2025 Headliners

[Toilet Duck]

4 hours ago, Skip997 said:

Shiny Happy People was dreadful. For me REM only made one good album, their first. And for the record I have seen them, in Liverpool in the early 80’s

I've a mate who has the same opinion of every band...First album was the best. Cracks me up! 😁 (I usually use the Pablo Honey argument with him!)...for what it's worth (obviously just my own opinion), Murmur is good, but it ain't a patch on Lifes Rich Pageant (or a bunch of other R.E.M. albums)...My #1 gig of all time to this day remains their 1989 performance at the RDS (saw The Cure there a couple of weeks after it...16, summer of 5th year, no exams...R.E.M. and The Cure...brilliant).

[fraybentos1]

4 hours ago, Franky said:

What’s the latest hot favourites then? 

1975 and Olivia Rodrigo 

[Franky]

11 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

1975 and Olivia Rodrigo 

Didn’t 1975 headline the other last year? 
 

or have I made that up. 

[Gnomicide]

39 minutes ago, Franky said:

Didn’t 1975 headline the other last year? 
 

or have I made that up. 

 

You've made it up.

[stuie]

38 minutes ago, Franky said:

Didn’t 1975 headline the other last year? 
 

or have I made that up. 

 

No.

 

2014 Pyramid & Williams Green, 2016 Other Stage, not headlining. 

[Gnomicide]

1 hour ago, Toilet Duck said:

I've a mate who has the same opinion of every band...First album was the best. Cracks me up! 😁 (I usually use the Pablo Honey argument with him!)...for what it's worth (obviously just my own opinion), Murmur is good, but it ain't a patch on Lifes Rich Pageant (or a bunch of other R.E.M. albums)...My #1 gig of all time to this day remains their 1989 performance at the RDS (saw The Cure there a couple of weeks after it...16, summer of 5th year, no exams...R.E.M. and The Cure...brilliant).

 

It's a whole other conversation, but I'm largely with your mate on this one (not REM, obvs). Sweeping statements and all that...

 

First album is a culmination of all the work they've done to that point, the songs that got them signed. 

 

Second album is made up of tracks rejected from the first, plus a few others written while on tour.

 

Third album, the drugs have kicked in and they believe their own hype.

 

Fourth album, a key member has left to pursue an ultimately unsuccessful solo career, rest of the band are knackered, disillusioned and generally not arsed anymore.

 

Everything afterwards is an attempt to reproduce the first album but the spark has gone.

 

Time for the first album anniversary tours to start.

Edited January 19, 2025 by Gnomicide

[Toilet Duck]

2 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

 

It's a whole other conversation, but I'm largely with your mate on this one (not REM, obvs). Sweeping statements and all that...

 

First album is a culmination of all the work they've done to that point, the songs that got them signed. 

 

Second album is made up of tracks rejected from the first, plus a few others written while on tour.

 

Third album, the drugs have kicked in and they believe their own hype.

 

Fourth album, a key member has left to pursue an ultimately unsuccessful solo career, rest of the band are knackered, disillusioned and generally not arsed anymore.

 

Every thing afterwards is an attempt to reproduce the first album but the spark has gone.

A whole other conversation indeed! 😁 I'd posit that anyone with any staying power produces their best work after that initial release...it's the ones that burn bright and fast that follow the path above (which is somewhat relevant to a pyramid headliners thread as it takes more than a big first release to be booked for the top spot, or at least it should!). Eventually they all reach a point of trying to recreate that early magic (though now and again something that can stand alongside their more creative years comes along...rare enough though...Songs of a Lost World being the most recent example!). Of all the bands/artists I love, it's rarely the first album that ranks as my favourite whereas the fleeting affairs I have with others are often driven by that initial big splash. 

[Gnomicide]

15 minutes ago, Toilet Duck said:

A whole other conversation indeed! 😁 I'd posit that anyone with any staying power produces their best work after that initial release...it's the ones that burn bright and fast that follow the path above (which is somewhat relevant to a pyramid headliners thread as it takes more than a big first release to be booked for the top spot, or at least it should!). Eventually they all reach a point of trying to recreate that early magic (though now and again something that can stand alongside their more creative years comes along...rare enough though...Songs of a Lost World being the most recent example!). Of all the bands/artists I love, it's rarely the first album that ranks as my favourite whereas the fleeting affairs I have with others are often driven by that initial big splash. 

 

To be fair, I think my thoughts on this have probably wavered over the years, a lot of it may have been from the type of music I listened to almost exclusively in my youth (metal, rock and punk). I also think maybe the shift in the music business as a whole has also changed this, acts may not even be touring or have more than half a dozen songs when they are signed.

 

It's definitely a good pub conversation, though. The kind where I can be shot down instantly as I list debut albums that are better than anything else an act has released 😁.

[Toilet Duck]

5 minutes ago, Gnomicide said:

 

To be fair, I think my thoughts on this have probably wavered over the years, a lot of it may have been from the type of music I listened to almost exclusively in my youth (metal, rock and punk). I also think maybe the shift in the music business as a whole has also changed this, acts may not even be touring or have more than half a dozen songs when they are signed.

 

It's definitely a good pub conversation, though. The kind where I can be shot down instantly as I list debut albums that are better than anything else an act has released 😁.

To be fair, the list of acts with a first album that outshines everything else they've done is pretty long...(I'm beating myself in an argument again, my wife says if she's leaves me to ramble about anything for long enough, it always happens! 😁). 

[fullfathom5]

2 hours ago, Toilet Duck said:

I usually use the Pablo Honey argument with him

Same bracket, Leisure by Blur.

[Toilet Duck]

4 minutes ago, fullfathom5 said:

Same bracket, Leisure by Blur.

Yeah, it's not that it's bad, but what followed was a significant step up. It does have Sing on it after all! Bleach, while still a strong debut, is obviously not in the same league as Nevermind...I could go on. 

[Suprefan]

5 hours ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

The aging acts are the most expensive ones.  Probably the only acts they've not managed to lock in on the basis of fee are Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC and likely Madonna.

 

 

 

the Weeknd would wanna get paid. Taylor most likely would want the check now despite previously being booked. Bieber, Brunos Mars maybe Gaga might fall in there too. Harry Styles would be 50/50 since he is british and def would be the one to look at for 2027.
 

 

The thing is despite there being no radius clause and big acts getting the chance to play shows around the festival to make the trip to the uk worth it on the financial end, theres something else getting in the way. We dont know what that is. Is it the broadcast deal like Neil Young was alluding to? Production limitations? Having say into who subs the headliner? Like is headlining Glasto becoming an event you dont need to tick the box on  to have a successful career in the Uk? 

[CaledonianGonzo]

5 hours ago, Suprefan said:

 

the Weeknd would wanna get paid. Taylor most likely would want the check now despite previously being booked. Bieber, Brunos Mars maybe Gaga might fall in there too. Harry Styles would be 50/50 since he is british and def would be the one to look at for 2027.

 

The Weeknd is about the only one of those I'd concede on, and even then he's been booked before on West Holts. Although that was a good while back and he's obviously a much bigger deal now.  At this point there's been nothing from either side indicating that talks have happened and stalled.  Doesn't mean they haven't - we just don't know.

 

Taylor, Gaga and Hazza will probably all do it at some point, with the Hazza being a very likely proposition next time he tours.  I don't agree that Taylor wouldn't come back for purely financial reasons.

 

Bieber and Bruno the festival wouldn't be that bothered about going after.  They'd be very weak choices.

[Ted89]

35 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Bieber and Bruno the festival wouldn't be that bothered about going after.  They'd be very weak choices.

They’d probably be for the tv audience.

 

Separate topic but does bbc have any sway over scheduling or acts who appear? I’m sure they would like to have some input but no idea how much if any they’d have 

[CaledonianGonzo]

8 minutes ago, damo101 said:

They’d probably be for the tv audience. 

 

They don't book the festival for the tv audience.

 

10 minutes ago, damo101 said:

Separate topic but does bbc have any sway over scheduling or acts who appear? I’m sure they would like to have some input but no idea how much if any they’d have 

 

Only in the sense that they want to broadcast whoever it is the festival ends up booking.  Obviously in the case of Neil Young that can create a bit of back and forth.

[Scrump]

So if I've got it right were thinking 

 

Fri -1975 out was always just a rumour. Daphne and Celeste in

Sat - Neil young 

Sun - O Rod

[Superscally]

10 hours ago, charlierc said:

I stand corrected then. Though I probably should've guessed.

 

Still kinda remarkable they thought it was a good idea tbf. It wasn't quite like now when a line-up will be more willing to hop from genre to genre.

Yeah...when Leeds/Reading was "good" though! Look back at some of those lineups and WOW. 

[Quark]

10 hours ago, Toilet Duck said:

I've a mate who has the same opinion of every band...First album was the best. Cracks me up! 😁 (I usually use the Pablo Honey argument with him!)...for what it's worth (obviously just my own opinion), Murmur is good, but it ain't a patch on Lifes Rich Pageant (or a bunch of other R.E.M. albums)...My #1 gig of all time to this day remains their 1989 performance at the RDS (saw The Cure there a couple of weeks after it...16, summer of 5th year, no exams...R.E.M. and The Cure...brilliant).

 

Interesting. I put Murmur right up there, but then I have much more of a preference for Michael's earlier vocal work. But then I find with REM it can entirely depend on what mood I'm in on the day as to which album is my favourite.

 

And FWIW, I still absolutely adore Pablo Honey 😂

[Scrump]

35 minutes ago, Superscally said:

Yeah...when Leeds/Reading was "good" though! Look back at some of those lineups and WOW. 

100%

[Ben7amin_]

Probably coming in from left field here - but my fave REM album is New Adventures in Hifi, I also have a real love for Up & Monster  as my 2 and 3 

[The_Fish]

I open this thread every couple of weeks hoping for news that we were wrong with the rumours but so far it looks like it will be 1975, Young and Rodrigo.

 

I don't think any of these acts are so big that they need to be headlining the pyramid stage. The other stage would hold the crowd for each of these quite comfortably.

 

It may not just be on what the festival has tried to achieve, mega acts like Oasis and Stevie Wonder were probably unattainable for this year but it's a pretty disappointing set of headliners for me. It's my first time since 2009 and I was hoping to watch one of the headliners but I can't stand the 1975, don't have the stamina to get through a Neil Young set and have no interest in pop music. 

 

I really felt like I dodged a bullet in 2024 when I didn't get tickets and it turns out the headliners I get in 2025 are even worse.

[Scrump]

11 minutes ago, The_Fish said:

I open this thread every couple of weeks hoping for news that we were wrong with the rumours but so far it looks like it will be 1975, Young and Rodrigo

This is looking shaky now. For 1975 at least.

[tomf3]

12 minutes ago, The_Fish said:

I open this thread every couple of weeks hoping for news that we were wrong with the rumours but so far it looks like it will be 1975, Young and Rodrigo.

 

I don't think any of these acts are so big that they need to be headlining the pyramid stage. The other stage would hold the crowd for each of these quite comfortably.

 

It may not just be on what the festival has tried to achieve, mega acts like Oasis and Stevie Wonder were probably unattainable for this year but it's a pretty disappointing set of headliners for me. It's my first time since 2009 and I was hoping to watch one of the headliners but I can't stand the 1975, don't have the stamina to get through a Neil Young set and have no interest in pop music. 

 

I really felt like I dodged a bullet in 2024 when I didn't get tickets and it turns out the headliners I get in 2025 are even worse.

Couldn't agree more! Would love something interesting like a dance or hip hop headliner but seems after last years SZA debacle they're playing it extremely safe. That said, I'm sure plenty of people would love it. 

[stuie]

36 minutes ago, The_Fish said:

I really felt like I dodged a bullet in 2024 when I didn't get tickets and it turns out the headliners I get in 2025 are even worse.

Feeling like you dodged a bullet is just copium  - you would have had a great time if you got tickets, regardless of the main stage headliners. 

[The_Fish]

8 minutes ago, stuie said:

Feeling like you dodged a bullet is just copium  - you would have had a great time if you got tickets, regardless of the main stage headliners. 

 

Yeah for sure that is true. I was gutted when I missed out but then I saw the headliners and thought 'at least I didn't miss out there too much' and managed to get tickets for 2025 instead. I would have still have had a great time but for me the cost of going to Glasto is higher than most (I live in Bavaria, flights aren't cheap) and I'd like to see at least 1 headliner on the pyramid. 

 

I will have an amazing time there despite that and I'm hoping some bands I like are headlining elsewhere but it's still a bit of a disappointment for me.