2025 Headliners

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, MEGABOWL said:

My theory is she was down to do the Saturday and proved much less intransigent on availability than Neil Young

But at the same time, if she was locked in earlier then Neil Young, was The 1975 never a replacement for Fred Again?

 

Was it Fred Again, Olivia Rodrigo, The 1975, forced into a Shakey reshuffle?

 

Or was it Fred Again, Olivia Rodrigo or Stevie Wonder, forced to fix after the latter bailed?

 

We may never know.

[NorthernSoul52]

Just now, CantWaitForGlasto22 said:

Ok, fair point then!

Sorry if that sounded a bit condescending, it wasn't meant to be!

[gfa]

1 hour ago, across97 said:

Think the 1975 is the only potential headliner to not be on the bill, O-Rod nailed on I think and everything adds up. 

1975 been quiet as of late, but then so were Arctic Monkeys when they headlined in 2013. Similar to that there's possibility of one or two singles before they play, and been a number of years since they were last at the farm. I'd love there to be a surprise in their place and I'll keep my fingers crossed that's the case. 

 

That being said, the 3 Glastonbury's I've been to I was fortunate to have what I deemed to be 9 unmissable headliners across the 3 festivals, looking forward to having an excuse this year to be somewhere other than the Pyramid stage during the headliner slots! Is the South east corner any good that early on in the night? 

I've done 3 (2022-2024) and feel like i'm so far from this. We did most of Macca and then Dua Lipa across 3 fests!

 

Edit: Which isn't an issue - there's heaps of good stuff on the other 4 main stages most of the time. SEC will be quiet at headliner time, the main stages may have interesting stuff on though before midnight

Edited March 5, 2025 by gfa

[mjh88]

Take with a pinch of salt, but heard from a reliable source that:

 

Rihanna London shows were due to be announced on Monday but announcement was delayed because she's now signed on for Glastonbury (it hadn't been the plan previously) and wants to do less London shows.  Rihanna London announcement now due this Monday instead after a bit of a reshuffle.  

[NorthernSoul52]

In three festivals, I've done nine Pyramid headliners. The only ones I particularly regret are Muse and Ed Sheeran in '16 and '17, and mostly because I'd seen them do the exact same show only a matter of months before.

 

Even the others that were a little bit hit-and-miss - Foo Fighters and SZA - I'm glad I went because they offered something I otherwise may not have normally moved on.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, mjh88 said:

Take with a pinch of salt, but heard from a reliable source that:

 

Rihanna London shows were due to be announced on Monday but announcement was delayed because she's now signed on for Glastonbury (it hadn't been the plan previously) and wants to do less London shows.  Rihanna London announcement now due this Monday instead after a bit of a reshuffle.  

I mean, pinch of salt notwithstanding, that would be ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE NEWS as a curveball.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, mjh88 said:

She's now signed on for Glastonbury (it hadn't been the plan previously) and wants to do less London shows.

"We're hearing Rihanna has been tapped as a late call-up for Glastonbury this summer, but TO REPLACE WHO, CHRIS KAMARA?!"

 

[across97]

1 minute ago, gfa said:

I've done 3 (2022-2024) and feel like i'm so far from this. We did most of Macca and then Dua Lipa across 3 fests!

 

Edit: Which isn't an issue - there's heaps of good stuff on the other 4 main stages most of the time. SEC will be quiet at headliner time, the main stages may have interesting stuff on though before midnight

I've tried to go from Pyramid to SE corner twice, once in the great mudbath of 2016 and once during what seemed to be a particularly bad year for congestion in 2022 and neither times were succesful and I bailed. Thinking I might hang around west holts for a little bit one night, usually some good food spots there and make an early dash to the SE corner to hopefully miss the majority of the rush (depending on how tempted I am to catch a headliner or some sort on any of the stages)

[Suprefan]

2 minutes ago, mjh88 said:

Take with a pinch of salt, but heard from a reliable source that:

 

Rihanna London shows were due to be announced on Monday but announcement was delayed because she's now signed on for Glastonbury (it hadn't been the plan previously) and wants to do less London shows.  Rihanna London announcement now due this Monday instead after a bit of a reshuffle.  

 

so they somehow kicked off a headliner this late to make this work. Ok. Almost like when Coachella  kicked My Chemical Romance off in favor of Frank Ocean

[NorthernSoul52]

Just now, Suprefan said:

 

so they somehow kicked off a headliner this late to make this work. Ok. Almost like when Coachella  kicked My Chemical Romance off in favor of Frank Ocean

I mean, she would have to be doing the Friday if they're keeping Olivia Rodrigo. If it is her she has replaced, then she's Friday or Sunday.

 

Friday does not feel like a Rihanna spot, despite the fluttering of pop stars who have played it in recent years - Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, etc.

[NorthernSoul52]

Keep an eye on the trades, I'd say. If there's truth in it, surely The S*n will want to jump the shark and get it out there to preserve their record.

[Crazyfool01]

4 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Keep an eye on the trades, I'd say. If there's truth in it, surely The S*n will want to jump the shark and get it out there to preserve their record.

Surely the opposite with the scum ? They don’t mind printing bollox as long as it sells their rag 

[NorthernSoul52]

I believe they tend to pride themselves on their Glastonbury headliner record though. It is The Telegraph who were inferring - though merely through several paragraphs of waffle and speculation - that Rihanna being in the country put her in the frame for Glastonbury.

[NorthernSoul52]

At the very least, this suggests that at some point in the alleged interim between The Daily Ma*l and The S*n going with The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo as the final two headliners last week and the claim we have just received this week, one of these headliners has either dropped out or forced out, and Rihanna has either graciously stepped or been forced in.

[NorthernSoul52]

Obviously, the sources who have very kindly shared here always come with the caveat that the information we get is far from ironclad, and this Rihanna talk also ties into the conversation too.

[max98]

12 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

I mean, she would have to be doing the Friday if they're keeping Olivia Rodrigo. If it is her she has replaced, then she's Friday or Sunday.

 

Friday does not feel like a Rihanna spot, despite the fluttering of pop stars who have played it in recent years - Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, etc.

Surely if Rihanna comes knocking GF won't make any bones about which day? Or you think that Rihanna wouldn't want to do the opener?

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, max98 said:

Surely if Rihanna comes knocking GF won't make any bones about which day? Or you think that Rihanna wouldn't want to do the opener?

No, perhaps not. But also, I find it hard to believe that Rihanna's team are the ones who have come knocking for Glastonbury. (Although it would likely be plausible to keep the fees down.)

 

There's also the fact that, unless somebody had dropped out for reasons formerly unknown, or we've had duff info all along - no activity from The 1975, no three-day stints from Olivia Rodrigo - then Rihanna's presence means basically batting a headliner off the plinth to make way, which is frankly a sh*t way to treat talent at the top end.

 

If it is The 1975, who were reportedly booked for 2021 before the pandemic, then left to stall for time through three successive festival windows, then it would leave quite the bitter taste when they as a band have also been upfront about topping the Pyramid Stage being the career dream goal.

 

If it is Olivia Rodrigo, who has expressed her Other set a few years ago as one of her favourites, what might it say about her relationship with the festival if she was willing to do three days on the trot but has been shafted in favour of a singer who has been inactive for close to a decade now with a hit-and-miss live record?

 

There's so many variables at play here.

[WforWill]

Jesus what a bloody mess! 

[Crazyfool01]

Just now, William Mann said:

Jesus what a bloody mess! 

Blood everywhere 

[NorthernSoul52]

Just now, William Mann said:

Jesus what a bloody mess! 

Can say that again!

 

At the end of the day, we're pretty certain the info we have had on The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo has been solid, especially as it has been backed up by multiple sources feeding to different members of the eFestivals community, and then ratified by the trades running it not once but twice in the past three months.

 

Which means three things:

 

1. All the info was duff all along for one act, they were never booked and long negotiations with Rihanna have now borne fruit.

 

2. One or both was booked but for whatever reason, an act has been forced to withdraw. Rihanna has been parachuted in to replace them.

 

3. Both were booked, but one has been forced off after Rihanna became unexpectedly available and powerbrokers decided it would fit the festival better.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, Mordy1990 said:

 

This is arguably a bigger bombshell than The Rizzler leak 

 

GET THAT RIZZLER OUTTA HERE!

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

Blood everywhere 

Blood?

 

Editors confirmed.

[max98]

6 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

No, perhaps not. But also, I find it hard to believe that Rihanna's team are the ones who have come knocking for Glastonbury. (Although it would likely be plausible to keep the fees down.)

 

There's also the fact that, unless somebody had dropped out for reasons formerly unknown, or we've had duff info all along - no activity from The 1975, no three-day stints from Olivia Rodrigo - then Rihanna's presence means basically batting a headliner off the plinth to make way, which is frankly a sh*t way to treat talent at the top end.

 

If it is The 1975, who were reportedly booked for 2021 before the pandemic, then left to stall for time through three successive festival windows, then it would leave quite the bitter taste when they as a band have also been upfront about topping the Pyramid Stage being the career dream goal.

 

If it is Olivia Rodrigo, who has expressed her Other set a few years ago as one of her favourites, what might it say about her relationship with the festival if she was willing to do three days on the trot but has been shafted in favour of a singer who has been inactive for close to a decade now with a hit-and-miss live record?

 

There's so many variables at play here.

 

Definitely doesn't seem like 1975 would accept anything less than headliner status considering what you've said - but maybe Olivia Rodrigo would accept being bumped down for her?

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, max98 said:

 

Definitely doesn't seem like 1975 would accept anything less than headliner status considering what you've said - but maybe Olivia Rodrigo would accept being bumped down for her?

Given they've topped R+L three times - and properly topped, rather than be the lower half of the co-headliner equation - think the only thing beyond Pyramid headliner they'd accept would be a secret slot now.

 

If they go assurances - and possibly even a contract in ink this far out - that they'd do 2027, maybe they could be persuaded.

 

Of course, they could be in breach of contract - Healy is a known... well, Healy, and something he has done in the past few months, such as his spat with Azealia Banks online, could have soured it enough to be considered, which is a bit of a shame for the rest of the band.

 

I don't think Rodrigo would accept being knocked down to sub. The domino effect, especially if she's the Sunday, would force the reshuffle of where Chappell Roan is reportedly set to play too, if you believe that chat.

[Mark_safc]

This forum makes hilarious reading at times. People making up full blown theories in their heads about bands being pushed from the lineup and consequences of it....bitter tastes etc. I get as excited as the next person about the festival and the lineup, but some people need to free up some brain space and just wait for the lineup release. 😅