Maisie Peters live at Glastonbury: The Good Witch casts a spell over Worthy Farm

“The worst way to love somebody is to watch them love somebody else,” sings Maisie Peters during ‘Body Better’, the song that opens her set today on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage. 

Full of self-doubt, it’s a vulnerable way to begin her first ever appearance at Glastonbury but Maisie Peters thrives on creating heartfelt pop. Backed by a three-piece band, a fiery sense of purpose and a crowd that knows every word, ‘Body Better’ is quickly transformed from pained confession to jubilant anthem. There’s plenty more where that came from as well and by the end of her hour-long set, Peters has traded in heartbreak for something far more confident. “I’ll fuck your life up as a blonde,” she smirks during the giddy, ‘80s inspired ‘Blonde’.

Maisie Peters’ gigs often feel like a party but today, the singer has more to celebrate than usual. Her second album ‘The Good Witch’ came out at midnight and “what better place to see it in than the most magical place in the world,” she asks. 

A “twisted” take on a break-up album, The Good Witch explores destruction, power and magic, without ever dwelling on sadness. There’s self-deprecation but also spiky empowerment and a giddy sense of fun. Today, Peters brings all of that, as well as a little bit of her own magic, to the Pyramid Stage. 

‘Cate’s Brother’ is a sugary pop-punk track that feels purpose built for sunny fields, ‘Run’ is an urgent, indie-rock banger while the thunderous ‘Not Another Rockstar’ is introduced by Peters as being about her “terrible, terrible taste in men”. Halfway through the theatrical track, Peters pauses for a second to take in the ever-growing crowd. “The irony is, who’s the rockstar now?” she smiles.

Peters has clearly learnt a thing or two from touring stadiums with Ed Sheeran. She’s a master of crowd control and a majority of her set fills suitably grand, with the likes of ‘Villain’, ‘I’m Trying’ and ‘You’re Just A Boy (And I’m Kinda The Man)’ all sounding glorious on Glastonbury’s biggest stage.

There are moments of genuine intimacy as well though.  A gorgeous, slow-burning ‘Worst Of You’ bubbles with emotion before ‘You Signed Up For This’ flickers between hope and heartache. ‘Brooklyn’ is sung for Peters’ sister as an apology for not bringing her a vape on-site while ‘John Hughes Movie’, a hammering song about unrequited love, is dedicated to the queer community. “I wouldn’t have the career I have without you,” she explains. “I feel very honoured to be a woman on the pyramid stage,” she adds a little later.

That ability to forge a connect from afar is clearly working as well. Fans hold up banners reading “We are the granddaughters of the witches you could not burn” which goes nicely with Peters’ own “Women’s hearts are lethal weapons” t-shirt. It’s little wonder she’s been fan-cast as support for Taylor Swift’s European ‘Eras’ tour next year. 

Before the phenomenal snarl of ‘Lost The Break-Up’, one fan on the front tow hands Peters her very own broomstick. “What a good day to be a good witch” she grins. It’s early in the day, but this witch has cast the most magical spell over Worthy Farm.