The Glastonbury Festival 2024 lineup was an absolute disaster. There, I said it. I was in the crowd when Dua Lipa set the Pyramid Stage ablaze with her crowd-pleasers, and don’t get me wrong the 29-year-old Houdini hit-maker is a superstar. Her songs are solid, enjoyable, and well-loved. She’s also hugely famous, giving her just enough credibility to be deserving of the Glastonbury headliner title, which is not a privilege many artists can attain.
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But she’s not a band and that’s where the issue lies for me. A band needs that top spot to capture the essence of what Glastonbury Festival is truly about. I believe that no solo artist can ever measure up to it. The most memorable moments in Glastonbury’s history haven’t been about perfect vocal performances or dazzling dance routines. They’ve come from timeless anthems by legendary bands.
I’m talking about Blur’s legendary set at sunset in 1994 when they headlined the NME stage (now the Other Stage) before eventually reaching Pyramid Stage status in 1998 and 2009. Just a few opening guitar notes were enough to assure everyone in the crowd that they were exactly where they needed to be that evening.
Glastonbury Festival’s Legendary Performances: A Call for Iconic Bands
Or take the Foo Fighters in 2017 two decades after they’d last played there with the full band still alive and united before Taylor Hawkins’ passing in 2022. After Dave Grohl’s almost acoustic version of Times Like These, the festival exploded into a frenzy of head-banging as the rest of the band emerged from the shadows to complete what was a legendary performance.
Radiohead’s turbulent set in 1997, when every piece of equipment failed which they later admitted was the ‘worst night of their lives’ but which went down in history as a musical tour de force. They didn’t lean on the comforts of a catchy chorus but soared on the strength of every musical element echoing out across the field.
These performances soar when the guitar solos from band members strike like endless bolts of atmospheric lightning. That’s the essence of Glastonbury. I’ve only been to Glastonbury Festival once this year, after what feels like my entire adult life of trying and failing to snag tickets. It was amazing, but my first disappointment hit when I saw the uninspiring lineup.
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Disappointment at Glastonbury Festival 2025: A Call for Iconic Headliners
I’d hoped for those epic Pyramid Stage moments I’d rewatched countless times online to come to life – but they didn’t. I honestly can’t recall any spine-tingling moments from Dua Lipa but watching Black Pumas, Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes), and the powerful LCD Soundsystem, there they were.
By the end of my four days in the legendary fields of southwest England, my mind was made up. Aside from Shania Twain who gave a shaky but entertaining Sunday afternoon set to a massive crowd, there were no true icons. Sure, Coldplay packed the field, but they’ve also headlined the festival more than anyone else. How uninspired.
SZA was an unfortunate choice, as she was thrust into the headliner slot and drew only a modest crowd, through no fault of her own. While Glastonbury Festival organizer Emily Eavis backed her for her undeniable skill, she can’t expect the country to suddenly follow suit and feel the same enthusiasm. It wasn’t fair to ticket holders who secured those coveted passes with the expectation of an unbeatable lineup.
The Need for Authenticity: Reviving Band Culture at Glastonbury
It certainly wasn’t fair to SZA, who likely gazed out over the sparse crowd with a sinking feeling in her gut. I’d argue that some of our country’s most iconic acts are bands like The Cure, and timeless legends like Fleetwood Mac and The Rolling Stones, who are still performing and going strong. We should be making the most of them.
Of course, there are countless stages with fantastic acts if the headliners aren’t hitting the mark. But every headliner should be generating a Glastonbury-level excitement enough of a buzz to justify the festival’s broadcast worldwide. I’m sorry, but Dua’s set felt more like her own concert than a part of Glastonbury history. Glastonbury Festival 2025: Olivia Rodrigo and Ed Sheeran Rumored as Headliners.
It wasn’t the immersive spectacle that band members riffing off each other on stage can create. The irreplaceable musical chemistry that happens with a lineup of three, four, or five remarkable musicians. Dua delivering her pop hits with a flashy backdrop, a crowd of dancers, and pulsing lights didn’t feel in tune with Glastonbury’s essence.
So, I say: Bring back the bands like The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, and Fleetwood Mac, who craft music on stage and innovate with it live. Not just singing to a backing track. To give credit where it’s due, the standout performance of 2024 was LCD Soundsystem at sunset on the Pyramid Stage. It’s a band that speaks sparingly but delivers powerful emotions.
Revitalizing Glastonbury: A Call for Band-Driven Performances
The guitar chords of their song Oh Baby drifted out into the crowd like a warm breeze, while the extended, wordless intro to All My Friends sent chills before the song even fully began. We need more from the Glastonbury Festival. I want to hear gritty guitar solos, pounding piano keys, and the feeling that music not just chart-toppers is what truly matters here.
Perhaps our current music scene is to blame. Increasingly, we seem to fixate on solo artists these days like Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, Harry Styles, and Sabrina Carpenter rather than embracing the thrill of a band in perfect sync, moving and evolving together on stage. Enough of the popstar worship, I say.
Bring me Fleetwood Mac, The Rolling Stones, Evanescence, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kings of Leon, Electric Light Orchestra, The Cure, Radiohead, and Bon Jovi as headliners in the coming years. So my message to Emily Eavis is this: there are truly headline-worthy bands out there who aren’t Coldplay. We should be putting them in Glastonbury Festival’s top slots. The spirit of the festival depends on it.
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