Glastonbury Festival 2016 is 80% sorted, declares Emily Eavis.
Emily – who is the daughter of founder Michael Eavis and co-organiser of the annual music event – says all three headliners for the festival have been confirmed.
She said: “Two out of three are confirmed in writing and one is verbally confirmed. One of the headliners I shook hands on at this year’s festival, so that was the first confirmation of 2016. We are incredibly lucky to have such great headliners for next year, it couldn’t be any bigger.”
And with that, the guessing game begins. Here are the bookies’ odds and our verdict on the rumoured acts so far:
Coldplay
They have been prime candidates for a while, they have a Glasto-shaped hole in their 2016 schedule and Chris Martin pretty much let slip on Radio 1 recently the band will be headlining. We’d say that’s enough evidence.
The band’s new album A Head Full of Dreams, their seventh studio record, is out December 4 and rumoured to be their last for a while, so Worthy Farm would be the perfect hiatus gig.
It was announced this week Barack Obama features on the new record in a clip singing ‘Amazing Grace’, so perhaps if the President fancied popping on his wellies and greeting the crowd on the Pyramid Stage, he’ll be most welcome. After all, the Dalai Lama popped his Glasto cherry this year.
Bookies’ odds – slashed
JOE says: YES, Coldplay will perform (Obama won’t)
Radiohead
They’re a firm favourite of the Eavis family and are well-accustomed to the Pyramid stage after headlining in 1997 in what has been hailed as one of the best Glastonbury performances ever.
Thom Yorke and co. had just released their epochal ‘OK Computer’ and those who witnessed it discuss its profound effect. Albeit I wasn’t present, but I was there for their secret gig at The Park stage in 2010 which failed to live up to the totemic gig I was expecting
Sure, some fully grown men were crying, but many do after a couple of days trudging around the farm.
Bookies’ odds: 40/1
JOE says: More likely if Stone Roses hadn’t come into the fold
The Stone Roses
With four sold-out nights booked at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium next summer, it’s clear they (or their bank manager) won’t stop at the top of the M1.
Ian Brown’s pipes aren’t the strongest these days, especially on an outdoor stage (we found that out in Finsbury Park in 2013), but this is Glastonbury.
Just like The Rolling Stones before they played their momentous headline show in 2015, the iconic band have never experienced playing on the Pyramid stage. They cancelled their headline slot in 1995 and so they need to play now.
‘This is the one, this is the one, this is the ooooooooonnne, oh this is the one!’
Bookies’ odds: 4/1
JOE says: Highly likely, unless Mani goes mental
Prince
Will he, won’t he? It’s getting as ridiculous as a ‘whodunnit’ plot. It’s widely believed the purple one refused to sign a contract, only verbally agreeing, only to get p*ssed off and pull out…resulting in The Who having to be drafted in in the eleventh hour.
There aren’t many music legends left to play Glastonbury and so it would would be f**king awesome if he did, but unfortunately with each passing year it’s looking less and less likely. Prince likes to manage and control his gigs from start to finish, one thing he’d hate is the BBC getting a ‘free’ gig out of him.
Bookies’ odds: 40/1
JOE says: If the Pilton pigs start flying, maybe…
Rihanna
Beyonce had the great unwashed attempting the double stank leg to Run The World when she headlined in 2011, with the amount of hits RiRi has in the locker, she’ll have no problem ensuring the same.
She’s sure to bring some controversy, much as Kanye did this year when the crusties argued there was no room for hip-hop at the festival. Whatever; she’d kill it. Everyone would be curious to take a look – even if they did leg it up to The Park halfway through.
Bookies’ odds – 40/1
JOE says – More likely than Prince, less likely than Roses, and as long as Taylor Swift hasn’t been approached.
David Bowie
The British icon will release Blackstar on his 69th birthday in January but he has no plans to return to the stage, ever.
Bookies odds: N/A
JOE says: Never going to happen although we’d die if it did.
