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8 must-see guitarists at Glastonbury 2014

By Rob Power
published 27 June 2014

Wet and wild in Somerset

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Drenge
Friday, 14:00, John Peel Stage
(Image credit: Corbis)

Drenge

Drenge will rip your face off. Don't try to fight it, it's happening - and what's more, you'll enjoy it.

Eoin Loveless makes a beautiful racket, all glorious grunge riffery and squalling feedback that's part guitar assault, part artillery barrage. Somehow furious, funny and filthy all at the same time, Drenge will leave you bruised and battered - and we can't reccommend them enough.

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Rodrigo Y Gabriela
Friday, 13:45, Pyramid Stage
(Image credit: Andrew Wilson/Retna Ltd./Corbis)

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Rodrigo Y Gabriela are pair of truly phenomenal guitarists and a Pyramid stage must-see at this year's Glastonbury.

The perfect mix of musical virtuosity and sunshine vibes, this is a band guaranteed to impress even if the weather doesn't. It shouldn't be possible for two people playing nylon string acoustics to rock this hard, but Rodrigo Y Gabriela manage it.

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Circa Waves
Saturday, 12:30, Pyramid Stage
(Image credit: Carolina Faruolo/Corbis)

Circa Waves

Propelled along by Kieran Shundall's fast and furious rhythm playing and armed with more hummable choruses than you can shake a Strat at, Circa Waves are destined for great things.

The band's first Glastonbury finds them playing the Pyramid Strage with the big boys, and we're predicting that their hook-laden set will put the Saturday crowd in a party mood no matter what the weather is doing.

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Warpaint
Saturday, 15:00, Pyramid Stage
(Image credit: Corbis)

Warpaint

A band seemingly custom designed for Glastonbury, Warpaint's woozy dream-pop is the perfect soundtrack to a hazy summer afternoon.

With hypnotic harmonies and riffs that will run round your head for days, Warpaint could well be a Saturday afternoon highlight at this year's festival.

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Jack White
Saturday, 19:30, Pyramid Stage
(Image credit: Michael Hurcomb/Corbis)

Jack White

If you've heard Jack White's latest labum Lazaretto (and if you haven't, really, what are you doing with your life?) then you'll know that he'll be bringing the guitar histrionics to the Pyramid on Saturday evening.

White boasts a back catalogue full of the greatest blues-rock riffage of the last decade, including a pair of solo records bursting with explosive guitar moments, and we're willing to wager that he'll end up as the guitar highlight of the weekend.

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North Mississippi Allstars
Sunday, 16:45, Avalon Stage
(Image credit: RD / Dziekan / Retna Digital)

North Mississippi Allstars

You have to step away from the main stages to catch Luther Dickonson making his ES-330 sing, but in our estimation it's a trip well worth taking.

Rootsy southern rock played with panache and not a little flair might not sound like usual Glastonbury fare, but the variety of the festival is one of the best things about it. Sunday sounds like a good day for a Somerset boogie if you ask us.

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St. Vincent
Sunday, 19:30, Park Stage
(Image credit: R Chiang/Splash News/Corbis)

St. Vincent

There aren't many guitarists as idiosyncratic as Annie Clark.

Her work as St. Vincent has seen her become a critical darling of late, and you'd be doing yourself a favour to catch her live. She's a mightily impressive player with a complex musical vocabulary that's utterly beguiling, and we reckon she'll pull a fair crowd over to the Park Stage on Sunday.

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The Black Keys
Sunday, 19:45, Pyramid Stage
(Image credit: Felix K‰stle/dpa/Corbis)

The Black Keys

It's a good year for fans of retro bluesy rock...

The Black Keys will be playing to an up-for-it Sunday night crowd that's awaiting headliners Kasabian, which we think will lead to a bravura performance from Dan Auerbach. Definitely odds on for a late highlight of the festival.

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Rob Power
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