Alex DeLarge

He's headlining R+L this year. Got one of the biggest crowds at Glastonbury last year and was all over the coverage. He's massive.

Artists that haven't headlined yet but most likely will: The 1975 Dua (doing this year) Harry Styles Olivia Rodrigo and then The Weeknd and Taylor Swift could but it's a long shot because of how massive they both are. Artists that probably will on their next album: Dave Fred Again.. (would love to see the thread here when that happens) Sam Fender Artists that are big enough but won't: AC/DC (not gonna happen now, obviously) Drake (would be a weird booking) Eagles (£££) Eminem (can't see it) Iron Maiden (don't wanna do it) Madonna (seemed like the perfect time this year) Rihanna (never tours)

Oh no, now she won't be halfway down the Park for 6music dad's to stroke their beards at. Now they'll have to flock to Loyle Carner for the "wow, I'm not actually into hip-hop but this is really interesting" crowd.

Dunno how I feel about them these days.

Four Tet on IICON cleared last year. Was incredible, great crowd, vibes, sound, everything. They had some big names as well: Mala, LTJ Bukem and Actress. Felt really underwhelmed by Shangri La last year tbh.

Female fronted/ solo artists that could headline: Madonna (feels unlikely after this year), Taylor Swift (doesn't feel like it's gonna happen), Olivia Rodrigo (probably next year/ the year after), Lady Gaga (no idea if she would), Rihanna (seemingly doesn't tour anymore)

Not enough Brummies at Glastonbury IMO. And I do notice more scousers - I think a good 60% of the randoms I've ended up chatting with have been Scouse. Always sound and fun people as well.

I'm sure people who are Liverpool fans aren't gonna stand there and just wait though. Plus a lot of scousers will know a lot of her stuff, she's the biggest pop star Britain has produced in years.

She has three songs that have 2 billion streams each (and one that will get there by the end of the week).

Off the top of my head: David Bowie - Blackstar Johnny Cash - The American Series Kate Bush - 50 Words for Snow A Tribe Called Quest - We got it from here... thank you for your service Depending on your definition of "heritage" - My Bloody Valentine - mbv, Slowdive - Slowdive as well

I'm not denying they've had a helping hand on the way up. They're clearly rich kids making music in the same way The Vaccines or Fred Again.. are. The video @SomeoneListeningIn posted goes into it - they signed with a booking agent who threw them on to that line-up with The Stones. What I think is stupid is the idea that they're an industry plant - a specific term with a specific meaning. Do you think a label would make them sound the way they do for popularity? I can't think of an artist who sounds like this who are popular right now. If they were pretending to be working-class punks dragged up on a Northern estate that would be one thing, but they're a band with a specific sound and style that people enjoy. The sad truth of the world is that even touring as a small indie band is out of the reach of the vast majority of working class kids - take away arts funding, squatting and cheap rent and benefits being more generous and you're left with a generation who are too worried about paying for rent to pick up a guitar and take the time off work to tour. Inauthenticity comes across clearly, especially in music. People are a lot more savvy these days and don't like being swindled. What we should be doing is funding and supporting bands without a silver spoon in their mouths instead of consistently trying to "prove" this band's talent and the connection they've fostered with an audience is inauthentic. I'm not their biggest fan in the world but the level of vitriol they're getting (especially by grown men in their 30s-50s - who grew up being pandered to by the entire music industry) has been very, very disheartening and kind of dull. Also, I'm not sure if you intended this but the "hmmm" at the beginning of your post comes across as a bit patronising.

Reckon Chris will come out for Dua. But then again, apparently they dated and split? (Lucky bastard)

I think festivals are going through a bit of a crisis on this front at the minute as well. These britpop bands don't have a long shelf life at all, and they're all over smaller festival lineups these days. Usually met with bafflement and boredom by anyone under 40. A few have clung on, obviously you have the big three (Blur, Oasis, Pulp) and bands who had bigger hits like James still pull a crowd, but you're far more likely to hear Depeche Mode, New Order, Tears for Fears etc. played out these days. TFF would absolutely smash a sub-headline set as well.

The festival never seems to book 80s alternative stuff like that - in the past few years obviously you've had The Cure and Billy Idol, but I'd love to see bands like The Human League and OMD around.

I can't imagine anyone who isn't Fred tbh. He's massive, and has the versatility to pull of a full headlining set. Looks like a bunch of dance music will start to get booked further down the line-up hopefully.

I think people can genuinely see through when a band is stitched together and made to conform to a certain sound. This band came out 2 years ago and were all over TikTok and YouTube. It turned out some of the members ha worked with Dr Luke before (producer of Doja Cat, Kesha, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Jessie J and Rihanna. Allegedly was extremely abusive to Kesha when they were recording). Fantano goes into it here. They got backlash for pretending to be an authentic punk band despite clearly being pushed onto things like Spotify's New Music Friday. The Last Dinner Party genuinely seem to have come together as an actual band, toured together then got scouted and are now being pushed by their label. Of course the label is going to push a band they've signed. What would make them seem inauthentic if they were making TikTok friendly pop/dnb in the vein of PinkPantheress/ Piri/ Kenya Grace and their album was full of features by Clairo and Beabadoobee.

I think its because she doesn't have a set aesthetic/ personality like Billie Eilish or someone. Dua reminds me of someone like Bruno Mars - consistently produces hits that do well commercially and critically but no-ones a die-hard.

I think Dua is an artist who doesn't have as much of an established fanbase in the way other pop stars do. She'll pack the field at Glastonbury because she has so many bangers and people want to see her, but buying tickets for her own show? Seems like a hard sell IMO.

Gunman 'carefully planned' murder of dad shot in the face outside Wembley chicken shop - MyLondon Skrapz has been given the nick for perverting the court of justice. I wouldn't be surprised if he does time.

Honestly feels like UK drill is on the downslide. Dance music is all the teenagers I work with talk about at the minute. Bringing back the tent makes sense to fill the line up with artists like Nia/ Barry Can't Swim.

He'd fit right in on the Guardian comments section.

No I just have more to say about music than "this is sh*t" and "music was better in my day". Controversial round here.

Just had the most popular songs of both 2022 and 2023 in the UK. Grew up as a working class lad with a single mum after his dad was deported, taught himself piano as a teenager and started singing, rapping and producing music and became one of the most popular artists in the country organically. Came out to play his number one 'Funky Friday' with Stormzy during Stormzy's headline set. Brought up a 17 year old on stage to rap with him in 2017 at Glastonbury which went viral. Headlined Reading/ Leeds, won the 2019 Mercury Prize, worked with Hans Zimmer and David Attenborough on Planet Earth. Sold out an arena tour including two nights at the O2.

Tbh they should just book Dave but you can't win em all.

I'm genuinely trying to think of "creative" headline bookings the festival has made in the past twenty years: Jay Z was one. Since 2004 we've had: Oasis, Paul McCartney (x2), Muse (x3), The White Stripes, Coldplay (x2), Arctic Monkeys (x3), The Killers (x3), The Who (x2), Kings of Leon, Jay Z, The Verve, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Blur, Stevie Wonder, U2, Beyonce, The Stones, Mumfords, Arcade Fire, Kasabian, Metallica, Kanye, Adele, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, The Killers, The Cure, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Guns n Roses and Elton. Tbh, I think the festival's headliner pool has been much more diverse recently. In the early 00s it was either classic rock, indie rock, or alternative rock.