Lorde danced in a giant perspex box above the stage and told the crowd she had been warned by the BBC not to swear as she made her Glastonbury debut.

The New Zealand singer appeared on stage in a long-sleeved floral jumpsuit and white trainers and said: “Glastonbury, it is so nice to meet you.”

She opened her set on The Other Stage with a verse of her hit Green Light before moving on to Homemade Dynamite.

She told the crowd: “I’m not allowed to swear. The BBC told me not to swear, but there is like a swear word in every song.”

She moved on to Tennis Court And Magnets, her hit with Disclosure, and Buzzcut Season, and danced in front of a large glass box full of people drinking, talking on the phone and sitting on chairs before she joined them in the box to dance to Ribs from her 2013 album Pure Heroine.

She then moved on to Sober before lying on a pile of dancers to sing the title track from her new album Melodrama.

She sat on the edge of the stage to introduce her song Liability, saying it was about when she feels like a “loser”.

The singer appeared emotional throughout her set, telling the crowd: “I didn’t know it was going to be like this. I didn’t know there would be so much love in this field.

“There aren’t festivals in the world like this. This is so special.”

She also treated fans to renditions of her hits Royals and Team before saying: “I will never forget my first Glastonbury experience. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

She closed her set with a performance of her hit Green Light.