2025 Headliners

[charlierc]

8 hours ago, northernangel said:

It's not small but when stadiums became a become a factor in bands schedule an arena in quite intimate. The thing is so many bands play arenas now it's no longer your staple to headline really. That doesn't mean he can't.

Eh. Fair one. Maybe in my head I'm still used to thinking of turning up at Shepherd's Bush Empire or Kentish Town Forum or something like that as the intimate date.

 

Presumably if you're in U2 and have spent most of the last 40 years playing stadiums that a show of SBE/KTF size would feel like playing in your living room.

[northernangel]

58 minutes ago, K2SO said:

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

 

I think Robbie 4th down would go down fine, as a headliner I think it would be frowned upon but there is no doubting he could deliver. I think Rihanna and Robbie in the same year would be awful.

[NorthernSoul52]

2 hours ago, Mardy said:

 

I've been baffled all bloody day about the return of Northside. They were a joke first time around, let alone 30+ years later.

I think they might have been before my time.

[NorthernSoul52]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Eh. Fair one. Maybe in my head I'm still used to thinking of turning up at Shepherd's Bush Empire or Kentish Town Forum or something like that as the intimate date.

 

Presumably if you're in U2 and have spent most of the last 40 years playing stadiums that a show of SBE/KTF size would feel like playing in your living room.

Absolutely. The settle on "intimate" shows is weird. Fender's arena dates aren't so much, but may become so with the sense he will do stadiums next year.

[charlierc]

13 hours ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Absolutely. The settle on "intimate" shows is weird. Fender's arena dates aren't so much, but may become so with the sense he will do stadiums next year.

Tbf his European shows coming in spring are in smaller venues. Maybe that'll serve as the warm-up dates for bigger things next summer.

[NorthernSoul52]

5 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Tbf his European shows coming in spring are in smaller venues. Maybe that'll serve as the warm-up dates for bigger things next summer.

Absolutely could, to be fair, though I do wonder about his European pull. Seem to recall he canned an Italian show due to illness, but sales were apparently very low. (Like, less than half the venue. Think it was Fabrique in Milan.)

 

Of course, all scuttlebutt and speculation.

[4AssedMonkey]

15 hours ago, K2SO said:

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

 

I've often thought he could potentially headline.  Whilst he's not really a currently recording artist, every album he's released (I think) was a UK No.1, so he's massive over here.  He'd please the picnic chair brigade no end.  His greatest hits setlist would have some great pop tunes in it.

 

The choice would be massively derided on here, but I think it could work really well for the festival - especially on locals day.  I reckon half of our group would probably attend and - clashes dependent - so would I.

[Avalon_Fields]

16 hours ago, K2SO said:

 

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

He’d be successful enough to merit headlining, the crowd would be big enough to make it an event. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

He wants to do the Legend Slot though.   Why argue with him?

[incident]

12 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

He wants to do the Legend Slot though.   Why argue with him?

 

He says he wants to do the Legend Slot.

 

I'd suggest that - for RW more than most acts - a statement like that should be taken with a fairly liberal pinch of salt.

[CaledonianGonzo]

I dunno - he's said it more than once.  He's pretty self-aware and probably realises he's a MOR family entertainer than a credible, respected artists i.e. he know's which side his bread is buttered on.

[Avalon_Fields]

Could be a hint @K2SO knows something...

[NorthernSoul52]

Robbie Williams one of those who could headline right now, but after the fallow year, likely falls into pure legends territory.

 

Not sure why, just feels like that.

[northernangel]

3 minutes ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Robbie Williams one of those who could headline right now, but after the fallow year, likely falls into pure legends territory.

 

Not sure why, just feels like that.

Robbie feels to me like it has to be a moment of time rather than someone who can just be considered consistently a headliner

[foolee]

17 hours ago, K2SO said:

Not sure I'm too sold on Stevie personally. I think the first two are probably right, but maybe the 3rd could come out of left field. How would a Robbie Williams Sunday headliner go down?

Think he’d get a massive crowd. Would go down well. Probs be some complaints when it gets announced but to the general public a set of Rihanna - Olivia Rodrigo - Robbie Williams goes down better than a Dua Lipa - Coldplay - SZA. Went to see him at BST last year and he completely smashed it, very good live and personal at the same time.  

[stuie]

7 minutes ago, foolee said:

Went to see him at BST last year and he completely smashed it, very good live and personal at the same time.  

There's such a difference between his BST which is basically fans of his who've bought tickets and a mixed festival crowd.

 

He's not current enough, hasn't got new material and without that boost he's not got the Elton factor and would be viewed as a stale headliner.

 

Legend, all Sunday long.

[foolee]

4 minutes ago, stuie said:

There's such a difference between his BST which is basically fans of his who've bought tickets and a mixed festival crowd.

 

He's not current enough, hasn't got new material and without that boost he's not got the Elton factor and would be viewed as a stale headliner.

 

Legend, all Sunday long.

He’d get a massive crowd as a headliner regardless. Feel like he’s got too many songs and a bit too big for the legend slot. 

[northernangel]

33 minutes ago, foolee said:

Think he’d get a massive crowd. Would go down well. Probs be some complaints when it gets announced but to the general public a set of Rihanna - Olivia Rodrigo - Robbie Williams goes down better than a Dua Lipa - Coldplay - SZA. Went to see him at BST last year and he completely smashed it, very good live and personal at the same time.  

 

Coldplay, Dua Lipa and Olivia would be my take from those.

22 minutes ago, stuie said:

There's such a difference between his BST which is basically fans of his who've bought tickets and a mixed festival crowd.

 

He's not current enough, hasn't got new material and without that boost he's not got the Elton factor and would be viewed as a stale headliner.

 

Legend, all Sunday long.

 

That's what I think, the difference between sole events directly for an artist ehcuh is why I think LP will take the BST role because with a fresh singer people who pay and go know what they are paying for. 

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, NorthernSoul52 said:

Robbie Williams one of those who could headline right now, but after the fallow year, likely falls into pure legends territory.

 

Not sure why, just feels like that.

I think he'd have gone down better had he been booked a few years ago.

 

Though he'd still draw a crowd tbf.

[fraybentos1]

I think Robbie would draw one of the biggest ever crowds if he did the Legends slot. Would be as big as Kylie 

[northernangel]

6 minutes ago, fraybentos1 said:

I think Robbie would draw one of the biggest ever crowds if he did the Legends slot. Would be as big as Kylie 

Yeah I think he's basically perfect right now to get as a legend act. If Celine and Cher were a no go then he would absolutely fit the bill. Robbie, SS, Charli Xcx or C&S, Stevie.

[incident]

17 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I think he'd have gone down better had he been booked a few years ago.

 

Though he'd still draw a crowd tbf.

 

I'd actually say the exact opposite to that tbh.

 

While he was much more of a ticket shifter in the 00s than he is now, capable of selling out multiple nights at Knebworth back when it still had a huge capacity, the Glastonbury crowd of the time was much more of your NME reading "anyone that isn't Radiohead is sh*t" type affair. I think a much higher percentage of people (compared to now) would have turned their noses up at the big pop superstar and gone to something they perceived as "credible" instead.

 

Then in the 2010s both aspects lessened slightly - the Glastonbury crowd gradually became less pretentious, but RW wasn't shifting as many tickets so overall the "draw" of him at the festival broadly stayed the same.

 

I think it's only recently, where he's now seen as a more sympathetic figure and something of a self-aware national treasure, where the two could realistically meet. Even 10 years ago if they'd booked him there'd have been a lot of "That arrogant prick? No chance, I'm going to see the Chemical Brothers for the sixth time instead".

[balti-pie]

Can't stand Robbie Williams in terms of his persona and his music - i'd happily avoid him headlining or legending, whatever is the plan. Take That or solo, all dreadful for me. Just no. 

 

HOWEVER i am absolutely fascinated by the idea of his biopic being filmed with a CGI monkey as the starring role - who's idea was that? Why have people agreed to it? Why hasnt someone stopped it? Is it actually genius and a comment on how pop singers under management are performing monkeys, or was it as simple as someone going 'why not make him a monkey, LOL'? its the most interesting bit of his career by a bloody mile, as far as im concerned. Might even watch it ffs! 

[charlierc]

5 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

Can't stand Robbie Williams in terms of his persona and his music - i'd happily avoid him headlining or legending, whatever is the plan. Take That or solo, all dreadful for me. Just no. 

 

HOWEVER i am absolutely fascinated by the idea of his biopic being filmed with a CGI monkey as the starring role - who's idea was that? Why have people agreed to it? Why hasnt someone stopped it? Is it actually genius and a comment on how pop singers under management are performing monkeys, or was it as simple as someone going 'why not make him a monkey, LOL'? its the most interesting bit of his career by a bloody mile, as far as im concerned. Might even watch it ffs! 

The movie industry is embracing weird sh*t. Pharrell Williams' biopic that come out today that has his life depicted in Lego has a really odd feel to it as a concept.

[charlierc]

13 minutes ago, incident said:

 

I'd actually say the exact opposite to that tbh.

 

While he was much more of a ticket shifter in the 00s than he is now, capable of selling out multiple nights at Knebworth back when it still had a huge capacity, the Glastonbury crowd of the time was much more of your NME reading "anyone that isn't Radiohead is sh*t" type affair. I think a much higher percentage of people (compared to now) would have turned their noses up at the big pop superstar and gone to something they perceived as "credible" instead.

 

Then in the 2010s both aspects lessened slightly - the Glastonbury crowd gradually became less pretentious, but RW wasn't shifting as many tickets so overall the "draw" of him at the festival broadly stayed the same.

 

I think it's only recently, where he's now seen as a more sympathetic figure and something of a self-aware national treasure, where the two could realistically meet. Even 10 years ago if they'd booked him there'd have been a lot of "That arrogant prick? No chance, I'm going to see the Chemical Brothers for the sixth time instead".

Tbf I wasn't going so far back as to when Robbie was at his peak so much as a couple of years back.

 

Still, he headlined Isle of Wight last year and was positively received. And as noted, Glastonbury has moved on from a more indie-focused feel so is more amiable to pop headliners. We're certainly a long way from Jay-Z headlining Glastonbury being treated as like it was some grand offence.