2025 Headliners

[NorthernSoul52]

3 hours ago, northernangel said:

I don't get the idea his music would ever be considered something to go on and headline the top tier festivals with.

 

That's subjective though, surely - you get plenty of music that doesn't appear to have legs and is still there years later.

[NorthernSoul52]

52 minutes ago, MEGABOWL said:

It would be a very strange move, especially with the fallow year to follow. If the album is up to snuff then he’s going to have a big year but this could well be a peak.

 

Working class kids, Springsteen-y guitar rock, songs that connect with a lot of people, he’s a dream for British festivals. Almost the perfect headliner especially with the general lack of Guitar acts making the top echelons. However I’d be surprised if he/his people were inclined to gamble on where he’ll be in 2027.

Put it this way, I assume that if he's been asked, he'll take it. But he just might not have been at the top of the list for who they were chasing. (Which feels strange to me in itself, but if they have the budget to go bigger, why not?)

[OllieMadd]

Scenes when Fender brings out Big Andy Carroll and Joelinton as special guests. 

 

 

 

Yuck

[northernangel]

8 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

 

That's subjective though, surely - you get plenty of music that doesn't appear to have legs and is still there years later.

indeed, you either like him or you don't. he's clearly sold tickets but sounds dull as an artist. but that's me. 

[gorfield]

17 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but instead of playing their own material, it's a covers show of would-be headliners, Bullseye-style, for two hours.

 

Plays it straight down the middle with For Those About to Rock (We Salute You), slows Disturbia to a crawl, falls into the front row of the crowd for Superstition and then encores with a fifteen-minute version of Celine Dion's A New Day Has Come while Warren Ellis swings from the rafters by his beard.

yes please!

[Mardy]

53 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

 

That's subjective though, surely - you get plenty of music that doesn't appear to have legs and is still there years later.

 

I've been baffled all bloody day about the return of Northside. They were a joke first time around, let alone 30+ years later.

[K2SO]

8 hours ago, charlierc said:

Selling out London O2 is comparatively small now?

 

I mean sure football stadiums are bigger but nice if you can get it to book arenas for your first shows in a while.

 

Well 20k is smaller than like 50k

[K2SO]

12 hours ago, northernangel said:

 

Yeah LDR I don't think it a Glasto shout but open tour shout. Only played in 23, didn't come away either a good rep overall from it, Reading not much different but Glastonbury, Reading then Glastonbury year after each nope. 

 

I would say there is too much bad media coverage on Beyonce personally. Rihanna would be my gut. If Rihanna had replaced someone previously but a baby stopped it then she knows the deal. 

 

I also think for a new act being given the Glastonbury bump, his arena tour, a stadium tour plus Glastonbury may see his career trajectory not go places after.

 

I could may be see Rihanna, Olivia and Stevie in that order.

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

[charlierc]

8 hours ago, northernangel said:

It's not small but when stadiums became a become a factor in bands schedule an arena in quite intimate. The thing is so many bands play arenas now it's no longer your staple to headline really. That doesn't mean he can't.

Eh. Fair one. Maybe in my head I'm still used to thinking of turning up at Shepherd's Bush Empire or Kentish Town Forum or something like that as the intimate date.

 

Presumably if you're in U2 and have spent most of the last 40 years playing stadiums that a show of SBE/KTF size would feel like playing in your living room.

[northernangel]

58 minutes ago, K2SO said:

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

 

I think Robbie 4th down would go down fine, as a headliner I think it would be frowned upon but there is no doubting he could deliver. I think Rihanna and Robbie in the same year would be awful.

[NorthernSoul52]

2 hours ago, Mardy said:

 

I've been baffled all bloody day about the return of Northside. They were a joke first time around, let alone 30+ years later.

I think they might have been before my time.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Eh. Fair one. Maybe in my head I'm still used to thinking of turning up at Shepherd's Bush Empire or Kentish Town Forum or something like that as the intimate date.

 

Presumably if you're in U2 and have spent most of the last 40 years playing stadiums that a show of SBE/KTF size would feel like playing in your living room.

Absolutely. The settle on "intimate" shows is weird. Fender's arena dates aren't so much, but may become so with the sense he will do stadiums next year.

[charlierc]

13 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Absolutely. The settle on "intimate" shows is weird. Fender's arena dates aren't so much, but may become so with the sense he will do stadiums next year.

Tbf his European shows coming in spring are in smaller venues. Maybe that'll serve as the warm-up dates for bigger things next summer.

[NorthernSoul52]

5 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Tbf his European shows coming in spring are in smaller venues. Maybe that'll serve as the warm-up dates for bigger things next summer.

Absolutely could, to be fair, though I do wonder about his European pull. Seem to recall he canned an Italian show due to illness, but sales were apparently very low. (Like, less than half the venue. Think it was Fabrique in Milan.)

 

Of course, all scuttlebutt and speculation.

[4AssedMonkey]

15 hours ago, K2SO said:

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

 

I've often thought he could potentially headline.  Whilst he's not really a currently recording artist, every album he's released (I think) was a UK No.1, so he's massive over here.  He'd please the picnic chair brigade no end.  His greatest hits setlist would have some great pop tunes in it.

 

The choice would be massively derided on here, but I think it could work really well for the festival - especially on locals day.  I reckon half of our group would probably attend and - clashes dependent - so would I.

[Avalon_Fields]

16 hours ago, K2SO said:

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

He’d be successful enough to merit headlining, the crowd would be big enough to make it an event. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

He wants to do the Legend Slot though.   Why argue with him?

[incident]

12 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

He wants to do the Legend Slot though.   Why argue with him?

 

He says he wants to do the Legend Slot.

 

I'd suggest that - for RW more than most acts - a statement like that should be taken with a fairly liberal pinch of salt.

[CaledonianGonzo]

I dunno - he's said it more than once.  He's pretty self-aware and probably realises he's a MOR family entertainer than a credible, respected artists i.e. he know's which side his bread is buttered on.

[Avalon_Fields]

Could be a hint @K2SO knows something...

[NorthernSoul52]

Robbie Williams one of those who could headline right now, but after the fallow year, likely falls into pure legends territory.

 

Not sure why, just feels like that.

[northernangel]

3 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Robbie Williams one of those who could headline right now, but after the fallow year, likely falls into pure legends territory.

 

Not sure why, just feels like that.

Robbie feels to me like it has to be a moment of time rather than someone who can just be considered consistently a headliner

[foolee]

17 hours ago, K2SO said:

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

Think he’d get a massive crowd. Would go down well. Probs be some complaints when it gets announced but to the general public a set of Rihanna - Olivia Rodrigo - Robbie Williams goes down better than a Dua Lipa - Coldplay - SZA. Went to see him at BST last year and he completely smashed it, very good live and personal at the same time.  

[stuie]

7 minutes ago, foolee said:

Went to see him at BST last year and he completely smashed it, very good live and personal at the same time.  

There's such a difference between his BST which is basically fans of his who've bought tickets and a mixed festival crowd.

 

He's not current enough, hasn't got new material and without that boost he's not got the Elton factor and would be viewed as a stale headliner.

 

Legend, all Sunday long.

[foolee]

4 minutes ago, stuie said:

There's such a difference between his BST which is basically fans of his who've bought tickets and a mixed festival crowd.

 

He's not current enough, hasn't got new material and without that boost he's not got the Elton factor and would be viewed as a stale headliner.

 

Legend, all Sunday long.

He’d get a massive crowd as a headliner regardless. Feel like he’s got too many songs and a bit too big for the legend slot.