2025 Headliners

[Ninety9]

1 hour ago, FrogLobster said:

Fred doing it feels similar to Stormzy's push in many ways. Also, Stormzy didn't do arenas until after he headlined Glasto; so that metric doesn't make sense.

It wouldn't surprise me that like Stormzy, a few years out from the headline he would be nowhere near headlining again

[Jack H]

I went early and made a 2025 prediction clashfinder on clashfinder if anyone wanted to add their ideas to it or judge mine

[she bangs the drums]

6 hours ago, ghostdancer1 said:

He's an automatic headliner according to some people on here who live in a hype bubble. I've been on here nearly 10 years and the amount of hyberbolic nonsense about acts who will headline is as long as the bible. Wolf Alice were "definite headliners" a few years ago....

There's almost no chance Fred Again headlines the Pyramid in 2025, at the moment.

He's certainly blown up in the last few years, but he's not bigger than Other headliner at the moment, or Pyramid sub if they want to put him there.

 

He has just sold out a 78,000 stadium in seconds in the US, sells out every UK gig in less than a minute (at big venues) headlined Bonnaroo festival and about to headline Leeds and Reading, and you think he is Other Stage headliner.....

[northernangel]

1 minute ago, she bangs the drums said:

He has just sold out a 78,000 stadium in seconds in the US, sells out every UK gig in less than a minute (at big venues) headlined Bonnaroo festival and about to headline Leeds and Reading, and you think he is Other Stage headliner.....

I think he would be the dance headliner that ticks a wide spectrum, a no trainer booking. Him and Olivia Rodrigo I think would be two solid options. I may not watch him mind.

[FrogLobster]

I know he is technically co-headlining with LDR at R&L but he is playing after her; which is technically the true headliner slot anyway. 😄

(Don't tell Lana I said that 🤐)

Edited July 2 by FrogLobster

[Benjsh]

40 minutes ago, northernangel said:

I think he would be the dance headliner that ticks a wide spectrum, a no trainer booking. Him and Olivia Rodrigo I think would be two solid options. I may not watch him mind.

 

Olivia Rodrigo is highly unlikely to tour Europe in back to back summers. I think you can rule out her and Taylor Swift for next year personally. Be amazed if either artist bring their whole crew on the road again that soon. 

[CaledonianGonzo]

Just now, Benjsh said:

 

Olivia Rodrigo is highly unlikely to tour Europe in back to back summers. I think you can rule out her and Taylor Swift for next year personally. Be amazed if either artist bring their whole crew on the road again that soon. 

Taylor won't, but Olivia returning to do a run of outdoor / festival shows is a decent bet.

[MEGABOWL]

1 minute ago, Benjsh said:

 

Olivia Rodrigo is highly unlikely to tour Europe in back to back summers. I think you can rule out her and Taylor Swift for next year personally. Be amazed if either artist bring their whole crew on the road again that soon. 

it’s definitely a possibility. TRNSMT are trying to get her so there must be some chance.

[Benjsh]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

Taylor won't, but Olivia returning to do a run of outdoor / festival shows is a decent bet.

 

Possibly but I highly doubt she will come back next summer. She still has to reschedule the Manchester dates of which we have tickets for the Saturday but I don't think she will postpone them until next summer. 

 

I think if there's a female headliner next year then Gaga, Miley or Rihanna (if she's active) are probably more likely. Maybe Raye too but that might be a bit of a risk after SZA. 

 

 

[FrogLobster]

If Olivia does decide to do Europe/UK fests next year then expect Taylor to magically become available at the same time to steal her headline slots. 😄😶

[CaledonianGonzo]

13 minutes ago, Benjsh said:

 

Possibly but I highly doubt she will come back next summer. She still has to reschedule the Manchester dates of which we have tickets for the Saturday but I don't think she will postpone them until next summer. 

 

 

Seems like an obvious move to take the next big step up in terms of her career and solidify herself at top tier level whilst there's still a lot of unsatisfied demand to see her. Would expect her to also do Primavera and so on.

[Benjsh]

Just now, CaledonianGonzo said:

 

Seems like an obvious move to take the next big step up in terms of her career and solidify herself at top tier level whilst there's still a lot of unsatisfied demand to see her. Would expect her to also do Primavera and so on.

 

She will absolutely headline one day and if I'm wrong and she is back over in the UK/Europe next summer again then yeah she's a fairy good bet I'd say. We shall see. 

 

Will she have a new album out by next summer? If so then I could see it happening. I just thought they'd be a year off after a huge world tour. That's how it usually goes for these massive artists these days isn't it? 

 

Without upsetting the swifties too much as well......I would much rather watch O-Rod live. 

[Sunday scaries]

1 hour ago, LinvoyPrimus said:

 
Yeah so… this would be booking a dance / electronic act to headline the main stage at a festival with a mostly millennial crowd that is increasingly geared (no pun intended) towards taking shitloads of drugs all day every day, and heading out immediately after the headliners finish to see more world-class dance / electronic music. I don’t think streaming numbers and the like really apply here.

It is undeniably early days for him in his career but he is a slam-dunk (probably more like a tap-in) booking for the dominant demographic at the festival *now*. That’s where Glastonbury is trending.

 

If you think this translates to seeing big dance acts live, you clearly didn't see the tiny crowd Disclosure pulled on Saturday night, it barely reached the screens on the Other Stage. Ironically, the points you're making count against Fred because the people you're talking about invariably leave the headliners early to make sure they can get into West Hayes or SE Corner.

 

2 hours ago, FrogLobster said:

He did 5 Ally Pallys in a row end of last year which is atleast 50k tickets in London. The R&L headliner hasn't happened yet so impossible to judge how much of a slam dunk that is at this current point of time. We are still 12 months out from 2025; enough time for him to headline R&L (He is playing after LDR) and do an arena run in the winter.

Fred also has the added cultural boost of being british, previous successful sets at the fest, local industry connections, etc. SZA headliner was just another date on her tour and had basically zero local hype in advance.

Fred doing it feels similar to Stormzy's push in many ways. Also, Stormzy didn't do arenas until after he headlined Glasto; so that metric doesn't make sense.

 

Stormzy was already a celebrity, coming off one of the biggest selling albums of the year, and his headlining represented a big first for the festival. None of this applies to Fred Again. I'm not saying pulling a big crowd at the Other Stage isn't impressive, even if it is up against Royal Blood, but Bloc Party and Avril pulled huge crowds this year and no one's hankering for them to headline.

 

Ultimately, you have to look at who the festival books as their headliners these days: big mainstream acts with huge sing-a-long hits and/or stage shows. That even applies to Lizzo and SZA, who people seem to think aren't big enough and chosen at least partially for diversity reasons, but who are both bigger than Fred on virtually every metric - album sales, hit singles, streaming numbers, venue sizes, mainstream recognition, you name it. SZA played four shows at the O2, twice the size of Ally Pally, last year and it didn't make a difference.

 

Emily Eavis has also been vocal about wanting to increase diversity at the top of the bill. Could I see Glastonbury making an exception for someone like Sam Fender, a magnetic artist with a huge, young, vaguely parasocial fanbase, a history of activism, two big number one albums and at least two huge anthems, whose last two UK shows were in a stadium? Yes. What are the chances they'd do the same with Fred Again, someone with no big albums, no mainstream presence for the viewers at home, almost no sing-a-long tunes and no big live rep, who's going to need a succession of largely unkown singers to come up for each song? I already know the answer, and it isn't 10%, 5%, 1% or even 0.1% - it's zero. ZERO PERCENT. And that's true whether your inside tip was from the owner of eFestivals, Mystic Meg or Emily Eavis herself.

 

Does this mean Fred couldn't do well near the top of the bill? I think he probably would do pretty well, but it's a vast jump from there to headliner and he doesn't fit for all the reasons above. Unless he releases some huge crossover songs I wouldn't even expect him to headline ahead of Harry Styles in three years' time. Some of you seem to be personally invested in this but it just ain't happening next year.

[sisco]

53 minutes ago, Benjsh said:

 

Possibly but I highly doubt she will come back next summer. She still has to reschedule the Manchester dates of which we have tickets for the Saturday but I don't think she will postpone them until next summer. 

 

I think if there's a female headliner next year then Gaga, Miley or Rihanna (if she's active) are probably more likely. Maybe Raye too but that might be a bit of a risk after SZA. 

 

 

So rather than that you think she’ll just appear randomly later in the year?

 

Ive always thought she’ll be back doing Wembley/BST/Spurs next year and will slot in some festivals (and now the Manchester dates)

[sisco]

Hang on, people don’t think FredAgain can headline?! Crikey. 

[mufcok]

I'm convinced Fred will do it, for a number of reasons.

 

Just requested odds with William Hill, is not even on their rather long list.

[fingers_mark]

Fred Again.. can headline any festival in the world at the moment. So, yes, if the timing fits next year, he'll be there. And he'd do something uniquely brillant for it. Headline in 2027? Too early to say. Appreciate the argument above, though.

 

Sam Fender, Harry Styles, Rhianna, Chappell Roan, Raye, Fred Again.. would be the pool for me, bar a maverick turn from a older legend act.

 

 

Edited July 2 by fingers_mark
Typo

[Mcbatesman]

I personally think Fred again is only on after R&L because he is a dance act and the two are actually more co headliners as opposed to headliner and glorified sub, hence both being on the top line of the poster 

[fraybentos1]

1 hour ago, MEGABOWL said:

it’s definitely a possibility. TRNSMT are trying to get her so there must be some chance.

Where did you hear that ?

[Benjsh]

37 minutes ago, sisco said:

So rather than that you think she’ll just appear randomly later in the year?

 

Ive always thought she’ll be back doing Wembley/BST/Spurs next year and will slot in some festivals (and now the Manchester dates)

 

Probably on the way back from the Asia Leg around October. 

 

To postpone an arena show by 13 months is a bit of an insult at over £100 a ticket. Our 3 cost us £336 including fees.

 

I will be getting a refund if it's another year I reckon. 

[Steel city camper]

5 hours ago, Sunday scaries said:

Was curious to see who people were favouring on here but Fred Again? Seriously? Someone with one charting album and one top 10 single who's barely moved up to arenas in this country is, to put it mildly, a reach. SZA played four nights at the O2 last year and she had trouble pulling a big crowd. Playing a 70-minute set at a smaller festival with five co-headliners isn't exactly a slam dunk either, nor are Skrillex or Four Tet in guest spots. Looks far, far more likely for the Other Stage headline slot or maybe second/third on Main.

 

If I had to put money on it, I would say two of Stormzy (who was hanging out this year), Fender, Rodrigo and Florence together with an older, more established name - maybe Sheeran if he has anything out. People always underestimate how huge he is, and he's a Brit so he understands the gravity of the event.

 

Stevie Wonder is a possibility, but he's getting on a bit and doesn't seem to play these shows much anymore. I'd love to see them get Dre and Snoop in personally, but Rihanna or Pink (those 2000s nostalgia acts were huge this year) might be the best fit for size, timing and newness. Pulp probably wouldn't get the nod but they'd pull a far bigger crowd than most of the names people are touting.

If people are thinking fred again then I'll chuck a chase and status in to the mix , plenty of bangers plenty of artists they can wheel out ,they would have that field bouncing , pyramid stage must be the only place in the world that's never played badadan out of its speakers .

[sisco]

29 minutes ago, Benjsh said:

 

Probably on the way back from the Asia Leg around October. 

 

To postpone an arena show by 13 months is a bit of an insult at over £100 a ticket. Our 3 cost us £336 including fees.

 

I will be getting a refund if it's another year I reckon. 

I think she’d know that by now though.  Anyway, guess we’ll find out at some point 

 

Ive still got our 2 tickets, had to buy replacements in London as the little one was so upset by it. 

[Mcbatesman]

I reckon nick cave and the bad seeds will be a other stage headliner though 

[mufcok]

1 hour ago, mufcok said:

I'm convinced Fred will do it, for a number of reasons.

 

Just requested odds with William Hill, is not even on their rather long list.

 

Won't give me odds 🙄

[sisco]

4 minutes ago, Mcbatesman said:

I reckon nick cave and the bad seeds will be a other stage headliner though 

Lots about, them, Biffy, Vampire Weekend, C&S, Charlie Xcx and The Prodigy

Edited July 2 by sisco