Muse play bombastic Glastonbury set

British rock act Muse closed the first night of mega British music festival Glastonbury with a blazing, bombastic set. They wisely mixed classics like “Plug In Baby” and “Supermassive Black Hole” with new material, displaying the confident assurance of a band headlining the festival for the third time.

A crowd of almost 75,000 watched the show Friday, on a day that also saw ZZ Top and Jess Glynne play the Pyramid Stage. Muse opened their set with “Psycho”, a hard driving anti-war song from their current album, “Drones” - a concept record about modern warfare, and soldiers 'who kill by remote control'.

Glastonbury, the five-day festival of contemporary performing arts, takes place near Pilton, Somerset in the UK since the late 70s, and is the largest greenfield festival in the world, attended by around 175,000 people annually. In addition to contemporary music, the festival hosts dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret, and other arts. Leading pop and rock artists have headlined, alongside thousands of others appearing on smaller stages and performance areas.

With their opening night performance, Muse also became the first band to headline the Pyramid Stage on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Coldplay will match the achievement today - their fourth time at the top of the bill - while Adele notched up her first headline slot on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, many of the acts addressed the Leave vote from Thursday's referendum, including Damon Albarn, James and Bastille expressing their dissatisfaction.

Pop star Jess Glynne brought a party disco vibe to the Pyramid Stage, and rock veterans ZZ Top played a set full of crowd pleasers, including “Legs”, “Gimme All Your Lovin'” and Jimi Hendrix's “Foxy Lady”.

Other bands who played on Saturday included Madness, Wolf Alice, New Order and Art Garfunkel, while the night ended with an orchestral tribute to the late David Bowie.