2025 Headliners

[stuie]

4 minutes ago, henry bear said:

The sad thing is, had they packed out the Pyramid with 90's/00's acts on the Sunday last year, rather than anything contemporary, It would have been rammed. 

Kendrick did OK.  As would other contemporary headliners who headlined on other days, Dua, Billie E, Stormzy. 

 

SZA just isn't mainstream or well known enough here, I don't think it's generational.  The 90s/00's acts that are still big enough to headline now are obviously going to be well known/household names, with more material that hits. 

[stuie]

6 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Yeah, sad sign of the times re a large percentage of the demographic. 

 

Because they're not SZA fans? 

[Suprefan]

9 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Yeah, that is pretty weak tbf. Justice the one bright spot- and even that not so different from the same night in 2017.

sheeran had a big crowd though in 17 so it wasnt that. 
 

Kendrick 22 had a crowd. 
 

12 hours ago, PGTIps said:

Ridiculous, it's not about the money of people buying over priced food for a couple more hours, and If everyone leaves to beat traffic... Then that's just traffic at a different time.

 

I think the main thing though is the reputational damage for the festival - could lead to making it harder to book headliners who don't want to be embarrassed by a half empty crowd on a Sunday 

 

Also it sucks for those at home who missed out to watch people not making the most of the entire weekend, but that's just a personal grievance 

 

Its not the half empty fields thing which makes it hard for them to book headliners. Pretty hard for a festival to suffer repetitional damage when it sells out without one announced act. If T Day came and went without a sell out then somethings up. But itll never happen now. If you wanna see how the fest is truly doing then they shouldnt put tickets onsale til the poster drops. Maybe just do Coach tickets blind and then wait til March for the rest. 

[Someoni]

2 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

sheeran had a big crowd though in 17 so it wasnt that. 
 

It felt pretty full at the start but we wandered off after an hour I think, chasing something more booming

[Superscally]

2 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Yeah there was a lot of stupidity involved, but not from GFL. I’ve no idea how they’re supposed to predict ironic behaviour from the punters 

Wasn't irony dude. Was always going to be rammed.

[LateStarter50]

11 hours ago, fraybentos1 said:

Not that simple though is it? Booking Madonna you would imagine is actually very hard. 

 

You're saying it as if the festival hasn't thought of her or tried when they clearly did last year.

A few words strung together have the habit of looking clumsy.

 

its just pure wishful thinking given the fact she nearly got booked for last year. I think she’d put on a great show on Pyramid. No implied criticism that the team isn’t working on the best line up for this year.

[stuie]

53 minutes ago, Suprefan said:

If you wanna see how the fest is truly doing then they shouldnt put tickets onsale til the poster drops. 

 

It would sell out just the same. 

 

The whole reason it sells out before line-up is because of the consistency of putting on a good line-up and trust that that consistency creates.  

[LateStarter50]

8 hours ago, Spindles said:

 I'm always amazed when discussing Glastonbury on reddit at how many people admit to leaving on Saturday or early on Sunday.  

Saturday?!!? And in quantities 😱 

[stuie]

 

8 minutes ago, LateStarter50 said:

Saturday?!!? And in quantities 😱 

 

People are strange!  I met a couple on the early hours of Monday morning that had only arrived on Sunday lunchtime.  They had full festival hospitality tickets.... WTF? 😲

[Someoni]

56 minutes ago, stuie said:

 

It would sell out just the same. 

 

The whole reason it sells out before line-up is because of the consistency of putting on a good line-up and trust that that consistency creates.  

I think once you've been its less about the line up as you know you'll have a ridiculously good time regardless 

[northernangel]

4 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Yeah there was a lot of stupidity involved, but not from GFL. I’ve no idea how they’re supposed to predict ironic behaviour from the punters 

 

Very much from GFL, in fact absolutely definitely a massive mess up. You don't make the Avril/Janelle, putting Janelle there anyway mistake, the SZA mistake and the Idles/Fontaines mistake and are able to point the ginger anywhere else.

3 hours ago, FKA SOSOTWS said:

 

The huge resurgence in pop punk and general nostalgia acts was already clear back in summer/fall 2023 (which I presume was when these bookings and placements were determined). And Janelle's latest album bombing was also a big sign. Emily said back in 2019 that she's a huge Janelle fan, so she may have been the one to push for a large Pyramid slot.

 

 

 

 

 

Janelle was just the wrong booking and planning completely there. Put here on the Friday at least if she's going Pyramid but I'd have just rebooted WHs.

3 hours ago, stuie said:

Kendrick did OK.  As would other contemporary headliners who headlined on other days, Dua, Billie E, Stormzy. 

 

SZA just isn't mainstream or well known enough here, I don't think it's generational.  The 90s/00's acts that are still big enough to headline now are obviously going to be well known/household names, with more material that hits. 

 

She doesn't have an attendance at a festival like Glastonbury, just like Stray Kids wouldn't who also done BST.

[efcfanwirral]

7 hours ago, lsccksdg said:

The Feeling ended up being one of my festival highlights. It was a great way to end it all.

Same! I saw them years ago and was really impressed, but for some reason dismissed them when looking at the lineup before the festival, despite complaining there was no headliner for me. Glad I had a closer look at the lineup that afternoon!

[NorthernSoul52]

9 hours ago, stuie said:

 

 

People are strange!  I met a couple on the early hours of Monday morning that had only arrived on Sunday lunchtime.  They had full festival hospitality tickets.... WTF? 😲

Unexpected emergencies aside, the sign of a wrong 'un. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

I mean - it could be industry folk involved in e.g. the running of BST and Sunday am could be the only time they could come down.

[tarw]

20 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

 

London Grammar was flipping packed!

There was loads of room in the middle. Quite a thick crowd crust for them. Which either means that there were lots of casuals there or people who didn’t like feeling hemmed in. 

[philipsteak]

11 hours ago, stuie said:

 

 

People are strange!  I met a couple on the early hours of Monday morning that had only arrived on Sunday lunchtime.  They had full festival hospitality tickets.... WTF? 😲

 

I once had someone come through just before we handed over to security on the Sunday evening so must've been around 7/8ish. Full regular weekend ticket if I remember rightly

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, tarw said:

There was loads of room in the middle. Quite a thick crowd crust for them. Which either means that there were lots of casuals there or people who didn’t like feeling hemmed in. 

Or both.

 

Clearly if they're big enough to do London O2 a few weeks ago, they have enough of a healthy following.

[charlierc]

16 hours ago, Isaacistyping said:

I joined up so I could to join with the conversation and too add some info that I’ve heard. Sorry if I’m doing this all wrong 😉😂

Hey, it's unusual but it's still quite the way to get involved so why not. Welcome aboard.

[charlierc]

16 hours ago, northernangel said:

Janelle Monae wasn't sub, Burna Boy was. Janelle as a 3rd down on Sunday and especially clashing with Avril was stupidity in the highest form.

Given I don't think Avril Lavigne sold out a UK exclusive headline show in Bedford, it caught me by surprise. But clearly there's a kind of renaissance going on for her given I'd seen vids of her playing to big crowds at her own shows. Glasto was something else though by the look of it.

[philipsteak]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Given I don't think Avril Lavigne sold out a UK exclusive headline show in Bedford, it caught me by surprise. But clearly there's a kind of renaissance going on for her given I'd seen vids of her playing to big crowds at her own shows. Glasto was something else though by the look of it.

 

It's that classic thing of "I wouldn't pay to go to one of her own shows but at Glasto, why not, it'll be fun"

[efcfanwirral]

13 minutes ago, philipsteak said:

 

It's that classic thing of "I wouldn't pay to go to one of her own shows but at Glasto, why not, it'll be fun"

We did both, had Manchester tickets on the Wednesday so saw her twice in 4 days! 

[Spindles]

17 hours ago, northernangel said:

Janelle Monae wasn't sub, Burna Boy was. Janelle as a 3rd down on Sunday and especially clashing with Avril was stupidity in the highest form.

Yeah, my mistake.  I didn't see Burna Boy's crowd as I was at Bob Vylan.

[northernangel]

3 hours ago, tarw said:

There was loads of room in the middle. Quite a thick crowd crust for them. Which either means that there were lots of casuals there or people who didn’t like feeling hemmed in. 

 

My mate attended the gig and said of sound bleed form stonebridge etc.

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Given I don't think Avril Lavigne sold out a UK exclusive headline show in Bedford, it caught me by surprise. But clearly there's a kind of renaissance going on for her given I'd seen vids of her playing to big crowds at her own shows. Glasto was something else though by the look of it.

 

Not every gig is going to sell out how you want it to and even I think as close as I am to Bedford....albeit not close enough to the venue to guarantee or even possibly get back that night, thought it was a strange choice of place to hold gigs. As a huge fan too, I thought just shy of £70 was pushing it myself and was hoping more for Glastonbury knowing you can only attend one.

4 minutes ago, Spindles said:

Yeah, my mistake.  I didn't see Burna Boy's crowd as I was at Bob Vylan.

 

It was a terrible load of bookings on the Pyramid for Sunday evening, one of if not the worst I remember them letting happen. I mean The 1975 had only finished a European tour by 3 months, why not ask them even to close out the Sunday. 

[Spindles]

I think the football also had some effect.  I nipped back to the tent during Janelle (as it was lifeless) to grab a quick change of clothes and the last of my ciders, I saw plenty of people in the campsites watching the footie in groups on tablets and phones and the cheers that went up from campsites suggested that a lot of people were doing the same.

 

I ended up randomly spending the last 10 minutes with a certain group who made the news with the big telly, generator and One direction lad before nipping off to Leftfield to catch the farm and the bobs.

[charlierc]

57 minutes ago, northernangel said:

Not every gig is going to sell out how you want it to and even I think as close as I am to Bedford....albeit not close enough to the venue to guarantee or even possibly get back that night, thought it was a strange choice of place to hold gigs. As a huge fan too, I thought just shy of £70 was pushing it myself and was hoping more for Glastonbury knowing you can only attend one.

That's fair. Bedford was a really weird choice to put on a show as an exclusive for this region of England, plus the £70 ticket price can be off-putting whereas if you're already at a festival, you'll have the luxury of going "f**k it, why not?"

 

I don't particularly like the song Girlfriend so that would probably have counterbalanced the fact stuff like Sk8r Boi or Complicated are genuinely quite good.