With Glastonbury already sold out for next year, attention now inevitably turns to who will be the three headliners on the main Pyramid stage in 2027?
Among the names bandied about for those three slots are Sam Fender, Taylor Swift, Fontaines DC, Bon Jovi, Harry Styles, The Rolling Stones, Kraftwerk and Ed Sheeran.
As yet we know it’s definitely not Madonna – Emily Eavis ruled her out in an interview in August. Oasis too appear to have ruled themselves out, with Liam Gallagher tweeting recently that "it's not happening".
But Kraftwerk could be a possibility. They have never played the festival before and even if just Ralf Hutter remains from the ‘classic’ line-up, would be a considerable draw. Intriguingly, there is a Glastonbury-shaped gap in their schedule next June and they have announced two large UK gigs in the week before the festival in Halifax (22 June) and Cardiff (23 June).
Harry Styles too has a gap in his schedule for Glastonbury weekend next year, though it should be said that the festival and Styles hardly need each other – both are capable of selling out in next to no time.
A more likely contender is Bon Jovi. They too have never played Pilton, have an ample festival-friendly back catalogue which feels ripe for reinvestigation by the hipster class. Plus they have a date in Hyde Park on the Thursday before the festival so they’ll be in the country anyway. However, it could well be that they're already pencilled in for the Sunday ‘legends’ slot.
Then there’s Sam Fender. One of the biggest artists in the UK and an all-round good egg, he would be a snug fit for the festival and its ethos. You’d think that at least one of the three headlining slots would be given to a female artist, so could it be that Rihanna finally makes good on the age old rumours that she’s finally going to play Glastonbury? Or possibly Chappell Roan? Or Raye?
Doubtless while these possibilities and permutations are being debated online and in the media, the festival team and the respective agents are getting down to the business of dotting the i‘s and crossing the t’s on the relevant contracts. We will all find out in the fullness of time - watch this space...
