“We wanted to, but they weren’t interested”: Pulp are not one of the ‘secret’ acts playing Glastonbury

It seems that Pulp are NOT among the acts who are playing secret sets at Glastonbury this coming weekend.

That was confirmed by keyboard player Candida Doyle who, when interviewed by BBC 6 Music said that it wasn’t happening. “We wanted to,” she said. “Just because it’s the 30th anniversary and that kind of thing, and they weren’t interested.”

“And then we were thinking maybe next year, and then they’re not doing it next year,” she mentioned, referring to the festival taking a fallow year in 2026.

Pulp - Common People (Glastonbury 1995) - YouTube

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Previously, Jarvis Cocker had appeared nonchalant about performing at this year’s festival. In April when interviewed by Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2 that Pulp would only do it “in a life or death situation.”

“I will be going to Glastonbury, and I might DJ,” he told Mills. “Well, you know, I do occasionally DJ at Glastonbury in a place called Stone Bridge near the Park Stage. I will be happy to see what is going on there.”

When pressed by the DJ on whether Pulp would play, Cocker said: “I don’t think that’s going to happen. If it was a life-or-death situation, but I really don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Pulp, of course, have history with Glastonbury. In 1995 they replaced the Stone Roses as headliners at the eleventh hour after John Squire broke a collarbone and pulled off one of the memorable Glastonbury sets. They also headlined in 1998 and in 2011 were one of the ‘secret’ acts at that year’s festival, which gave credence to the current speculation about whether they would fulfil that role once more.

But not this year, it seems.