Little Simz’s status as a British legend is cemented on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage

She’s at the top of her game, and with new music already teased in the performance, she’s only got higher to go.

Words: Abigail Firth.
Photos: Patrick Gunning.

It’s hard to think of an artist more deserving of a Pyramid stage slot than Little Simz. A decade of tireless output and slow recognition as one of the UK’s greatest rappers finally culminating in a moment like this. 

Still riding high off the success of 2022’s ‘NO THANK YOU’, a record that saw Simz pick up a Brit award for Best New Artist (an incredibly late move on their part), and it feels like the rest of the public are finally catching up to her brilliance. Pulling primarily from ‘NO THANK YOU’ and ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’, her usually slick show is extra polished tonight. Simz’s performance of ‘Introvert’ is never not impressive, but on the Pyramid’s huge platform, it shines brighter than ever; likewise for early plays of ‘Heart on Fire’ and ‘I Love You, I Hate You’.

The set Simz brings to the Pyramid is comparable to those of Stormzy and Kendrick Lamar in recent years; it doesn’t feel like a stretch to say she’s on their level, but it’s a shame it’s taken so long to be recognised as one of their peers. She’s teary about her lifetime as an artist, noting she’s been doing music since she was knee high and she’s never performed to a crowd this big before. She’s genuinely taken aback by what a moment this is.

As ‘Woman’ and ‘Gorilla’ come around in the set’s final moments, Little Simz’s status as a British legend is cemented. She’s at the top of her game, and with new music already teased in the performance, she’s only got higher to go.