Glastonbury Festival is set to make a triumphant return this year, with the likes of The 1975, Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo headlining – but there’s still a mystery act on the bill
Has Glastonbury Festival’s secret act accidentally been revealed? Music fans certainly think so. An American rock legend arriving in London just days ahead of things kicking off at Worthy Farm has people convinced the singer’s band is set to play the hush-hush set.
The iconic music festival is returning on Wednesday, with British pop band The 1975, folk star Neil Young and his band the Chrome Hearts, and US pop singer Olivia Rodrigo topping the bill.
Glastonbury is running from June 25 to June 29 this year with performances from the likes of US rapper Doechii, UK singer Raye and veteran rocker Sir Rod Stewart, who will be playing during the coveted legends slot. Also performing is Irish rap trio Kneecap, US star Gracie Abrams and alternative pop singer Charli XCX.
The line-up features a number of acts listed as TBA, as well as a mysterious act called Patchwork, who will take to the Pyramid Stage on Saturday.
Careful not to draw speculation as to who the act could be, organiser Emily Eavis recently said: “I’ve been working on Patchwork for a long time.” She also admitted that planning for their appearance had taken about a year for “logistical” reasons.
Fans are convinced Patchwork are in fact The Foo Fighters, thanks to Dave Grohl being spotted in London recently. The rocker, who last year announced he had become a father again after an extramarital affair, was seen backstage at the Yeah Yeah Yeahs gig at the Royal Albert Hall.
Grohl, who posed for a photo with American singer Amanda Palmer at the gig, is no stranger to surprise Glastonbury sets. In 2023, his band performed at the Somerset festival under the alias The Churn Ups – their first major UK gig since the death of the band’s drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022.
And Glastonbury fans are convinced a similar thing will be happening again this year. “Dave Grohl is in London, likely will be at the festival,” one Reddit user penned as the pictures of Grohl hit social media. “Has done bits with John Fogerty in the past and other acts. Surely will be popping up at places this year?”
Another added: “100% he will be milling about – I’d say a couple of guest appearances are a safe bet. Maybe Alanis for a song or Neil Young for an encore.”
Glastonbury Festival has sold “a few thousand less tickets” this year in a bid to avoid overcrowding, organiser Emily Eavis said earlier this month.
In an appearance on the Sidetracked podcast Eavis, 45, outlined the changes that have been made to this year’s festival and said music area Shangri-La is “going full trees and green space” which is “completely the opposite to anything they’ve done in the past”.
She also revealed that the festival has managed to buy some land that sits “just on the outside of the site”, which will be used for crew members. She added: “We’ve also sold a few thousand less tickets, so it will be interesting just to see how that affects the dynamics on site.”
The first group of tickets for the event sold out in 30 minutes last November, with the second lot selling out in fewer than 40. Eavis said times have changed, adding: “There were years where you just couldn’t sell out, you just couldn’t give them (the tickets) away.”
Also at the festival, presenters Annie Mac and Nick Grimshaw will take to the BBC Introducing stage on June 26 for a live episode of Sidetracked.
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