2019 Headliners

[dentalplan]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Would that substantially increase the size of his crowd from 5 years back though? Try as I might he still seems like too niche a concern to pack the Pyramid field.  

I dunno. Does the same not apply to Neil Young? The guy was always more of an icon on the alternative scene, right?

I just kinda feel that the next time he tours festivals (probably just before next fallow year) he’s gonna have headlined Victoria Park and two arena tours and I guess a slew of whatever recognition-based things make an artist into a heritage type act, so aye he could well have an increase since 2013 which will have been about a decade gone by then.

[eFestivals]

if the likes of Cave doesn't get to headline we're guaranteed that The 1975 will.

The world is running out of bands (that aren't one-hit wonders).

[incident]

1 hour ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Would that substantially increase the size of his crowd from 5 years back though? Try as I might he still seems like too niche a concern to pack the Pyramid field.  

 

Lets be honest here - the last couple times he played, he was been booked a slot or maybe two higher than he justifies if you judge it purely by crowd size (and that's as good a measure as any). So even if he has substantially increased the size of his potential crowd since then, that just takes him from a below average sized sub-headliner to an average sized one.

I mean seriously, doesn't anyone remember the last time he played?

Edited March 7, 2018 by incident

[eFestivals]

3 minutes ago, Gilgamesh69 said:

Just imagine this: Nick Cave headlining. Encore time. Hundreds of bats released  into the crowd.

Art. Illegal

corrected for you.

 

[Tartan_Glasto]

Wonder if we could get Chvrches headlining Other in 2019 after subbing it in 2016.

[dentalplan]

16 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

if the likes of Cave doesn't get to headline we're guaranteed that The 1975 will.

The world is running out of bands (that aren't one-hit wonders).

Definitely. Bands that headline festivals are clearing out, and not really being replaced across the board. It’s either they start booking more rappers and pop stars to headline or throw a rope down and create some headliners.

[stuartbert two hats]

7 minutes ago, incident said:

 

Lets be honest here - the last couple times he played, he was been booked a slot or maybe two higher than he justifies if you judge it purely by crowd size (and that's as good a measure as any). So even if he has substantially increased the size of his potential crowd since then, that just takes him from a below average sized sub-headliner to an average sized one.

I mean seriously, doesn't anyone remember the last time he played?

That's pretty much my position. Plus, looking at https://www.bpi.co.uk/bpi-awards/, it seems like they've been selling somewhere between 60,000 and 100,000 records for the last couple of albums (I.e. silver certified, not gold).  And it took nearly 5 months for their last album to go silver.

Radiohead, probably the least mainstream act from last year, had their last album go gold the week it was released.  Even Elbow, who nobody is claiming should headline these days went silver in a few weeks and gold 7 months later. 

A very dedicated fan base, but Pyramid headliners?  No chance.  Give them t'Other, it'd be a much better experience all round.  Do you really want to stand next to a load of people talking who are only there because it's the Pyramid?

[priest17]

45 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Do you really want to stand next to a load of people talking who are only there because it's the Pyramid?

Yes.

[CaledonianGonzo]

56 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

Definitely. Bands that headline festivals are clearing out, and not really being replaced across the board. It’s either they start booking more rappers and pop stars to headline or throw a rope down and create some headliners.

So it's the former.  If rock bands arent making music that anyone's interested in then I dunno if it behooves the festival to pretend they're up to the job.

[dentalplan]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

So it's the former.  If rock bands arent making music that anyone's interested in then I dunno if it behooves the festival to pretend they're up to the job.

You know what people are like though. iPhones will be flying across rooms up and down the country.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Well, there you are. Can't let the Neil Lonsdale's of the world dictate how you programme your festival.

[dentalplan]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

Well, there you are. Can't let the Neil Lonsdale's of the world dictate how you programme your festival.

True but he was railing against one rapper headlining. If the headliners were Stormzy, Drake and Swift then that would be an enormous tide change and there’d be tens of thousands of alienated Glastonbury goers. Even just two of those would be a tricky sell.

[Crazyfool01]

well im going to make a very bold punt ... not next year but I reckon October Drift will headline in the next 10 years ... come back and laugh at me and quote me those of you who are still on here .. but I reckon they are so good and very up and coming ... or  I could offer pints if they dont Kalifire style

[eFestivals]

37 minutes ago, crazyfool1 said:

well im going to make a very bold punt ... not next year but I reckon October Drift will headline in the next 10 years ... come back and laugh at me and quote me those of you who are still on here .. but I reckon they are so good and very up and coming ... or  I could offer pints if they dont Kalifire style

never trust friends of the band.

 

[Crazyfool01]

4 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

never trust friends of the band.

 

thats why I said its a bold punt  .... or trust people with the name Crazyfool

[CaledonianGonzo]

58 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

True but he was railing against one rapper headlining. If the headliners were Stormzy, Drake and Swift then that would be an enormous tide change and there’d be tens of thousands of alienated Glastonbury goers. Even just two of those would be a tricky sell.

Well - there's a degree of balance where you need to try and satisfy as many people as possible, and as the cultural conversation moves away from rock music being more or less the only game in town I think the festival should reflect that lest it itself becomes obsolete the way that rock music seems to be*.  I wouldn't say that a line up that mixes in a Stormzy or a Kendrick with a huge pop star like Swifty or Madonna and a heritage act like Fleetwood Mac would be too outlandish or unpopular.

 

 

* At least, at the minute.

[eFestivals]

3 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

I wouldn't say that a line up that mixes in a Stormzy or a Kendrick with a huge pop star like Swifty or Madonna and a heritage act like Fleetwood Mac would be too outlandish or unpopular.

I agree, but it's more likely to be something like Kendrick, Killers, Florence (less megastars, basically) - which puts a different slant on it.

 

 

[DownboundTrain52]

Just now, eFestivals said:

I agree, but it's more likely to be something like Kendrick, Killers, Florence (less megastars, basically) - which puts a different slant on it.

 

 

Would we consider Kendrick, Killers and Florence a strong trio of headliners? In regards to when Florence got the bump-up (and succeeded) leading into HBHBHB, I'd say that's probably the same level that The 1975 are floating around right now. Still reckon they're a fair shout for it.

[eFestivals]

4 minutes ago, DownboundTrain52 said:

Would we consider Kendrick, Killers and Florence a strong trio of headliners?

lots of people would moan, because there's become an unrealistic expectation of megastars every time.

[DownboundTrain52]

1 minute ago, eFestivals said:

lots of people would moan, because there's become an unrealistic expectation of megastars every time.

See, I'd think they;d be strong enough tbh. But then, that;s the expectation you generate by hauling folk like Beyonce, U2 and the Stones in I guess.

[eFestivals]

1 minute ago, DownboundTrain52 said:

I'd think they;d be strong enough tbh

I think they'd be a reasonable set of headliners for what Glastonbury is able to achieve with it's headliners. Sometimes they'd manage stronger (with more mega-star), but other times they manage weaker too. They can only book what's there to be booked.

Whether they're 'strong enough', tho, is a more subjective decision, based much more on what you'd like.

Back in late 80s/early 90s, one of the headline acts was Archaos (basically circus on motorbikes to metal music). I know i wasn't too impressed when i read of it tho went along and enjoyed the show, but it'd be interesting to see how something like that would go down nowadays.

[zahidf]

I think killers headlining latitude has probably reduced their cache a little. Still enough to headline but not as much as last year when they sold out Hyde park.

 

Florences new album is out later this year, so how that goes could show if she is a glasto headliner or not.

Kendrick is big enough to headline without a doubt.

[eFestivals]

3 minutes ago, zahidf said:

I think killers headlining latitude has probably reduced their cache a little. Still enough to headline but not as much as last year when they sold out Hyde park.

I think the reaction at Glastonbury last year just about ensures they'll be back as headliners - either next year or the year after.

They might not be as popular as they were, but they'd be a popular-enough headliner I reckon.

[Odessa]

11 minutes ago, zahidf said:

I think killers headlining latitude has probably reduced their cache a little. Still enough to headline but not as much as last year when they sold out Hyde park.

They're not just playing Latitude though. They're playing there, TRNSMT, Isle Of Wight and they're still enough of a ticket seller to chuck two stadium gigs (not major stadiums but still stadiums) on top of that. How many bands are big enough to do all that in one summer? And this is all within a year of almost immediately selling out Hyde Park and a huge arena tour. They're not overly well liked on efests but people in this country love seeing them.

If they were to only play Glastonbury over here next summer then it'd be a great booking. I'm not sure how likely it is they'll still be touring next year though. Hopefully they'll be back with another new album in time to headline in 2020.

[Hugh Jass]

Just to clarify, I think The 1975 are pure horse shite but I think a few on here are underestimating how big they are. They're already playing arenas and if the next album does well then they will definitely be headliner potential.

Lest we forget Mumfords headlined, and I'd say The 1975 are on a similar trajectory.