Glastonbury Festival: The Evolution of a Musical Extravaganza
By Lettice Bromovsky and Matthew Lodge
19:44 14 Mar 2024, updated 20:36 14 Mar 2024
Hundreds of thousands of people would have woken up this morning with full anticipation at one of the biggest events in the musical year – the announcement of the Glastonbury Festival line-up.
Every year, the organisers of Britain’s biggest music festival unveil the artists who will entertain as many as 200,000 people at Worthy Farm in Somerset, as well as millions watching on TV.
While some fans have slammed this year’s line-up as ’embarrassing’ and admitted they don’t recognize some of the top names being billed, that hasn’t always been the case.
2024
This year’s headliners were announced this morning as being British pop sensation Dua Lipa, rockers Coldplay and American R&B star SZA, while country legend Shania Twain will take the legendary Sunday slot.
Some fans were left disappointed by the line-up, especially after rumors were flying around that Madonna was set to make a long-awaited appearance at the festival.
However, there are other big names set to turn up in her absence, including LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Kiwanuka, as well as Brit-winning rapper Little Simz and K-pop band Seventeen.
2023
In one of the most eagerly anticipated developments in recent Glastonbury history, Elton John was announced as the Sunday headliner in 2023 in what would turn out to be his final performance on UK soil.
He was joined at the top of the bill by Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys who were making their third appearance at the festival, as well as American rock band Guns N’ Roses.
2022
The first Glastonbury festival held after the Covid pandemic saw a true culture clash as two of America’s top acts competed with British music royalty for top billing.
Billie Eilish headlined the Pyramid Stage at just 20 years old after a meteoric rise to fame with her distinctive brand of pop, while her compatriot Kendrick Lamar brought his style of West Coast rap to sleepy Somerset on the Sunday.
But the pair were still upstaged by the effervescent Paul McCartney, who spent hours entertaining the crowd on Saturday night with classics and newer material alike – as well as special appearances from Dave Grohl and Bruce Springsteen.
2020
Before Covid put paid to two years of Glastonbury in a row, 2020 looked set to be one of the best line-ups so far.
The legendary Paul McCartney and American rapper Kendrick Lamar were both slated to headline, but they would have to wait two years for their chance as the festival took an enforced break until 2022.
But the biggest missed opportunity was a potentially iconic headline performance by Taylor Swift, who was down to perform on the Pyramid Stage.
Unfortunately, the pandemic put an end to that as the event was cancelled, and the world’s biggest pop star has not been penciled in to return so far.
2019
The last Glastonbury Festival before Covid, 2019, saw history made as London rapper Stormzy became the first black male solo artist to headline Britain’s biggest music festival.
He was joined by Las Vegas rockers The Killers, who delighted the crowd with their Brit-inspired tunes, including Mr Brightside, on Saturday night.
British rock band The Cure headlined the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday, while Kylie Minogue stunned everyone with an enchanting performance in the legend’s slot.
2017
Two years later than planned, Foo Fighters tore the stage down with a barnstorming performance on the Pyramid Stage in 2017, after their mooted appearance in 2015 was curtailed by an injury to lead singer Dave Grohl.
The Washington band were bookended by British rockers Radiohead and Ed Sheeran, who headlined on his very first appearance at Worthy Farm.
Meanwhile, there were tears aplenty when Barry Gibb amazed the crowd with 15 legendary songs from the Bee Gees catalog, including romantic ballads and disco hits alike.
2016
During their 20-year career, Muse has appeared at Glastonbury five times, with their most recent performance taking place in 2016, where they headlined on Friday night.
They were joined by some of the biggest names in British music that weekend, as Adele and Coldplay also headlined the Pyramid Stage.
This year’s edition of the festival went down in infamy as being one of the muddiest ever, as torrential rain turned the farm into a boggy swamp.
2015
The surprise announcement of Lionel Richie as Sunday teatime legend helped sell the festival out in its 45th year.
The Foo Fighters were due to headline the festival, but Dave Grohl broke his leg and Florence And The Machine deputized.
The self-proclaimed ‘greatest rock star on the planet’ Kanye West was among the headliners.
2014
2014 was the year of four headliners: Arcade Fire, Metallica, Kasabian, and of course, Dolly Parton, in her first-ever appearance at the festival.
It was also a year of record-breaking both in front of and behind the scenes.
It saw a record ticket sell-out in October 2013, and a production record for Pyramid changeover, taking in Friday’s Arcade Fire lighting spectacular, Metallica’s Saturday mighty sub bass, and Sunday’s anthemic closeout from returning heroes Kasabian.
Another record was set by the BBC’s viewing and listening figures, both at home and abroad.
2013
The Rolling Stones made their first-ever appearance at Glastonbury Festival in 2013, and it was also the year of the Arctic Monkeys, who played an exclusive UK set on the Friday night featuring their new album.
Mumford & Sons played to a huge crowd, just four years after starting their career playing to an audience of 50 at the Greenpeace Airport Lounge. By the end of 2013, their set closer, a rendition of the Beatles’ ‘A Little Help From My Friends’, became the only music video to make the YouTube year-end Top Ten.
Festival-goers also got to witness the incredible flame-spewing Phoenix that sat on top of the Pyramid stage, a contraption designed by artist Joe Rush from the Mutoid Waste Company.
2011
As 2012 would be a fallow year, tickets for this year’s festival sold out on the first day.
Friday night’s headline Pyramid performance by U2 was almost ruined by the rain, but Bono and his band tore through a powerful, career-spanning set, drowning out the weather with a barrage of crowd-pleasers.
Beyoncé also graced the stage to the adoration of thousands of fans as the headline act for the Pyramid.
2010
Glastonbury celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2010, visually recognized by two giant dates on either side of the Pyramid stage and a Hollywood-style display of letters that spelled out ‘Glastonbury 40’.
Gorillaz filled the Friday night Pyramid headline slot with grooves and guests, following U2’s enforced cancellation. Stevie Wonder brought the festival to a close on Sunday night.
Two new areas were created in the late-night corner of the festival – The Common and the Unfair Ground.
2009
Lily Allen, Dizzee Rascal, Florence And The Machine, The Boss, Tom Jones, and Tony Christie were among the highlights this year.
But it was hard to top the reunited Blur’s return to Glastonbury, hailed as the best Pyramid set in an age.
The Fire Tusk Pain Proof Circus brought the classic thrill-seekers’ circus show into the 21st century with awe-inspiring extreme stunts.
2008
After two years of mud and rain, Glastonbury 2008 bounced back with a weekend of fine weather.
This was the year of controversy over the inclusion of rap megastar Jay-Z as Saturday night’s headline act, but Jay-Z disproved the naysayers with an enormous and witty performance.
The Kings of Leon headlined on the Friday night, and a Verve reunion sent shivers down the spine on Sunday night. Amy Winehouse was also a top artist.
2007
This year saw the introduction of Emily Eavis’s Park Stage, bringing a whole new section of the festival site to life.
The Arctic Monkeys played their first Glastonbury set, headlining the Pyramid Stage on the Friday night, and The Who pulled out all the stops as the final band on Sunday.
2005
This year saw two months’ worth of rain in just a few hours, leaving many festivalgoers swamped.
Michael Eavis made a very rare appearance on the Pyramid Stage with Bob Geldof.
Greenpeace, Oxfam, and WaterAid worked together, declaring ‘…this year, let’s make poverty history and clean energy our future…’ A remarkable £1,350,000 was paid to charities and good causes.
The top acts were Basement Jaxx, White Stripes, Magic Numbers, Coldplay, and The Belly Dance Superstars.
2004
Leading the way in 2004 were Paul McCartney, Muse, and Oasis, drawing in 150,000 people in attendance.
This year saw a record demand for tickets, frustrated many who did not get one.
It was also the year of The Tower – a massive 70 ft tall moving structure erected adjacent to Leftfield to celebrate working together.
2003
This year, tickets sold out in under 24 hours, making it the fastest-selling Glastonbury Festival to date.
Much-appreciated music acts included acts like Love with Arthur Lee, Damien Rice, De la Soul, and Flaming Lips.
The festival also featured the incredible flame-spewing Phoenix that sat on top of the Pyramid stage, designed by artist Joe Rush from the Mutoid Waste Company.
