GLASTONBURY, England - South Korean boy band Seventeen skipped, twisted and gyrated in a high-energy performance on Glastonbury's main Pyramid Stage on June 28, making history as the first K-pop group to appear at the iconic music festival in southern England.

The 13-member group, dressed in shades of black, performed highly synchronised dance sequences alongside peppy hits such as Hot (2022), Rock With You (2021) and Very Nice (2016), thrilling thousands of music fans in one of Glastonbury's most atypical sets.

In Britain and at Glastonbury - which sells out before its line-up is announced - Seventeen may be relatively unknown, but the group had the biggest-selling album globally in 2023.

"Even though the language, country and culture are all different, we can still connect as one through music," singer Joshua Hong told the crowd after performing SOS (2023).

Seventeen drew a smaller crowd than proceeding acts on the stage, but many of those who came to check them out sang, waved and danced along even without knowing any of the songs. Loyal Seventeen fans, who are called "carats", lined the front row.

"It was really good, it was so much fun," said Ms Kiera Finn, 26, from Liverpool in northern England, who said she had never heard Seventeen before. "The crowd was so good. It was kind of, like, this is what Glastonbury's all about, and everyone was just having fun."

The K-pop industry, which involves rigorous training in dance, singing and language skills, has produced bands like BTS and Blackpink who are increasingly appearing at Western festivals, having won international fan followings.

Meanwhile, pop star Dua Lipa transformed Glastonbury's famous Pyramid stage venue on June 28 into an open-air nightclub where thousands grooved to hits such as Levitating (2020) and Houdini (2023).

Headlining the music festival for the first time, Lipa delivered a glittery, energetic performance featuring firework displays, five outfits and an ensemble of break dancers and musicians.

The 28-year-old British-Albanian singer told the crowd how it had been a dream for her to sing on the Pyramid stage, where artistes such as Paul McCartney, Beyonce and David Bowie have performed over the festival's more than 50-year history.

"Little me would just be so beside herself right now," she said. "Honestly, I couldn't believe it. I feel so grateful."

Born in London to Kosovo Albanian parents, Lipa began covering songs by other pop artistes as a teenager and uploading them to YouTube, which led to a record deal in 2014 when she was 18. In 2019, she won two Grammy Awards, including for Best New Artiste.

The sea of humanity at Glastonbury erupted into dance during hits including New Rules (2017) and Love Again (2021).

"We're obsessed. Dua was on another level," said Ms Sophie Page, 30, a fan from London who was in the crowd. "I knew she was going to be good, but the energy she brought… her emotion really came through."

Lipa also brought Australian act Tame Impala's Kevin Parker - a collaborator on her latest album - on stage and the duo performed The Less I Know The Better (2015) together.

She joined British rock band Coldplay, American R&B singer SZA and Canadian country music singer Shania Twain as headliners - a grouping with much more female talent after criticism over the male-dominated line-up in 2023.

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Source: Reuters