2025 Headliners

[CaledonianGonzo]

1 minute ago, Justcalledtosay said:

Oh she has a bit of pop rock in her arsenal, i just don't think she's a rock act. I could never see her playing Download for example.

 

Download is a heavy rock festival.   The Stones wouldn't play it either.

[Justcalledtosay]

I mean rock has a very broad spectrum of definition. You could probably place her in teeny bop, pop rock and soft rock. In terms of your "traditional" rock acts on the Pyramid, she doesn't fall into that category imo. She'd be billed as a pop act.

[Mardy]

Her performance with Lily Allen on the Other a few years ago was the most punk rock thing to happen on that stage in living memory. Way more subversive and confrontational than any amount of witless bellowing from Idles.

[CaledonianGonzo]

They don't really bill or categorise anyone by genre.  Agreed that rock is a broad church that can encompass a wide variety of styles, but this is neither teeny bop or soft rock.  The latter usually means things like Bread and The Carpenters.  

 

 

[CaledonianGonzo]

3 minutes ago, Mardy said:

Her performance with Lily Allen on the Other a few years ago was the most punk rock thing to happen on that stage in living memory. Way more subversive and confrontational than any amount of witless bellowing from Idles.

 

Two teeny boppers playing in the man's genre of real rock music 😞

[Justcalledtosay]

4 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

They don't really bill or categorise anyone by genre.  Agreed that rock is a broad church that can encompass a wide variety of styles, but this is neither teeny bop or soft rock.  The latter usually means things like Bread and The Carpenters.  

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_rock

 

Toto, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John.

Drivers License for example falls smack bang in the middle of that category.

 

I don't know what you mean by "they don't really bill or categorise anyone by genre."  Do you mean the festival? They may not advertise it but they certainly consider the balance of genres when curating their headliners line up. Rock clearly isn't a priority in that regard these days. I think they're just happy to have a variety of artists that can cover profile of the festival.

Edited September 10 by Justcalledtosay

[Mardy]

Definitions and parameters! The very er.. definition of rock and roll.

 

 

[Mardy]

'What music do I like? Good question. I suppose I'd have to say my favourite is categorisable music'

[CaledonianGonzo]

4 minutes ago, Justcalledtosay said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_rock

 

Toto, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John.

Drivers License for example falls smack bang in the middle of that category.

 

AC/DC and probably Slayer aside, rock acts quite often do ballads.

[Justcalledtosay]

Found this whilst i was out googling categories and what not. Thought it was fascinating.

 

https://musicmap.info/

[balti-pie]

2 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

 

AC/DC and probably Slayer aside, rock acts quite often do ballads.

I'd argue that dead skin mask is as close as Slayer ever got to a ballad, and i love categorising it as such 

[MilkyJoe]

3 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

 

AC/DC and probably Slayer aside, rock acts quite often do ballads.

You've never heard of the little known Slayer E.P 'My Cat's Fur is so Soft'?

[mph]

This might surprise you once you get past the intro

link here but google AC/DC Love Song, it might surprise you once you 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Another tender hard rock ballad

 

 

 

[glastorome]

Saw Fred at Leeds Festival and he absolutely smashed it, he'd do incredible things headlining the pyramid. 

 

Might be a year or so too soon for our return to the farm as my wife only had her thyroid out in October and is battling another illness now, but her health is constantly improving. We're hoping he does a UK arena tour to coincide with his Glasto slot. 

 

Hoping to a return to the farm in 2027 at the earliest. 

[Crouchinho76]

https://www.nme.com/news/music/could-usher-appear-at-glastonbury-2025-3792292

[Joey Peeps]

I thought everything was post genre now? 

[glimmers_of_hope]

13 minutes ago, Crouchinho76 said:

https://www.nme.com/news/music/could-usher-appear-at-glastonbury-2025-3792292

Falls into that category where he is big enough in terms of record sales and live ticket sales worldwide.  Could see him playing the pyramid but not as a headliner.  I doubt he would take anything lower than headliner.  To be fair he has some great singles but I don't think that, subjectively, he passes the credibility & relevancy test.  A bit like Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Shakira in previous years - massive pop acts, they tick the "big enough to do it" box but something lacking means they aren't able to headline. Stick him on West Holts and it would be awesome I reckon (never gonna happen).

[balti-pie]

He was fairly crap as a Superbowl performer, though thats a very different remit to headlining Glastonbury its a similar kind of totemic bigass music bauble to collect. They've got Kendrick Lamar this year at the SB which should be pretty bloody marvellous. 

[Justcalledtosay]

I do think he falls into the headliner category in terms of his size and acomplishments. I think the issue is, who are his audience? I don't think he's going to capture the under 24 audience and i'm not sure he's a huge pull for those of us that were around when he first broke through. I'd put his crowd numbers somewhere between SZA and Billie Eilish.

[sildante]

45 minutes ago, Crouchinho76 said:

https://www.nme.com/news/music/could-usher-appear-at-glastonbury-2025-3792292

absolutely would smash a Pyramid headline and deservedly so - one of the biggest R&B artists of all time. but I can't see it happening due to (assumed) huge booking fees, and doesn't really align with previous booking patterns for the festival and its demographic. would be pleasantly surprised to be wrong on that though.

[gfa]

6 minutes ago, Justcalledtosay said:

I do think he falls into the headliner category in terms of his size and acomplishments. I think the issue is, who are his audience? I don't think he's going to capture the under 24 audience and i'm not sure he's a huge pull for those of us that were around when he first broke through. I'd put his crowd numbers somewhere between SZA and Billie Eilish.

He's well past producing the hits now too to be honest - might have done better 10 years ago (but with current crowd)

[kalifire]

1 hour ago, glastorome said:

Saw Fred at Leeds Festival and he absolutely smashed it, he'd do incredible things headlining the pyramid. 

Some would argue he’s yet to prove that, though. His last major set on the farm was hardly Pyramid worthy, and his latest album doesn’t exactly scream ‘elite level headliner’. I mean, it’s good and it has its moments, but he’s another, better, album away from headlining the best of the best, imo. 

[nikkic]

5 minutes ago, kalifire said:

Some would argue he’s yet to prove that, though. His last major set on the farm was hardly Pyramid worthy, and his latest album doesn’t exactly scream ‘elite level headliner’. I mean, it’s good and it has its moments, but he’s another, better, album away from headlining the best of the best, imo. 

The field was going wild throughout.

Why is this not headliner worthy?

[Justcalledtosay]

7 minutes ago, nikkic said:

The field was going wild throughout.

Why is this not headliner worthy?

I hope he's referring to his Stonebridge set 🤣