Summer festivals would not be as exciting without several months to speculate about which artists will take the stage this year. At Festileaks we always keep an eye out for rumours. In this article, we ask ourselves: who will we see at Glastonbury 2021?
2020 is forcing us to stay home, as festivals around the world are cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic. In March, the Glastonbury organisation announced the cancellation of the 2020 edition. But here at Festileaks, we like to look forward and think about when summer festivals will return. Who will headline Glastonbury 2021?
This is the list of the main rumours (in random order).
Headliners of Glastonbury 2020
We can safely assume that Glastonbury’s first priority is to move its 2020 line-up to next year. Therefore, the biggest rumours are the artists who were supposed to headline this year’s edition. Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar have not announced any rescheduled shows for 2021 yet, but this may still happen. On the other hand, Paul McCartney confirmed that he will not reschedule his tour, so he is most likely out.
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are back! Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett’s virtual project will perform at Primavera Sound 2021, and more shows will likely follow. The English band currently release new music every month. For the Song Machine project, Gorillaz have collaborated with acts like slowthai, Slaves, Skepta and Peter Hook. Hopefully some of these guests will also join them on stage!
Coldplay
Normally, a new Coldplay album would be followed by a tour around Europe. However, after the release of Everyday Life in November 2019, the English band announced they would only consider touring when this is possible in a climate-friendly way. On the Belgian radio, frontman Chris Martin confirmed that they expect this to take at least 18 months. This means 2021 would be a great year for a return to Glastonbury!
Lady Gaga
Admittedly, Lady Gaga has never really played European festivals before. However, after the huge success of A Star Is Born, we can’t help but hope that there’s a first time for everything. The movie was partly shot at Glastonbury Festival, so Lady Gaga does know what it’s like to perform on those legendary grounds. With new album Chromatica out since May 2020, will we see the superstar headline festivals in 2021?
Eminem
Eminem was a rumour for 2020 already. After releasing a surprise album in January, there were many reasons why we hoped a tour would follow. With the coronavirus pandemic preventing all shows this year, we will never find out if the superstar rapper meant to come back this summer. However, it is very much possible that Eminem will announce a series of festivals for 2021 instead.
Muse
In a recent interview with NME, Matt Bellamy spoke about the band’s future plans. The Muse frontman confirmed that they’re likely to start recording a new record in 2021. Depending on the coronavirus restrictions, the English rockers will then start touring again. The question is whether this will be next summer, or the year after.
Glastonbury 2021
Glastonbury Festival is the most legendary festival in Europe. Around the end of June, the Worthy Farm welcomes over 200,000 festivalgoers for five days of music, performing arts and bad weather. Even though Glastonbury is one of the biggest events in Europe, it always sells out within minutes, which says a lot about the quality of the festival. The countless different stages mean there is always something to choose from. You can see the world’s biggest headliners, discover local talent, engage in political discussions, visit a comedy show or greet the sunrise near Glastonbury’s mythical stone circle. Every festival fan should visit this festival at least once.
- Location: Pilton, Somerset, United Kingdom.
- Date: 23-27 June 2021.
- Tickets: on sale in early October.
- For more information, visit the official website.