2020 headliners

[FloorFiller]

16 minutes ago, K2SO said:

They were supposed to play The Park in 2017, and pulled out last minute to give the band members a break. It was even in their tour diary.

Really? Knew they were pretty heavily rumoured for a secret set that year but first I'm hearing of it being an actual thing.

[wro_lap]

17 minutes ago, K2SO said:

They were supposed to play The Park in 2017, and pulled out last minute to give the band members a break. It was even in their tour diary.

I don't think we'll see them next year as Damon has a new project going. Then again, that man does whatever he wants.

Out of interest, was that meant to be a secret set? Seeing a band drop from headlining the Pyramid (albeit as replacements) to the Park is a drastic drop if not. Did Elbow replace them maybe?

[Badlands]

15 minutes ago, K2SO said:

They were supposed to play The Park in 2017, and pulled out last minute to give the band members a break. It was even in their tour diary.

I don't think we'll see them next year as Damon has a new project going. Then again, that man does whatever he wants.

Really? I remember their being rumours but never heard that. Was that instead of Elbow??

[Badlands]

What Floorfiller said!!

[Matt42]

58 minutes ago, wro_lap said:

Sorry if this has been said, but apparently the organisers of Cardiff Castle posted about the Foals tour tease. That’s typically on Glasto weekend - The Killers did both this year. Thoughts on this?

I know this is a weird thing to say but Foals are kinda always touring around Glastonbury, whether they are there or not. 
 

I feel like they are the type of band who always announce June dates just in case they get a call lol .

[wro_lap]

1 minute ago, Matt42 said:

I know this is a weird thing to say but Foals are kinda always touring around Glastonbury, whether they are there or not. 
 

I feel like they are the type of band who always announce June dates just in case they get a call lol .

I’m a huge Foals fan, but I must admit, I suspected that was what happened this year. I still think 2020 could be their year...

[Guy Incognito]

Foals would be a weak headliner in my opinion, weaker than The 1975 or Taylor Swift. I've got nothing against their music but to go from headlining Y Not to headlining the Pyramid in the space of 12 months would be remarkable. Sure, they have a new album on the way but I'd be very surprised if it was as successful as the new ones from T Swift,  1975 etc. They seem more like a band on their way down than on some sort of meteoric rise.

[dentalplan]

1 minute ago, Guy Incognito said:

Foals would be a weak headliner in my opinion, weaker than The 1975 or Taylor Swift. I've got nothing against their music but to go from headlining Y Not to headlining the Pyramid in the space of 12 months would be remarkable. Sure, they have a new album on the way but I'd be very surprised if it was as successful as the new ones from T Swift,  1975 etc. They seem more like a band on their way down than on some sort of meteoric rise.

They were a big headliner for Y Not, Truck, etc. taking a bunch of smaller gigs to try and get in front of a lot of fans and pick up a bunch of different paychecks. This is going to be something that happens more and more now that half of the major festivals that used to be around have bitten dust.

Of course their album isn't going to be as big as Taylor Swift's and it won't be as big as a new 1975 album either - I don't think anyone is suggesting that they tower over either of those names - but they're still clearly in the headliner conversation. Headlining Bestival, Latitude and Reading put them there and headlining This Is Tomorrow isn't really going to take them out.

[Chrisp1986]

39 minutes ago, Jacksamthompson said:

Any chance we get gorillaz again? Last time they played was ten years ago. 

And it was awful

[Matt42]

I mean the killers did headline latitude.

I personally think Foals headlining is just something this board has whipped up because there are a lot of mega fans here. I do think their relevancy to current music is drastically overstated. However, I don’t think the Y Not and Truck slots really matter in whether they can headline or not. It definitely makes it more questionable - but I think what matters is who Foals are competing against to get booked. 

[Guy Incognito]

8 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

They were a big headliner for Y Not, Truck, etc. taking a bunch of smaller gigs to try and get in front of a lot of fans and pick up a bunch of different paychecks. This is going to be something that happens more and more now that half of the major festivals that used to be around have bitten dust.

Of course their album isn't going to be as big as Taylor Swift's and it won't be as big as a new 1975 album either - I don't think anyone is suggesting that they tower over either of those names - but they're still clearly in the headliner conversation. Headlining Bestival, Latitude and Reading put them there and headlining This Is Tomorrow isn't really going to take them out.

I agree to an extent and I think we are in agreement that Foals have huge pedigree on the UK festival circuit. That being said, they headlined the festivals you mentioned some time ago (2014, 2013 and 2016 respectively) and it's worth remembering that their Reading set was as a co-headliner, although importantly they were on last.

I agree that their name should be among the headliner conversation but think that is more due to their consistent presence on the scene and not so much their recent output/festival bookings. I think of all the headliners we are currently discussing, they would be the weakest booking. Nothing against them personally as I prefer them to the likes of The 1975. I'd be very surprised to see a band who played Brighton's Concorde 2 headline Glastonbury only 13 months later. Again of course, I appreciate that the Concorde gig was as a special/one-off small show but the fact remains.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Guy Incognito

[wro_lap]

6 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

They were a big headliner for Y Not, Truck, etc. taking a bunch of smaller gigs to try and get in front of a lot of fans and pick up a bunch of different paychecks. This is going to be something that happens more and more now that half of the major festivals that used to be around have bitten dust.

Of course their album isn't going to be as big as Taylor Swift's and it won't be as big as a new 1975 album either - I don't think anyone is suggesting that they tower over either of those names - but they're still clearly in the headliner conversation. Headlining Bestival, Latitude and Reading put them there and headlining This Is Tomorrow isn't really going to take them out.

I agree with this - I wouldn’t read too much into the festivals they headlined this year. It’s a bit of an anomaly - a few comeback gigs to help return to form, including a homecoming show (Truck) with presumably the organisers chucking a bit of money to also do Y Not. Boardmasters and This Is Tomorrow also aren’t typically the sort of festivals done by Glasto headliners, but I feel like this is different to your traditional booking. They may not headline, but I don’t think it’ll be because of 2019 ruining their billing.

[dentalplan]

29 minutes ago, Guy Incognito said:

I agree to an extent and I think we are in agreement that Foals have huge pedigree on the UK festival circuit. That being said, they headlined the festivals you mentioned some time ago (2014, 2013 and 2016 respectively) and it's worth remembering that their Reading set was as a co-headliner, although importantly they were on last.

I agree that their name should be among the headliner conversation but think that is more due to their consistent presence on the scene and not so much their recent output/festival performances. I think of all the headliners we are currently discussing, they would be the weakest booking. Nothing against them personally as I prefer them to the likes of The 1975. I'd be very surprised to see a band who played Brighton's Concorde 2 headline Glastonbury only 13 months later. Again of course, I appreciate that the Concorde gig was as a special/one-off small show but the fact remains.

It would normally be surprising to see a band go from playing the Park Stage to headlining the Pyramid in 12 months too.

The way I see it is that they're a band who have worked their way to the top of these festivals and Glastonbury is the only thing really left to conquer. They're in good with the Eavises, they did a secret set this year and Glastonbury have been fond of a kingmaking headline slot in the past. It shouldn't seem inconceivable, really.

People will stop there and mention how The 1975 are bigger and more relevant to popular music therefore should be ahead in the line. But - while they are a bit bigger - they aren't absolutely humongous and, in reality, it's gonna be much of a muchness size-wise to people who aren't nerds, plus Foals would likely be more popular with the audience who actually go to the festival. Maybe if there were loads of bands jostling for the position it'd be tough but there's only one band people keep countering with and they can do it after.

I really don't think this is a thing that should be painted up as megafans following hearts over heads. Objectively this should seem like something with the potential to happen while we don't have many strong shouts to go on.

Edited October 7, 2019 by dentalplan

[Guy Incognito]

2 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

It would normally be surprising to see a band go from playing the Park Stage to headlining the Pyramid in 12 months too.

The way I see it is that they're a band who have worked their way to the top of these festivals and Glastonbury is the only thing really left to conquer. They're in good with the Eavises, they did a secret set this year and Glastonbury have been fond of a kingmaking headline slot in the past. It shouldn't seem inconceivable, really.

People will stop there and mention how The 1975 are bigger and more relevant to popular music therefore should be ahead in the line. But - while they are a bit bigger - they aren't absolutely humongous and, in reality, it's gonna be much of a muchness size-wise to people who aren't nerds while Foals would likely be more popular with the audience who actually go to the festival. Maybe if there were loads of bands jostling for the position it'd be tough but there's only one band people keep countering with and they can do it after.

I really don't think this is a thing that should be painted up as megafans following hearts over heads. Objectively this should seem like something with the potential to happen while we don't have many strong shouts to go on.

Well made points. I guess when the mega stars are excluded, Foals are among the most obvious contenders. I just feel like there are other, bigger, acts out there that the festival could book this year. I suppose if the likes of Elton John, Macca and Fleetwood Mac aren't doing it then Foals are next in line. All of this makes no difference to me mind you as going by the current most obvious contenders it seems most likely that I won't be watching any of the Pyramid headliners in 2020, unless they do manage to get Paul McCartney.

[dentalplan]

Just now, Guy Incognito said:

Well made points. I guess when the mega stars are excluded, Foals are among the most obvious contenders. I just feel like there are other, bigger, acts out there that the festival could book this year. I suppose if the likes of Elton John, Macca and Fleetwood Mac aren't doing it then Foals are next in line. All of this makes no difference to me mind you as going by the current most obvious contenders it seems most likely that I won't be watching any of the Pyramid headliners in 2020, unless they do manage to get Paul McCartney.

The thing with Foals is that - going off of various intimate shows, smaller festival headline slots, secret sets - they seem modest enough to agree to a be a subheadliner with a potential to step up should Glastonbury fail to land their white whales again. That's something that Glastonbury has apparently done with headliners in the past and could be a plan for 2020. Complete speculation but, again, that's the zone we're in at the moment.

[Matt42]

I dunno about foals being more popular than the 1975 at the festival itself. I know a lot of people shit on the 1975 but I think you’d get way more people going along to see them (even if they wouldn’t like to admit it).

 

[Guy Incognito]

3 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

The thing with Foals is that - going off of various intimate shows, smaller festival headline slots, secret sets - they seem modest enough to agree to a be a subheadliner with a potential to step up should Glastonbury fail to land their white whales again. That's something that Glastonbury has apparently done with headliners in the past and could be a plan for 2020. Complete speculation but, again, that's the zone we're in at the moment.

Yeah I totally agree, that is the position that they are probably occupying at the moment.

[DareToDibble]

2 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I dunno about foals being more popular than the 1975 at the festival itself. I know a lot of people shit on the 1975 but I think you’d get way more people going along to see them (even if they wouldn’t like to admit it).

 

You’re right. There is no way Foals get a bigger crowd than The 1975.

[zeppelin]

11 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

The thing with Foals is that - going off of various intimate shows, smaller festival headline slots, secret sets - they seem modest enough to agree to a be a subheadliner with a potential to step up should Glastonbury fail to land their white whales again. That's something that Glastonbury has apparently done with headliners in the past and could be a plan for 2020. Complete speculation but, again, that's the zone we're in at the moment.

Can we put Foals three down then....? 

[wro_lap]

12 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

The thing with Foals is that - going off of various intimate shows, smaller festival headline slots, secret sets - they seem modest enough to agree to a be a subheadliner with a potential to step up should Glastonbury fail to land their white whales again. That's something that Glastonbury has apparently done with headliners in the past and could be a plan for 2020. Complete speculation but, again, that's the zone we're in at the moment.

Normally I’d agree with this, but there’s been so much talk around a headline slot including a couple of interviews with the band, so I have a feeling their hopes are now up and they believe that slot is theirs. 

[Matt42]

I don’t think the 1975’s commercial success compared to foals is much of a muchness either.  I think because a large portion of the 1975 fanbase / what their fanbase is stereotyped to be - is teenage girls, I reckon they have a lot of shy fans that would probably be very excited to see them headline the festival. Especially after their recent mega shows. I think the 1975 are considered the bigger band no matter who you ask!

 

Alas, I don’t think the issue with whether the 1975 are playing is anything to do with foals, their size, or anything.

its because there’s not really any indication that they’ve been booked / their behaviour about Glastonbury is just a bit weird. I know the standard formula for bands who are booked is to pretend they haven’t got the call - but it definitely feels like the 1975 genuinely haven’t been called.

At this point I think there is another big British band in the mix that isn’t apparent yet. A big British band (the 1975) wasn’t approached because they’ve already signed one up and did not consider booking another. 
 

I feel with Foals, a lot of the rumours about them are sourced from users on this board wanting it to happen with very little evidence other than they deserve it. Yes they played in 2019 but the killers pattern is not a pattern. The killers were asked because Macca said no.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Matt42

[dentalplan]

7 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I dunno about foals being more popular than the 1975 at the festival itself. I know a lot of people shit on the 1975 but I think you’d get way more people going along to see them (even if they wouldn’t like to admit it).

I was talking more about Foals and how they hit well with mainstream indie rock fans and the age group that go to Glastonbury. But also I think that a lot of people wouldn't go see The 1975 out of principle and Foals have attracted big crowds at the last two Glastonbury sets so Foals could quite easily grab a bigger portion of the attendance than The 1975. Didn't they reportedly get a bigger crowd than Muse in 2016? 

Just now, wro_lap said:

Normally I’d agree with this, but there’s been so much talk around a headline slot including a couple of interviews with the band, so I have a feeling their hopes are now up and they believe that slot is theirs. 

Well they could be agreeing to it just as a formality. Like when Kasabian apparently were pencilled in to sub Prince, I don't think they were expecting to actually sub Prince.

[wro_lap]

In fairness, I would say that, if anything, the fact that The Killers did a secret set and headlined the next festival makes the Eavises less likely to repeat this formula with Foals in the very next festival

[dentalplan]

4 minutes ago, Matt42 said:

I feel with Foals, a lot of the rumours about them are sourced from users on this board wanting it to happen with very little evidence other than they deserve it.

It's a shame that you still think this after I thought I'd given a good account of why it seems like it could happen where I think there is very little bias.

[wro_lap]

Not that the NME is credible or anything, but they asked Foals about headlining 2020 minutes after their Park set finished. I doubt that stems from eFestivals users. I kinda see what you’re trying to say though.