Ignore The Killjoys, Glastonbury 2024 Could Be One Of The Best Yet
During an interview with Zane Lowe at Glastonbury in 2007, Manic Street Preachers’ frontman James Dean Bradfield discussed the difference between the experience at Worthy Farm to other festivals in Europe, stating: “It’s like the big spaceship at the end of Independence Day, it just dwarfs everything.” I have a sneaking suspicion that many of the detractors and critics of this year’s line-up announcement will most likely never have set foot on the festival’s hallowed grounds. If they did, it would not take them long to realise how much of an absurdly redundant exercise it is to judge Glastonbury almost solely on the supposed “quality” of its three primary headliners. There’s so much to experience, beyond the hundreds of acts performing across the weekend. If the motto of FC Barcelona is “Més que un club” (More than a club), then Glastonbury is more than a music festival.
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It’s particularly sad then that even though there are still tons of acts yet to be announced, people have been quick to brand it as the worst line-up ever. In truth, it doesn’t even come close. Take 2008’s iteration of the festival for example, where acts on the Pyramid Stage included James Blunt, Shakin’ Stevens, Neil Diamond and John Mayer. A total beige fest, and that’s before you even get to the hideously dull headliners. Kings of Leon, once a thrilling live entity before entering the laboriously empty bombast of their ‘Only by the Night’ era, failed to entertain and a reformed The Verve delivered a limp, by the numbers set that included only twelve songs. Jay-Z’s performance – while significant from a cultural perspective – hasn’t aged particularly well either and I always found his Noel Gallagher mocking introduction a little too cringey.
Admittedly that was a long time ago, so let’s rewind instead to last year, where the BBC showcased something completely unfit for televisual consumption: the ailing sight of Axl Rose conducting a mechanical, sexless and painful slog across Guns N’ Roses’ back catalogue. You could quite feasibly have used it as a convincing two hour argument for the complete disassembly of rock. It appears many have short memories.
Neil McCormick wrote a well argued piece in The Telegraph about how the lack of rock acts betrays the festival’s roots. This isn’t necessarily completely untrue, however the issue is that rock music simply isn’t at the forefront of popular culture anymore, and this has been the case for a long time now. With so many big bands being either in between album cycles or well past their sell-by date, the only way Emily Eavis could ensure the genre was more clearly represented would be to book a whole host of legacy acts, and nobody wants that.
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So, the idea that Glastonbury has abandoned its rock heritage doesn’t feel totally accurate, especially when some of the most exciting rock acts of the moment are playing the festival. In February, The Last Dinner Party released the finest debut album in the genre for about 20 years. Adorned with grandiose but gorgeous arrangements, sharp, infectious songs of love and lust and a proper guitar hero in the way of Emily Roberts, the band are a perfect fit for such an occasion. Meanwhile, the Other Stage will see IDLES headline, perhaps the last decade’s biggest band. Add in alternative rock legends The National and you have yourselves one hell of a triumvirate that’s difficult to argue with.
The unfairly maligned headliners will all offer something distinctly different, which will cater to most tastes. If you fancy a flurry of sugar coated hits and slick, glitter ball disco bangers, you have Dua Lipa. Yes, Coldplay’s recent work is utter tosh and they haven’t written a half decent batch of songs in over 15 years, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still a great live band with a generation’s worth of festival ready anthems. The reception SZA receives may entirely depend on how successfully she’s able to transfer her remarkable ‘SOS’ live shows to the comparatively restrictive Pyramid Stage. However, if she does pull it off, I’m certain she will surprise those who have doubted her credentials as a legitimate headliner. That being said, if you do wish to bathe in a wealth of nostalgia and guilty pleasures, the likes of Bloc Party, Shania Twain and Avril Lavigne should have you sufficiently covered.
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Of course, amidst the ongoing cost of living crisis, there are genuine concerns about punters not getting enough bang for their buck, which is understandable. But for those who are still on the fence and planning to bag a ticket in the resale, just do it. Personally, I can’t wait to stumble through Shangri La in a hallucinogen-like haze as I question the reality of my own existence, unearth the legendary secret sets and sites and sample the euphoric raves of Arcadia. I could go on. During my numerous visits over the years, I’ve not once felt remotely short changed – regardless of who was scheduled to play – and I’m sure that if you embark on the pilgrimage to Glastonbury this year, you won’t either. As James Dean Bradfield stated in 2007, “Nothing else compares to it”, so don’t let your boomer uncle on Facebook deter you from going because he doesn’t have a clue who SZA is.
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Words: Luke Winstanley
