Entirely from memory, but weren't Alt-J a slow burn like this? Played unsigned somewhere early doors, JP Tent around 2013, teatime pyramid 2015, then headlined Other in 2017? Did they also headline The Park in 2023?
The R part of it hasn’t…
I think in the modern age of the reduced lineup there is a lot more cache placed on the headliners. Foals and Disclosure were very much co-headliners back in 2016, 2 acts to make a whole. It’s no surprise both only MSW’d in the main stage era.
With 50% less acts to help sell the day you need a strong tent pole and it’s hard to say Chase and Status simply are going to be able to carry 170,000 tickets across both the sites, esp as they’re playing a pretty substantial tour in April/ May.
Yeah, I don't think C&S will get there. Other headliners written all over them.
As for Sheeran, he was rumoured by the red-tops, but it was put paid pretty quickly, I seem to recall.