Headliners 2016

[Matt42]

That's what I think, reading must have actually booked them as exclusive and therefore Glastonbury can't book them.

[willutalk]

Foo Fighters

Royal Blood

Disclosure

Muse

Taylor Swift

Ed Sheeran

Coldplay

[insert band here]

Nine Inch Nails

Edited June 20, 2015 by willutalk

[thewayiam]

Foo Fighters

Royal Blood

Disclosure

Muse

Taylor Swift

Ed Sheeran

Coldplay

[insert band here]

Nine Inch Nails

Muse won't play, they've already started their tour and Glasto wasn't involved so it won't be next year, that's how Glasto does things, they don't get acts on their 2nd year. Don't think Royal Blood will quite sub and I can't see Taylor doing it next year. Putting Biffy Clyro in is as good a chance as any, still think the Mac have a chance. Foo's have been around for a long time but they are still loved by a young demographic as well. FM would be the only one really aimed at the older generation.

[Alan_C]

Brown, Mani, Reni, Squire

[incident]

Muse won't play, they've already started their tour and Glasto wasn't involved so it won't be next year, that's how Glasto does things, they don't get acts on their 2nd year.

That's not even remotely true though, is it? Arcade Fire did it on the 2nd year of their tour, so did Mumford & Sons, and I'm certain there'll be other examples if you go further back, I've only checked the last 3 years.

I really don't understand why people think there's all these invisible rules about whether & when the Festival is willing to book specific acts - it might be that acts are less likely to play the Festival on the 2nd year of touring an album, but it's certainly not a policy decision from the Festival, that'll be something the artist decides.

Likewise with the fact that other acts may be headlining elsewhere - Glastonbury has never cared what other festivals are doing. If an act is ruled out of contention because they're headlining somewhere else, it's because that festival has insisted on exclusivity not because of any policy on the Glastonbury side.

Edited June 20, 2015 by incident

[FirsG]

Foo Fighters (making up for this year)

 

Radiohead (if new music appears by then, which it should)

 

Lady Gaga (Bit of an outside bet seeing her recent commercial mishaps, but a new album in the next year, and seems to slowly be regaining the media after her Jazz album with Tony Bennett so I think it could happen). 

[Gucci Piggy]

That's not even remotely true though, is it? Arcade Fire did it on the 2nd year of their tour, so did Mumford & Sons, and I'm certain there'll be other examples if you go further back, I've only checked the last 3 years.

I really don't understand why people think there's all these invisible rules about whether & when the Festival is willing to book specific acts - it might be that acts are less likely to play the Festival on the 2nd year of touring an album, but it's certainly not a policy decision from the Festival, that'll be something the artist decides.

Likewise with the fact that other acts may be headlining elsewhere - Glastonbury has never cared what other festivals are doing. If an act is ruled out of contention because they're headlining somewhere else, it's because that festival has insisted on exclusivity not because of any policy on the Glastonbury side.

You'll have to go a very long way back to find an act doing Glastonbury on their second Summer of touring festivals, which is what he meant.

It doesn't have to be some kind of rule/pattern, it just seems that Glastonbury doesn't want headliners who've brought the same show to different festivals the year before, because it makes it less special. I really doubt they'll book Muse next year, and will instead get acts who are bringing a new show to festivals.

[incident]

You'll have to go a very long way back to find an act doing Glastonbury on their second Summer of touring festivals, which is what he meant.

No, you really don't have to go far back at all. Unless 2 years is a long way back. Mumford and Sons toured their new material throughout 2012 including at Rockness, released the new album in September, then headlined Glastonbury in 2013.

And again, it's absolutely not a decision on the Glastonbury side. It might seem that way because it definitely makes more sense from the artists perspective to do Glastonbury first time round - they get the exposure, the initial record sales, and bump up their prestige so the following year they can ask for more money from Reading/Leeds/IOW/whoever.

[Gucci Piggy]

No, you really don't have to go far back at all. Unless 2 years is a long way back. Mumford and Sons toured their new material throughout 2012 including at Rockness, released the new album in September, then headlined Glastonbury in 2013.

And again, it's absolutely not a decision on the Glastonbury side. It might seem that way because it definitely makes more sense from the artists perspective to do Glastonbury first time round - they get the exposure, the initial record sales, and bump up their prestige so the following year they can ask for more money from Reading/Leeds/IOW/whoever.

Meant to say the second Summer after bringing out an album. It never happens.

[kingcrawler]

Meant to say the second Summer after bringing out an album. It never happens.

The only time I can remember it happening was when U2 were booked in 2010, although that's obviously different to bands like Muse and Coldplay given they normally don't play festivals.

[incident]

Meant to say the second Summer after bringing out an album. It never happens.

Right, so you need to keep adding caveats? Regardless of whether the album was on the shelves yet they were certainly touring it throughout European Summer Festivals, and playing large amounts of the new material every show.

I'm not saying it's not rare - I'm just saying that from the festivals side, precisely when an act last released an album isn't and has never been an obstacle to them headlining.

If you're seeing a pattern, it's for the reasons I said before, ie it makes much more sense from a promotional aspect to play the big pulicity but low fee gig first in order to boost awareness, record sales, ticket sale, and the asking price for other events to come.

Yes, to do Glastonbury on the 2nd year of touring an album doesn't happen as much as there's far less upside from the artists perspective - but certainly in the case of Muse which is the post I was responding to I don't think even that's an obstacle as there's a historic relationship / connection between the band and the festival. Same would apply for Coldplay.

[dentalplan]

Right, so you need to keep adding caveats?

 

I think he was just trying to explain it how everyone else recognises it while you were trying to be stubborn about it.

[incident]

I think he was just trying to explain it how everyone else recognises it while you were trying to be stubborn about it.

I'm not sure what there is to recognise - by any standard they were touring Festivals promoting the album in Summer 2012?

[kingcrawler]

Mumfords played almost as many songs off Babel at Glastonbury 2011 as at Rockness 2012, so you could argue it was just a continuation of that tour rather than the start of the Babel tour. They seemed to tour pretty much constantly up until that point anyway bar a couple of 2-3 months gaps so it's not like they suddenly started touring in summer 2012 to promote Babel.

[Mezhyp1]

I think one thing for certain is that is won't be Foo Fighters, maybe a couple of years down the line again, but not next year

[ghostdancer1]

I'm not sure what there is to recognise - by any standard they were touring Festivals promoting the album in Summer 2012?

 

the thinking is:

 

- release album in 2015

- play other UK festivals in 2015

- headline Glastonbury in 2016

 

isn't something that is likely to happen based on recent years.

 

 

how true it is, i don't know, but it's certainly been the way for many headliners recently.

personally i think it's a completely daft policy, if it actually is a policy.

[thewayiam]

You'll have to go a very long way back to find an act doing Glastonbury on their second Summer of touring festivals, which is what he meant.

It doesn't have to be some kind of rule/pattern, it just seems that Glastonbury doesn't want headliners who've brought the same show to different festivals the year before, because it makes it less special. I really doubt they'll book Muse next year, and will instead get acts who are bringing a new show to festivals.

 

Pretty much.

 

No, you really don't have to go far back at all. Unless 2 years is a long way back. Mumford and Sons toured their new material throughout 2012 including at Rockness, released the new album in September, then headlined Glastonbury in 2013.

And again, it's absolutely not a decision on the Glastonbury side. It might seem that way because it definitely makes more sense from the artists perspective to do Glastonbury first time round - they get the exposure, the initial record sales, and bump up their prestige so the following year they can ask for more money from Reading/Leeds/IOW/whoever.

 

You can't compare a Rockness show to a Glastonbury show. Glastonbury 2013 was a bigger set and it was their time to headline, Glastonbury wouldn't have booked them in 2014 had they did somewhere else in 13.

 

I honestly can't think of anyone due to release a new album that is also due a headline spot... Only really Biffy Clyro. Maybe Iron Maiden?

I personally think Taylor Swift has done so much over the last year or two that she'll take a break next year.

I reckon we'll probably get 3 curveballs. Like, 2 first festival headline shows and 1 old-timer.

 

I think you'll get 2 first Glastonbury headline shows, possibly even 3. I don't see Taylor, very much the case of Muse in that respect, just probably wasn't ready for her this year.

 

I think one thing for certain is that is won't be Foo Fighters, maybe a couple of years down the line again, but not next year

 

I think it's closer to certain than not. If they are at Pinkpop and Werchter next year, it is ideal. Even more so as anyone that didn't get a Glasto ticket will have to pay for their own shows.

[Gucci Piggy]

I honestly can't think of anyone due to release a new album that is also due a headline spot... Only really Biffy Clyro. Maybe Iron Maiden?

I personally think Taylor Swift has done so much over the last year or two that she'll take a break next year.

I reckon we'll probably get 3 curveballs. Like, 2 first festival headline shows and 1 old-timer.

Coldplay and Rihanna. Those two, plus Biffy, are the only current acts I can see releasing albums and being possible headliners. Maybe Foals, but if they headline anywhere I think it'll be R&L.

[Gucci Piggy]

Mumfords played almost as many songs off Babel at Glastonbury 2011 as at Rockness 2012, so you could argue it was just a continuation of that tour rather than the start of the Babel tour. They seemed to tour pretty much constantly up until that point anyway bar a couple of 2-3 months gaps so it's not like they suddenly started touring in summer 2012 to promote Babel.

Fair enough, but, if Glastonbury have a policy whereby they don't want to book bands on the second summer after they've released an album, are they really going to be aware that Mumford were playing new songs off the album the year before, and be checking their setlists?

Also might not be about being the first festival to hear those songs, but being the first festival to have them after they've released a new album, got back into the limelight, amassed a load of new fans and got some excitement about them.

I'm not really sure how to explain it to justify it, but the reality is, you'll be going back a long way to find a headliner who did Glastonbury on their second Summer after releasing an album.

[kingcrawler]

Fair enough, but, if Glastonbury have a policy whereby they don't want to book bands on the second summer after they've released an album, are they really going to be aware that Mumford were playing new songs off the album the year before, and be checking their setlists?

Also might not be about being the first festival to hear those songs, but being the first festival to have them after they've released a new album, got back into the limelight, amassed a load of new fans and got some excitement about them.

I'm not really sure how to explain it to justify it, but the reality is, you'll be going back a long way to find a headliner who did Glastonbury on their second Summer after releasing an album.

Will I was agreeing with you!

My point was that they didn't just start playing those songs in 2012 to promote Babel so those summer 2012 were not really for promoting loads of new material. So Glastonbury still got them on their first summer after releasing the album and their first summer properly touring the album.

[Gucci Piggy]

Will I was agreeing with you!

My point was that they didn't just start playing those songs in 2012 to promote Babel so those summer 2012 were not really for promoting loads of new material. So Glastonbury still got them on their first summer after releasing the album and their first summer properly touring the album.

Oh I misread haha. Thought you said Glastonbury 2013, not 2011!

[NorthernTone]

Well it won't be any of THESE

[paulmuchmore]

I really think people on here overestimate the popularity of Foals. I may be wrong, but I can't ever see them headlining the Pyramid unless they absolutely blow up in the next couple of years. I can see them subbing or third down maybe, or headlining the other stage, but that's probably their peak in my opinion.

 

I know chart success isn't the be all and end all, but Foals haven't had a number 1 album or single. The Pyramid tends to host legends or those with mass popularity. Even Arcade Fire have two number 1 albums, had headlined many other festivals around the world before Glastonbury, but by all accounts had a pretty small crowd for a headliner.

 

I'd like to see them, I like their music, but not at the top of the bill.

[incident]

how true it is, i don't know, but it's certainly been the way for many headliners recently.

personally i think it's a completely daft policy, if it actually is a policy.

Yep, it would be a daft policy.. But I'm pretty certain it's not a policy, it just works out that way because it makes more sense for the band from a marketing etc perspective.

Here's what I was trying to get at last night, and explaining badly, in hopefully a more concise way -

There's very little chance that Glastonbury would turn down a viable headliner soley because of when their last album came out or what shows they played last year. If Muse want to play next year, and the Festival has a free slot for them, then Muse will likely be booked.

[thewayiam]

There's very little chance that Glastonbury would turn down a viable headliner soley because of when their last album came out or what shows they played last year. If Muse want to play next year, and the Festival has a free slot for them, then Muse will likely be booked.

 

You are still missing the point though that it's likely when a band plays Glastonbury off the back of a new album, they most likely want to do it that way. Bands will have a fair idea of how Glastonbury works/tries to work in this case as well and I doubt it's just co-incidence how it works out. Muse are touring early this year in Europe quite excessively, provided they do that arena tour in the UK early next year I'd imagine there is less chance than there already was that they'd be around doing festivals early year. Later on in the year however, where no European festivals are being done by them and the pay packets are around I'd say is a closer call.