Cymande
West Holts, Sunday June 29, 2025
Cymande enter the former Jazz World Stage without fanfare or introduction, as if they know they should be household names. Make no mistake, this is a band that can hold its own among all the illustrious names at Glastonbury 2025. It’s arguable, in fact, that Cymande have the greatest footprint of all the bands playing this weekend: guitarist Patrick Patterson and bassist Steve Scipio are among the godparents of hip-hop, lauded as such in the US. And this in the 50th anniversary of their band, as Patterson puts it, “going off the road” in 1975.
Patterson cheerfully admits their back catalogue (much of it - Bra, Dove, Brothers On The Slide - on display today) is best known as samples by more famous acts, but their recent upturn in good fortune means they are a sure bet whenever a stage needs soulful mellow vibes. As the crowd sways as one, it’s time to seal the deal: this weekend’s bill has more than its share of recipients of honours - surely it’s about time south London’s pioneers got gongs for services to rare groove?
Cymande At Glastonbury 2025 Setlist:
Getting It Back
Crawshay
Do It (This Time With Feeling)
Chasing An Empty Dream
Brothers On The Slide
For Baby Ooh
Dove
Bra
How We Roll
Coltrane
The Message
Follow all of MOJO’s Glastonbury 2025’s coverage HERE!
Photo: BBC