set list on the greatest stage of them all.

Funster is Mixmag's Deputy Digital Editor, follow him on Twitter here

[Photo credit: Anna Barclay]