Will you go see Billie Eilish?

[Haan]

My only issue with Billie is a lot of her music seems designed for headphones. Like most of her first album is inspired by ASMR and she basically whispers throughout most of it (I absolutely love the album tho, don't get me wrong). Not sure how it will translate to a pyramid slot BUT I think she is quality and if the stage and sound mixing is set up right it has every chance of being special.

[waltere]

On the "has she got enough material" argument, it's worth noting that Stormzy bulked his set out with covers and guest appearances and it was an absolute triumph

[gfa]

8 minutes ago, Haan said:

My only issue with Billie is a lot of her music seems designed for headphones. Like most of her first album is inspired by ASMR and she basically whispers throughout most of it (I absolutely love the album tho, don't get me wrong). Not sure how it will translate to a pyramid slot BUT I think she is quality and if the stage and sound mixing is set up right it has every chance of being special.

Definitely high risk from this perspective when you say it like that, doing sound for her is probably quite a task and definitely different to most headliners.

—

Not planning to be there myself, first Glastonbury and probably only plan to see Kendrick on the pyramid

[eFestivals]

Will you go see Billie Eilish?

i always try to skipnaff infant school performances.

[priest17]

Is skipnaff an olde timey word for really enjoy?

[eFestivals]

15 minutes ago, priest17 said:

skip naff 

 

[DeanoL]

13 hours ago, chazwwe said:

The reaction to a Taylor Swift headline slow at Glastonbury has changed over the years, especially in the past 2-3. A lot of people on here got on board with here after she was announced for 2019, let alone with Folklore/Evermore. 

Billie is 19 years old and is only an ep and 2 albums in. If Taylor was booked off of Speak Now/Red then the conscious would probably of been the same. 

I think there's a huge difference between the two in that Taylor is much more accessible. I've no interest in either, but have no doubt if I went to see Taylor I'd enjoy myself. Because it's harmless, pedestrian pop. I don't think I'd enjoy seeing Billie. Because it's interesting, new and experimental. To me that makes it a better booking, but also one I won't go and see. Because if it's not the sort of thing you're in to, it's not the sort of thing you're going to enjoy.

Now to be frank, the same applies to most acts. If you don't like hip-hop, you're not going to enjoy Jay-Z or Stormzy. If you don't like stadium rock you wouldn't enjoy Muse. But the history of it means Glasto has a lot of people in the rock camp by default, and it's spent 15 years building up fans of people in the hip-hop camp.

I'm not sure Billie will draw a massive crowd. I'm not sure it'll go down as a legendary Glasto gig. But like with Jay-Z, it'll open the door to more acts of that type in the future for the festival, and attract more people for whom that's a selling point, and continue to drive things forward with the festival remaining relevant to young people and not just ageing out. In a way that booking Taylor just wouldn't.

[MEGABOWL]

Nope. Don’t get it. Bit disappointed about Swift not playing. But it is what it is. Not every Glastonbury headliner has to appeal to me. Or others of similar age/gender.

[SwedgeAntilles]

Even thought accepting that eFests isn't representive of the wider Glastonbury audience yadda yadda yadda, it is quite startling to see how low she's polling on the 'Absolutely' front. I'd imagine Taylor would've been polling at least double that should circumstances be different.

Suggest she is seen, both on here and in the outside world, as a bit of a step down. Not that that makes her a bad booking, mind. But it makes it even more crucial for me that they hold onto the other two 2020 headliners and don't end up having to find a last minute (almost certainly weaker) back up.

[Paul ™]

Nope, won't be anywhere near her performance.

[mattiloy]

Quite fun that it seems like there is not a lot of crossover between Taylor Swift fans and Billie Eilish fans.

Dare I call it a generational gap? Almost as if yours Taylor Swifts/Biebers/Harry Styles etc are considered a bit old fashioned to the younger pop music fans whilst Billie Eilish is representative of this new scary world where its all tiktok and gender fluidity, to the older pop fans.

The great pop schism.

 

 

*Maybe the old gal Swift for the legends slot?

Edited October 5, 2021 by mattiloy

[DeanoL]

I struggle with the idea that they're the same genre at all. Billie sounds completely different to me.

[Quark]

2 hours ago, Haan said:

My only issue with Billie is a lot of her music seems designed for headphones. Like most of her first album is inspired by ASMR and she basically whispers throughout most of it (I absolutely love the album tho, don't get me wrong). Not sure how it will translate to a pyramid slot BUT I think she is quality and if the stage and sound mixing is set up right it has every chance of being special.

That was kinda my thought listening to the album yesterday.  Could absolutely imagine it in a dimly lit, smoky jazz club type setting.

[Mardy]

yeah, very little similarity between TS and BE, completely different genres, struggling to see in what way they're comparable

[circus92]

2 hours ago, Quark said:

It's music though, the whole thing is subjective.

Objective: has she produced enough music to fill a 2 hour headline slot?

Subjective: has she produced enough music of a suitable quality to hold and entertain a Glastonbury crowd on a Friday night for 2 hours?

Yep - that is exactly the distinction I was making.  Question one is a yes in terms of quantity (but only just), but question 2?  Not even close.

[gooner1990]

53 minutes ago, mattiloy said:

Dare I call it a generational gap? Almost as if yours Taylor Swifts/Biebers/Harry Styles etc are considered a bit old fashioned to the younger pop music fans whilst Billie Eilish is representative of this new scary world where its all tiktok and gender fluidity, to the older pop fans.

Would agree, Taylor Swift was born in 1989 and Billie Eilish 2001, 12 year gap.

[circus92]

56 minutes ago, mattiloy said:

Dare I call it a generational gap? Almost as if yours Taylor Swifts/Biebers/Harry Styles etc are considered a bit old fashioned to the younger pop music fans whilst Billie Eilish is representative of this new scary world where its all tiktok and gender fluidity, to the older pop fans.

Fair question, but not so sure its just about age.  My daughter has just turned 16 and will be coming to her first Glasto next year and is absolutely gutted that it doesn't look like Taylor is being booked next year.  I then showed her the poster yesterday announcing Billie Eilish and she raised her eyebrows and said "Really?"  She thinks Billie is okay, but was really surprised at the booking as she felt it would be really boring. Has since told me that the consensus from her friends was that it was quite a downgrade on Taylor.

[DeanoL]

11 minutes ago, circus92 said:

Yep - that is exactly the distinction I was making.  Question one is a yes in terms of quantity (but only just), but question 2?  Not even close.

But of the acts that have enough full on hits to fill 90 minutes of a Pyramid slot with nothing else, how many actually put on that show? Versus how many basically just do their tour set which includes at least half of the latest album?

[Earth_pig]

32 minutes ago, Mardy said:

yeah, very little similarity between TS and BE, completely different genres, struggling to see in what way they're comparable

Agreed, Taylor swift first album was full blown country crap 

[fatyeti24]

3 hours ago, Quark said:

It's music though, the whole thing is subjective.

Objective: has she produced enough music to fill a 2 hour headline slot?

Subjective: has she produced enough music of a suitable quality to hold and entertain a Glastonbury crowd on a Friday night for 2 hours?

 

21 minutes ago, circus92 said:

Yep - that is exactly the distinction I was making.  Question one is a yes in terms of quantity (but only just), but question 2?  Not even close.

Don't worry.  Young Matthew will learn these subtleties in discourse as he matures (and gets closer to death).

[Quark]

52 minutes ago, circus92 said:

Yep - that is exactly the distinction I was making.  Question one is a yes in terms of quantity (but only just), but question 2?  Not even close.

Ah, but that's the subjective part. To you and I, nope. To fans, yep. To Glastonbury, who knows!

[Suprefan]

1 hour ago, Earth_pig said:

Agreed, Taylor swift first album was full blown country crap 

That would be first 3 1/2 albums, but who is counting. 
 

So why would Taylor and Billie ever be the same thing when one was influenced by Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and The Dixie Chicks. While the other has cited Justin Bieber, Avril Lavigne, Childish Gambino,  Lana Del Rey and Tyler The Creator.

The funny thing is all of you got fleeced by a country artist who decided to make pop songs and then made country songs again under the guise of indie but will never admit it.

 

How about everyone just get past the Billie replacing Taylor thing now so it doesnt consume you. Cause it’s going to just come up again when the other 2 headliners are revealed and neither are Swift. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Suprefan

[mattiloy]

Hahaha just face it Taylor Swift fans, you’re now part of this meme same as the rest of us.

[fred quimby]

2 hours ago, DeanoL said:

I struggle with the idea that they're the same genre at all. Billie sounds completely different to me.

Aye, very lazy. Might be they are both women and get compared. Weird with all the replacing talk as well really, we are 2 years on and Taylor has said no too busy, or she is planning on hanging out with @CaledonianGonzo again

[fred quimby]

4 hours ago, eFestivals said:

Will you go see Billie Eilish?

i always try to skipnaff infant school performances.

Wait. Are you saying you try and go to many good infant school performances.  Creepy 😁