Bombay Bicycle Club bring out Damon Albarn as surprise guest during Glastonbury set

28 June, 2024

Bombay Bicycle Club and Damon Albarn. Credit: Roberto Finizio and Theo Wargo via GETTY

Bombay Bicycle Club have brought out Damon Albarn during their Glastonbury 2024 set as a surprise guest.

The Blur frontman came out during the band’s performance of ‘Heaven’. “This next song is from the new record and I feel like it sums up this whole weekend very nicely,” Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman told the crowd before jumping into the song.

“Glastonbury, give it up for Mr. Damon Albarn right now,” Steadman announced before Albarn joined him during the second verse of ‘Heaven’.

They then performed a cover of Blur’s 1999 track ‘Tender’. Prior to singing the song, Albarn took a moment to speak about the ongoing war in Palestine and encouraging the crowd to vote next week.

Earlier today (June 28) it was rumoured that Albarn would be joining Steadman and co during their set at the Worthy Farm festival. NME heard the rumour in the media area that the band would be joined by someone from an act that has headlined multiple times.

Fuel was further added to the flames when Radio X‘s Sunta Templeton asked the band whether any guests would make a special appearance for their performance. Guitarist Jamie McColl reportedly replied: “There is, but we can’t say who I’m afraid!”, further confirming the guest would be someone from their most recent album ‘My Big Day‘.

The only collaborator from the album who had headlined Glasto multiple times would be the Blur frontman, who last performed at the festival with the band in 2009. It would potentially be the band’s last ever appearance at the festival after Albarn announced it was “time to wrap up” Blur’s reign last December.

Elsewhere, there has been speculation of a secret Coldplay show at a local venue in Glastonbury. The band are due to headline Worthy Farm, and fans think they may play a warm-up show at the Cheese & Grain in Frome after large stage trucks and the band’s gear was spotted at the venue.

However, SomersetLive reports that the band are simply rehearsing there. The venue has also issued a statement, revealing: “We are receiving a large number of enquiries about the potential of a secret Glastonbury show at the venue. We can unequivocally state that there will be no events at all taking place at the Cheese & Grain until Sunday’s screening of England’s Round of 16 game in the UEFA EURO 2024.

Bombay Bicycle Club photographed by Tom Oxley

“To those lucky enough to be making the trip to Glastonbury Festivals over the weekend, we hope you have an incredible time and drink lots of water!”

There are a number of other secret sets on site at Glastonbury throughout the weekend, with Kasabian tipped as favourite to fill the TBA slot on Woodsies on Saturday.

The gates to Glastonbury 2024 opened yesterday (Wednesday June 26), ahead of a weekend of music from the likes of headliners Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA, alongside Shania Twain’s legends slot and performances from LCD Soundsystem, PJ Harvey, Little Simz, Burna Boy, Idles, Anne-Marie, Confidence Man, Disclosure, Camila Cabello, The Last Dinner Party, Avril Lavigne, The National, Jessie Ware, Jungle, Justice, Masego, Sugababes and countless more. Check out the full line-up here. 

Meanwhile, here are the worst clashes to expect this year, as well as the latest weather forecasts for Glastonbury 2024.

Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos, rumours and more from Glastonbury 2024. Check out the NME liveblog here for all the latest Glastonbury action as it happens. 

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