2025 Headliners

[MEGABOWL]

3 hours ago, Chip Batch said:

People just want the biggest names headlining the pyramid, regardless of quality or quantity of their output. I think that's here to stay and the genre of whatever music that is (pop more so in the last 10-15 years) continues to become less significant. 

 

 

 

 

Big acts is usually what people want at the top of a festival bill, yes. Traditionally.

 

Glastonbury has been booking the biggest acts available to them since at least as far back as 1990

[MEGABOWL]

3 hours ago, TiZuff said:

"heritage acts" are soon going to acts from the 90s. not the 70s or 80s. Rarely you might be able to get a 70s / 80s acts but going to become rarer. Either they are not alive, not healthy enough, played already / recently or not touring . 

Hate to admit it as someone born in 1977 but 90s acts are very definitely heritage now

[NorthernSoul52]

13 minutes ago, Quark said:

 

I know where I'm not wanted.  Alpaca my bags.

Wahey!

[NorthernSoul52]

2 minutes ago, MEGABOWL said:

Hate to admit it as someone born in 1977 but 90s acts are very definitely heritage now

There is a point for discussion. Artists who had their commercial prime in the nineties that have not headlined before. (That kicks Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, Pulp, any reunions for REM, The Verve and The Stone Roses out.)

 

Depeche Mode? Robbie Williams? Spice Girls?

 

How many of them then get shafted straight into Legends conversation?

[MEGABOWL]

On 9/25/2024 at 1:24 PM, Wildglastotheo said:

Wow - I thought I'd quickly catch-up on what's been going on here before starting work.... 3 hours later just finished reading! thanks everyone for this chat it's always filled with great stuff!

A question for the folks who have been paying attention to Glastonbury headliners for a long time, have we seen constant change in what types of acts are booked going back to the 80's and 90's or is there a clear 1 time change that has happened with the advent of Spotify?

- here is my perspective based on my limited knowledge and viewpoint - types of headliners are slowly changing to match the alternative to the zeitgeist, in the 70's/ 80's it was very much the alternative to the mainstream, the roots of the festival, in the 90's it was all about the biggest bands like Oasis but still opposing mainstream pop music like the spice girls, in the 00's it was about breaking the mould and encompassing all types of music but championing the artist over the manufactured band, now embracing certain pop acts but also starting to see more heritage acts performing (but heritage acts at this time were not the mainstream and perhaps could be argued as a different type of alternative to the mainstream pop industry), then in the 10's it became about booking the biggest and best world-leading acts and once in a lifetime shows, it seems like by this time we are not seeing as much of a focus on non-mainstream?
So what is in store for the second half of the 20's, is there such a thing as alternative to the mainstream any more? My guess is that the music industry will find a way to take back control from streaming sites and create a mainstream again. but what that will look like is anyones guess?

Or maybe festival aging with its punters? and we can just expect to see a continue of this trajectory into a nostalgia festival?

 

To link this back to 2025 headliners - I think we are at a pivotal year for change, 2024 saw a break in the tradition, all be it a change forced by Madonna pulling out, could we start to see the emergence of a new formula beginning this year? maybe we'll get a trio of three breaking acts for the first time since the 90s, perhaps something like Fred Again, O-rod, Sam Fender.

I think the big-show era could be over and we are heading towards something new...
🙂

 

I’d like to see them pivot back to booking younger headlining acts but there are issues with that.

First, the huge names they have at the top of the bill are sometimes the only chance for festival goers to see them giving rising concert ticket prices and demand for tickets. They’re a huge draw for many.

 

That feeds into the second thing regarding the balancing act the festival is doing and the need to sell tickets or the whole edifice comes crashing down. Mess with the current formula too much and they could look arrogant, which could impact sales.

 

Thirdly, the reality is that nostalgia acts have been topping the bill for years. David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, The Who between 2000 and 2007. Manufactured pop acts too-one of Bananarama headlined in 1992, Sugababes played in 2003, Kylie was booked to headline in 2005. All part of the festivals evolution.

[NorthernSoul52]

Absolutely. Aim for the trio - one on the up, one at the top, one on the down - and you can't go too wrong.

[MEGABOWL]

2 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

There is a point for discussion. Artists who had their commercial prime in the nineties that have not headlined before. (That kicks Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, Pulp, any reunions for REM, The Verve and The Stone Roses out.)

 

Depeche Mode? Robbie Williams? Spice Girls?

 

How many of them then get shafted straight into Legends conversation?

Was in the pub for an hour and couldn’t come up with anyone. The Stone Roses never actually did it so possibly them. The ‘Mode would have to be headliners surely. Whereas the Spice Girls an Williams would make contentious headliners but huge legends

[charlierc]

4 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Ruddy llamas, coming over here and blocking our view.

Could be worse. Could be stuck behind giraffes.

[charlierc]

4 hours ago, MEGABOWL said:

Hate to admit it as someone born in 1977 but 90s acts are very definitely heritage now

We yet at a point where successful acts in the 2000s might be considered heritage?

 

I seem to recall when I was starting to book gigs in the late 2000's/early 2010's that 80s acts were being considered heritage even then, so only fair I consider the question or see if I get rebuffed and say it's still a few years from that.

[MK1]

Is there any info on Olivia Rodrigo touring the festivals in UK/Europe next year?

[Avalon_Fields]

20 minutes ago, MK1 said:

Is there any info on Olivia Rodrigo touring the festivals in UK/Europe next year?

See previous page, talk of her ‘ not at Reading but at a certain other UK festival ‘

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 hour ago, Avalon_Fields said:

See previous page, talk of her ‘ not at Reading but at a certain other UK festival ‘

 

This is - by some measure - the headline news of the day. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

LFG O-Rod is what I'm saying

[northernangel]

6 hours ago, MEGABOWL said:

Big acts is usually what people want at the top of a festival bill, yes. Traditionally.

 

Glastonbury has been booking the biggest acts available to them since at least as far back as 1990

 

With SZA being the natural exception.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Yeah that proves his point.

[Spindles]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

LFG O-Rod is what I'm saying

I'm torn at the moment.  2024 was a hell of a festival for me, just wall to wall with stuff to see and I'm in the mindset of hanging up my spurs and going out on a high or whether to have one last hurrah next year.  O-Rod would swing it for me, I know she'd be absolutely buzzing to headline the Pyramid and would kill it.

[Toilet Duck]

8 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

There is a point for discussion. Artists who had their commercial prime in the nineties that have not headlined before. (That kicks Oasis, Radiohead, Blur, Pulp, any reunions for REM, The Verve and The Stone Roses out.)

 

Depeche Mode? Robbie Williams? Spice Girls?

 

How many of them then get shafted straight into Legends conversation?

Green Day most obvious (DM would nail a headline performance)…RHCP too but we’ve been through why they won’t! (not losing any sleep over that though, weren’t great when I did see them, though didn’t have JF on guitar at the time and I’d pay to watch him play). 
 

Plenty that are still hugely popular just aren’t possible (Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Prince, Tom Petty etc). Actually, the amount of ‘90s legends that aren’t around any more is pretty scary.
 

 

[Suprefan]

Coachella and Glasto switching roles. Why is Coachella getting Pink Floyd and Glasto gets Fred Again.. somebody lost the plot.

[MEGABOWL]

10 hours ago, northernangel said:

 

With SZA being the natural exception.

Not sure who was available and bigger. She was headlining BST that same weekend.

[NorthernSoul52]

13 hours ago, MEGABOWL said:

Was in the pub for an hour and couldn’t come up with anyone. The Stone Roses never actually did it so possibly them. The ‘Mode would have to be headliners surely. Whereas the Spice Girls an Williams would make contentious headliners but huge legends

We seem to have a debate every few months over whether Depeche Mode are "big enough".

 

The old line that, if you did a stadium show, you can do it, doesn't really apply anymore, I think. There's so many other things to consider.

 

Genuinely, if Robbie got back again with Take That, you've got a primo headliner-level event there.

[MEGABOWL]

12 hours ago, charlierc said:

We yet at a point where successful acts in the 2000s might be considered heritage?

 

I seem to recall when I was starting to book gigs in the late 2000's/early 2010's that 80s acts were being considered heritage even then, so only fair I consider the question or see if I get rebuffed and say it's still a few years from that.

I’d say so. In my opinion anyway.

[MEGABOWL]

Just now, NorthernSoul52 said:

We seem to have a debate every few months over whether Depeche Mode are "big enough".

 

The old line that, if you did a stadium show, you can do it, doesn't really apply anymore, I think. There's so many other things to consider.

 

Genuinely, if Robbie got back again with Take That, you've got a primo headliner-level event there.

I think they’d be a headliner but go over like Radiohead in ‘17 or The Cure in ‘19

[NorthernSoul52]

8 hours ago, Toilet Duck said:

Green Day most obvious (DM would nail a headline performance)…RHCP too but we’ve been through why they won’t! (not losing any sleep over that though, weren’t great when I did see them, though didn’t have JF on guitar at the time and I’d pay to watch him play). 
 

Plenty that are still hugely popular just aren’t possible (Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Prince, Tom Petty etc). Actually, the amount of ‘90s legends that aren’t around any more is pretty scary.
 

 

Yeah, a lot have cleared out. It's pretty sad.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 minute ago, MEGABOWL said:

I think they’d be a headliner but go over like Radiohead in ‘17 or The Cure in ‘19

By this, I assume you mean Depeche Mode rather than Take That, unless I have wildly misjudged the Take That fanbase.

[MEGABOWL]

3 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

By this, I assume you mean Depeche Mode rather than Take That, unless I have wildly misjudged the Take That fanbase.

Haha whoops. Yes the ‘Mode