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No one is talking about the wider bin fire of public debate on these issues here. This is about puberty blockers and children which should be discussed rationally and using data and expert opinion. And not probably usefully in a forum on music festivals. And probably not anywhere at all if all women keep their mouths shut.

I mean it does if you assume every gay club is owned and operated by men, I guess. Oh, and if you completely ignore the L in LGBTQ+. Oh, and if you completely ignore the fact that cis women are most likely to be pro-trans, and of these cis women cis lesbians are overwhelmingly pro trans and strong allies. But sure, if you ignore all of that, then yes, it is 'women know your place'

Although a key point for me is, is what she wrote any worse than the many, many anti-vaxers. It's not really an unheard of position for artists to not have the hugest grasp on the scientific world and to be sceptical of pharmaceutical companies. What she did write was on a private Facebook account and in no way intended to be public. She may well be a transphobe but on the small amount of evidence I saw I couldn't say she is. The quick call to assume the worst in people has a tendency to make them become the worst.

I "fear" Dua Lipa could be a headliner with a co-head, but I think they will have a hard time building a full day around her and at the same time try to keep it quite "rocking". Maybe a Saturday-headliner, as that will sell out anyway. As for Stormzy, I think the field was hardly half full when he was playing, so again it shows that having many streams or being popular among the younger audience, doesn't mean much on festivals with a more mature audience like RW. If I remember correctly ticket sales was also bad for the planned Kendrick Lamar-day that got cancelled due to Covid.

I agree. This Murphy controversy has led me to do a bit of reading on the subject and changed my view somewhat. So a positive has come from it.

You'd never see us we'd all still be huddled in our tents and vans. As someone who takes whole beans and a grinder to festivals the Revels comment is unforgivable. Maybe one of the worst things anyone's said on here.

Think this year's lineup was a good indication that they're totally fine booking B list headliners now and then balancing it with a couple of "bigger" ones that sell tickets. It's probably a decent business model given they can't secure big names all the time – I went to Jungle which was one of the smaller ones and I'm sure plenty were on cheap or freebie tickets but they do a roaring trade at the bar and food. It also opens it up to bands that may not normally get to headline festivals, so I think it's pretty nice for the festival landscape as a whole. Someone like Loyle Carner is a good shout, I think.

In the case of The Strokes I seriously hope not - I recently went to Rock En Seine and they were so dreadful I could only take 15-20min of their set before leaving. Julian was clearly out of it and the sound was woeful, so much so that there were a fair amount of complaints about them online afterwards Not to mention as well that their fans completely blocked off the front of the main stage to fans of the other artists (I was there for Foals that day) which generally I don't have an issue with, but then they hardly paid attention or showed any emotion. They were just stood still and occasionally talking over the other bands, and I don't want that crowd going to Primavera I would like to see The Cure though

My opinion: those acts you've named have some kind of edge. Dua Lipa is straight-up pop music which attracts a different crowd. Her status requires a headliner position and I personally feel that it would not fit Rock Werchter. Boutique on the other hand...

You see I find this very difficult as it has a strong 'women know your place' vibe.

Film currently being shown in selected cinemas, a documentary on Marc Bolan and T Rex. The first Glastonbury headliner in 1970, standing in for the non appearance of the Kinks. The album has T Rex covers by Nick Cave, Elton, Joan Jet and many more. Showing my age when, as a youngster, I can say I saw T Rex live when they called themselves Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Yes but with how busy the site’s been today I wouldn’t worry if it takes time

Jesus man, they were a stand in for a cancellation! By that time, that clause meant nothing.

You can't really compare these though. Kendrick Lamar played Sportpaleis last year and didn't manage to sell all tickets. 5 months earlier, Dua Lipa played 2 easily sold out Sportpaleis shows. I think she's big enough to pull off a standalone Boutique/stadium show if she releases another hit single. Stormzy is not even worth comparing. He clearly was an emergency headliner due to other acts not coming through. In a regular situation, he would've been a Barn headliner at best.

Not a comparison that does her many favours I'm afraid. Anti-vaxers are also bad and, frankly, downright dangerous.

No-Rod

Yes, I think that's true @stuie absolutely. I think it can also be true that puberty blockers for children are not the harmless pause button that everyone thought they were originally: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gender-dysphoria/treatment/ I think there's harmful and unhelpful rhetoric on all sides which is fundamentally damaging when you're really talking about evidenced=based healthcare.

This is the key point here. People are stepping over this fact and using it in the current anti-trans not in my toilet thanks binfire that's raging on twitter and GB news at the moment. We've made so much progress in the last 20 years - it's a different world to when I stepped out on to the rainbow - but lately, it feels like we're going backwards with so much hateful rhetoric and division. Have a look on twitter, Roisin has brand new fans who are now fans only because of what she's said. I'm not saying she should be cancelled or anything but people in the public eye have a responsibility to be careful with their words and not stoke the fire of the anti-woke right movement.

For the next taster course its two lines of ketamine, accompanied by a warm can of Strongbow dark fruits cider!

Dua Lipa did a Barcelona solo date and PS the next week, so I wouldn't completely rule it out.

So, shall we go and check out Idles?

Either way: there's much more to Rock Werchter than just rock of course. If they can get Dua Lipa, they should. I do wonder if she's not too big to play the festival by now.

One name to write down with high probability is Nothing But Thieves - keeping the tradition of appearing at RW every other year - and most likely at a higher spot than last time. Very popular in NL and BE with sold out shows months in advance and a new album out.

That's IMO a huge concern

Chems and Orbital live both assemble the songs for scratch every night, see the attached image Fred Again could 100% do this if he wanted to, although arguably the mix of this, tunes and the live show is what keeps chems headlining big fests 25 years on. Its not cheap though and he doesn't really need it right now when he can sell 50k at ally pally instantly Fred Again has a solid back catalogue - he can successfully do live shows at the moment with basically only his own material, something most djs cannot do. He certainly has a better back catalogue to play with than Orbital

Wait what? Rocking like hell?

Love this tune, memories of Mrs oneeye and me on a 10 day break in Toronto 1990, happy days indeed.

As a counterpoint, I saw The Strokes in Spain two weeks ago, the crowd was lovely, the sound was great and Julian was on cracking form. Played all the hits too. Moot point though as they definitely wont play again next year.

HOLD

I'm expecting - as they are all touring and/or releasing new music: SZA, Travis Scott, Lana Del Rey, C. Tangana, Kylie Minogue, PJ Harvey, Doja Cat, Kali Uchis, Carly Rae Jepsen, Kim Petras, Janelle Monae, Amaarae, Syd, Troye Sivan, Kevin Abstract, Olivia Dean, FKA Twigs, Slayyter, Doechii, Omar Apollo, Jai Paul, Lil Yachty, Dominic Fike

Just for interest people can do their own test here https://www.politicalcompass.org/test

I feel old, I couldn't name one Dua Lipa song....I've heard the name though....

Not sure to agree on this one. There was P!nk in 2019, Billie was supposedbly planned for this year but the schedule change made her go to Pkp... This year we had big pop/hip-hop acts on main stage. Stormzy was there to headline, Stromae planned to headline, Oscar and the wolf sub. Granted that the last 2 are belgian, but I really think this type of name is more and more common in RW, so I don't see why Dua wouldn't work.

I’d love QOTSA and think they suit the festival however apparently the owner fell out with them a number of years ago so it won’t happen. I think The Cure and Pulp are probably both quite likely.

Me too. Not because it’s a drug, but because nos users are synonymous with littering c***!

N Sync nailed on for the Saturday pyramid 🤣

Playing New Century Hall in December with excellent support If anyone hasn’t heard it the Iraina Mancini album is really good as well although Romy is the out and out winner of this week.

No worries 😅 Always makes me giggle when places call themselves the 'World' something. I used to work in a city in Germany with maybe 500k people there and they called one shopping/business centre the World Trade Centre. There were about twenty firms there and they were all German. There was nothing international or special about it.

Its just like the first access tickets every year just in a different form

throw your trans fans under the bus, and the TERF's will come out to buy your stuff i guess

And he(or she!) said hello there. Remember, words matter (like "duh" with Billie). Soooo it's going to be Adele because of skyfall and hellofromtheothersiiiide.

Change has to happen at festivals otherwise it gets stale and full of the same old people that expect the same old bands in the same old settings. Part of the joy of festivals is discovering new ones, finding new areas at familiar festivals, enjoying new music and interacting with different people. Festivals have to evolve to stay alive - and especially so in difficult times. I understand that people have attachments to certain things and sometimes those things are missed, but put into the bigger picture, it makes sense.

I think there's split opinions on it .... there's not much time between the confirmation cutoff and a potential October sale date ... to me that doesn't really matter and I think October but others are going for Nov

I had to bail out of the Bearded and Beautiful Days facebook groups because of the moaning - it got a bit Top Trumps for twats. I consoled myself with thinking that half the people moaning on there had probably never been to a rubbish festival so didn't appreciate how good these ones were, instead wanting the whole thing tailored to their own personal needs. And wow - don't mention chairs

"Usually the Glastonbury fans are fantastic. But when bands like Keane are booked they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don't realise what's going on out on the Pyramid Stage. I don't think some of the people who come to Glastonbury can spell 'music', never mind understand it. Its a disgrace"

EOTR 2024 hot fashion will be cargo shorts and t-shirts. Anyone not wearing them is suspicious and probably a landlord.

Very well put. Am I alone in thinking there was an increase in the former this year?

Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Smashing Pumpkins and Prodigy.

Some of you guys are insufferable, no views apart from your own are to be considered okay. I hope roisin is alright, and I hope that we will soon get to a point as a society that people feel they can speak up on their views without losing their livelihoods. Her views on puberty blockers are probably pretty close to the majority consensus view but anybody that dares speak up and voice their view ends up being shot down by a vocal minority.

Stop providing camper van/ caravan places and replace the space with more car parking. I speak as someone who has attended every Glastonbury since 2003 and half of them in my van but in my (unpopular) opinion, camping outside the fence is a lesser experience and encourages too many old biffers to keep coming. The festival should be something you fully participate in rather than attend/observe. Whenever I've taken my tent in, and I last camped inside the fence in 2019, it's been a more immersive experience and I've contributed more to the place. Go into the camper van fields and it feels more like a caravan club rally than a festival with neatly pegged awnings, gas barbecues, satellite tv dishes out and moaning oldies going to bed at 10pm.