2019 Headliners

[Winslow Leach]

There's a reason that Stormzy's face is plastered all over billboards across London at the moment, and The 1975's aren't.

[dentalplan]

Just now, Winslow Leach said:

There's a reason that Stormzy's face is plastered all over billboards across London at the moment, and The 1975's aren't.

Is it cos he’s headlining a festival in London?

[Winslow Leach]

Just now, dentalplan said:

Is it cos he’s headlining a festival in London?

What, the famous YouTube festival?

[dentalplan]

Just now, Winslow Leach said:

What, the famous YouTube festival?

I haven’t seen the posters mate, just guessing cos of the time.

If he is on a poster for YouTube then I guess he must be big enough to headline.

[Quark]

3 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

Is it cos he’s headlining a festival in London?

[Mash011]

I walked past the Waterloo imax the other day and it had a massive Stormzy on it so based exclusively off of that he's big enough to headline. 

[Winslow Leach]

Just now, dentalplan said:

IIf he is on a poster for YouTube then I guess he must be big enough to headline.

Looks like they're trying to muscle in on Spotify and Tidal's space to be honest, and they seems to be using him pretty exclusively to sell it (if there's anyone else they're featuring I haven't seen it).

I mean I guess there's also the fact that he's cheaper and easier to get than your Jay Zs and Beyonces, but the idea that he's this little cult novelty on a par with Rag n Fucking Bone Man is ridiculous. 

[Quark]

He's headlining Wireless tomorrow night

[Matt42]

Can he even do a 90 minute set? I thought he had like 4 hits and one is big because it was memed.

I think he will do fine at places like Wireless because he could probably get away with an hour headline set just fine. However, I don’t think he has the material to hold a pyramid crowd

[Winslow Leach]

Just now, Matt42 said:

Can he even do a 90 minute set? I thought he had like 4 hits and one is big because it was memed.

I think he will do fine at places like Wireless because he could probably get away with an hour headline set just fine. However, I don’t think he has the material to hold a pyramid crowd

No. He needs to release more music first.

 

[dentalplan]

10 minutes ago, Winslow Leach said:

Looks like they're trying to muscle in on Spotify and Tidal's space to be honest, and they seems to be using him pretty exclusively to sell it (if there's anyone else they're featuring I haven't seen it).

I mean I guess there's also the fact that he's cheaper and easier to get than your Jay Zs and Beyonces, but the idea that he's this little cult novelty on a par with Rag n Fucking Bone Man is ridiculous. 

“Little” and “cult” are not words I’d expect to hear about Rag’n’Bone Man’s following. Nor would I expect to hear “Spotify and Tidal’s space”.

But I think anyone making the comparison would suggest that he’s serving a similar purpose to Rag’n’Bone Man to a certain demographic and then as a respected grime artist to others, and his broad appeal is why he’s in contention to headline. Whether he hangs on to that respect and mainstream popularity is another thing but if he headlines soon then it won’t be an issue.

[Hugh Jass]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

I would to see Michael come out on Friday morning and launch a kettle over the Other Stage to officially open the festival. It'd be better than the fucking Charlatans.

[Quark]

I saw him at Benicassim last year, and not being a fan of the grime scene (can you tell?) I knew absolutely none of his stuff.  Absolutely banging set, loved loved loved it.

BUT

That was about 45-60 mins, and Beni has a very young and enthusiastic crowd.  I think that would be the question mark as a Pyramid headliner, will he be able to get what can be a fairly sterile crowd going?  Plus, you know, chair people.

But then you're back to the question of what a headliner should be and do.  Do you pick a headliner based on what the crowd will enjoy and go for, or have the courage of your convictions to pick an artist and let the crowd sort themselves out?

[Hugh Jass]

3 minutes ago, Quark said:

I saw him at Benicassim last year, and not being a fan of the grime scene (can you tell?) I knew absolutely none of his stuff.  Absolutely banging set, loved loved loved it.

BUT

That was about 45-60 mins, and Beni has a very young and enthusiastic crowd.  I think that would be the question mark as a Pyramid headliner, will he be able to get what can be a fairly sterile crowd going?  Plus, you know, chair people.

But then you're back to the question of what a headliner should be and do.  Do you pick a headliner based on what the crowd will enjoy and go for, or have the courage of your convictions to pick an artist and let the crowd sort themselves out?

it would be worth it just for the looks of terror on the faces of the chair and blanket brigade. Put him on after The Kinks for added outrage.

[The Red Telephone]

Would love to see Stormzy headline the Sunday night - “Energy crew, camping cair crew, picnic blanket crew!”

[Quark]

4 minutes ago, Hugh Jass said:

it would be worth it just for the looks of terror on the faces of the chair and blanket brigade. Put him on after The Kinks for added outrage.

Guest spot with the Kinks.  It'll cause head exploding confusion the like of which we've not seen since D*ily M*il readers had to reconcile their fawning adoration of the royal family with the introduction of a divorced mixed race American.

[Quark]

Just now, The Red Telephone said:

Would love to see Stormzy headline the Sunday night - “Energy crew, camping cair crew, picnic blanket crew!”

I can honestly say that as much fun as it was while a couple of us were going mental to Big For Your Boots, there was some real self evaluation after the gig as two middle aged white guys from Sussex digested the fact we'd just been part of his high energy merky crew

[The Red Telephone]

3 minutes ago, Quark said:

I can honestly say that as much fun as it was while a couple of us were going mental to Big For Your Boots, there was some real self evaluation after the gig as two middle aged white guys from Sussex digested the fact we'd just been part of his high energy merky crew

 

Sounds like a similar experience to mine watching Skepta on the Pyramid a few years ago - three months into my 40s and shouting out “Ring, Ring Pussy, It’s Shutdown”!

[priest17]

I walked past a giant poster for Fetish Week this morning, gonna be an interesting year for the pyramid if there's out to this theory.

[Mattymooz]

Dont get me wrong I was using RNBM to say why I dont think Stormzy wouls be a good choice, not because I think RNBM could have any chance of headlining.

1 hour ago, Gucci Piggy said:

I'm pretty sure Stormzy could play an arena now if he wanted to. He's barely even a grime artist anymore, he's just an all out pop star. His next album will probs have collabs with Ed Sheeran and stuff on it. He's also been embraced by a much wider audience than the likes of Skepta. He may not have had as many songs that you hear on nights out or whatever as Skepta has, but he himself is a much more recognisable name/figure, and as I said he's basically a huge pop star now. Everyone knows Stormzy.

I cant tell if you are using Ed Sheeran to prove hes a popstar or becauae he is big enough to headline (assuming the second point, Ed has also collabed with Tori Kelly, Fuse ODG, Rudimental and Naughty Boy - none of which will be headlining).

Im not sure Id go.as far to say everybody knows Stormzy. In fact Im pretty sure more people know who Katy Perry is or some other charting act than Stormzy.

1 hour ago, Gucci Piggy said:

As others have said, several acts have headlined with 2 albums (Coldplay even headlined with one album, but their second was about to be released).

Mumford and Sons subbed the Other Stage in 2011 and then headlined in 2013 after the fallow year in 2012. Because the festivals are two years apart you'll get much more returning acts because a lot will be onto their next album tour by then.

Ok Mumford is a good comparison, but I'm also pretty sure that the Mumford headlining set was conisdered one of the worst headline sets no?

1 hour ago, Gucci Piggy said:

Yeah, I think he's certainly a much bigger success story than Rag'n'Bone Man. Rag'n'Bone Man has a couple of singles that every man and his dog will recognise on the radio - so did Hozier, James Bay and George Ezra with their debut albums. Stormzy is more than that, he's actually celebrated by music fans and will have a shitload of people anticipating his next release. No one is looking forward to Rag'n'Bone Man's new album, they'll just hear a new single on the radio in a year or two and think "huh that's the guy who sang Human". And Liam Gallagher only had that success because he was the frontman of the biggest band of the last few decades. Pointless comparison. He was already a bigger name than almost anyone in music.

There's more to this than sales. Kings of Leon have sold twice as many records as Radiohead; are they a bigger success story than them?

Yes and RNBM also has the best selling debut of this decade in the UK and has over 1 million combined sales on the album and finishing at no. 2 on the end of year album charts (GSAP at 10). I think distilling him down to that one single is a bit of an unfair exaggeration. And the whole celebrated by music fans is kinda BS too imo. 1975 are celebrated by there fans. Royal Blood are celebrated by theirs. Lots of people celebrate Charli XCX. Etc.

Also by the time Stormzy released his album people already knew his name due to Shut Up (sure maybe not as much as Liam, but if you were into rap and grime there was no way uou hadnt heard of him)

And no I dont thinks sales are the defining charecteristic as otherwise we'd just get a bunch of top 40 pop acts every year. But I do think both album and tour sales are a good indication as to wether someone has enough known songs to headline. He aint like Kendrick who has the critical acclaim, top 40 hits and albums etc.

[Winslow Leach]

Stormy is bigger in the UK than Kendrick is.

[priest17]

10 minutes ago, Winslow Leach said:

Stormy is bigger in the UK than Kendrick is.

He's taller I guess if that's what you're getting at...

[Mash011]

14 minutes ago, Winslow Leach said:

Stormy is bigger in the UK than Kendrick is.

As a live act he's pretty clearly not. Add to that the years of critical acclaim and numerous successful albums Kendrick has behind him and he's a much stronger headline booking.

[Gucci Piggy]

11 minutes ago, Mattymooz said:

Dont get me wrong I was using RNBM to say why I dont think Stormzy wouls be a good choice, not because I think RNBM could have any chance of headlining.

I cant tell if you are using Ed Sheeran to prove hes a popstar or becauae he is big enough to headline (assuming the second point, Ed has also collabed with Tori Kelly, Fuse ODG, Rudimental and Naughty Boy - none of which will be headlining).

Im not sure Id go.as far to say everybody knows Stormzy. In fact Im pretty sure more people know who Katy Perry is or some other charting act than Stormzy.

Ok Mumford is a good comparison, but I'm also pretty sure that the Mumford headlining set was conisdered one of the worst headline sets no?

Yes and RNBM also has the best selling debut of this decade in the UK and has over 1 million combined sales on the album and finishing at no. 2 on the end of year album charts (GSAP at 10). I think distilling him down to that one single is a bit of an unfair exaggeration. And the whole celebrated by music fans is kinda BS too imo. 1975 are celebrated by there fans. Royal Blood are celebrated by theirs. Lots of people celebrate Charli XCX. Etc.

Also by the time Stormzy released his album people already knew his name due to Shut Up (sure maybe not as much as Liam, but if you were into rap and grime there was no way uou hadnt heard of him)

And no I dont thinks sales are the defining charecteristic as otherwise we'd just get a bunch of top 40 pop acts every year. But I do think both album and tour sales are a good indication as to wether someone has enough known songs to headline. He aint like Kendrick who has the critical acclaim, top 40 hits and albums etc.

I know you weren't saying Rag'n'Bone Man could headline, but saying he's a bigger success story than Stormzy is ridiculous.

I'm using the Ed Sheeran thing to say his next album will probably push him even further into mainstream consciousness, as opposed to his second album being an all out grime album like Konichiwa, which wouldn't have as great an impact on the mainstream.

Yeah the Mumford set was considered awful, but not because they subbed the Other Stage on the previous album, it's because they're bollocks. Just because Stormzy would also have two albums and have played the same slot previously I don't get why you'd think it would turn out like Mumford. They're clearly nothing alike in any way.

Well yeah, every act is celebrated by their fans, obviously... I don't really see why The 1975, Royal Blood and Charli XCX are relevant to the discussion of how Stormzy isn't a similar act to Rag'n'Bone man. I'm saying the difference between Stormzy and Rag'n'Bone Man is that the former is a well respected artist that holds the interest of music fans - the likes of whom are going to Glastonbury and choosing what act to see as their headliner - whilst the latter is enjoyed by people who buy one album a year and enjoy listening to the radio to hear the biggest current singles.

Yeah, people knew Stormzy's name because of the success of one of his own individual songs lol, not because of the band he used to be in. Solo artists coming from massive bands are obviously going to have massive immediate success because there's already so much interest in them.

Gang Signs and Prayer sold over twice as much as DAMN. (which didn't even reach number 1) in its first week in the UK and broke the record for most first week streams of a number 1 album, overtaking Views. Also the first ever grime album to reach number 1.

[mufcok]

Wouldn't be a shock to see Stormzy headline but I think they may wait another year or 2 for that

The only way Arctic Monkeys aren't headlining is if they save them for 2020 but my money is on next year