Compared to the number of people packed in to see The Lumineers and Foals on the Other Stage earlier today, headliners Portishead had a much smaller crowd – after all, they’re up against Arctic Monkeys on the Pyramid Stage, and Geoff Barrow and co are hardly feelgood fodder for festivals.

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Despite Beth Gibbons’ often heartbreaking lyrics, though, and the band’s increasing Krautier influences, it seems Portishead have more than enough anthems for Glastonbury. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people dancing wildly to such an apocalyptic song as “Cowboys”… or “We Carry On”… or “Glory Box”.

Their set was a perfect tightrope between the ‘hits’, like “Sour Times”, and deeper cuts, such as Third closer, “Threads”; and unlike many other festival shows, the sound was clear and powerful, Adrian Utley’s Jazzmaster especially cutting through the murky synths and bass.

The highlight might have been “Machine Gun” – containing some of Beth’s most ravished, wracked vocals – if only for the CND video during its second half, which juxtaposed images of anti-Trident demos and atomic explosions with a shot of David Cameron complete with glowing red eyes. The cheer that met the latter was almost as loud as the one for “Roads”.

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Portishead played:

Silence

Mysterons

The Rip

Sour Times

Magic Doors

Wandering Star

Machine Gun

Over

Glory Box

Chase The Tear

Cowboys

Threads

Roads

We Carry On

Tom Pinnock

Photo: Eva Vermandel

Follow Tom on Twitter for more Glastonbury coverage: www.twitter.com/thomaspinnock