Glastonbury Festival announces 2023 line-up
Glastonbury Festival has announced the first line-up for its 2023 edition, with Arctic Monkeys and Guns N’ Roses named as the final two headliners.
Alex Turner and co. are due to top the Pyramid Stage for the third time on Friday, June 23 ahead of GnR making their Worthy Farm debut the following night (June 24). The two bands will join the previously announced Elton John in headlining this year’s event.
Lil Nas X will play in the slot immediately before John, with Lana Del Rey and Wizkid both set to deliver headline performances on the Other Stage (via the Guardian).
Other confirmed acts include Queens of the Stone Age, Lizzo, Lewis Capaldi, The War On Drugs, Chvrches, Christine And The Queens, Thundercat, Carly Rae Jepsen and Manic Street Preachers.
Here is the first Glastonbury Festival 2023 line-up poster, which includes our final two Pyramid Stage headliners: @ArcticMonkeys (Friday) and @gunsnroses (Saturday).
Many more acts and attractions still to be announced. pic.twitter.com/dMnppdSf1U
— Glastonbury Festival (@glastonbury) March 3, 2023
Fifty-three per cent of the 55 names on the initial line-up are male. Back in 2019, Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis promised that she was aiming to ensure “as close to” a 50/50 gender-split as possible.
“I think there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said in 2018 on the strive for gender equality at the festival and in the wider music industry.
Acknowledging this year’s all-male, all-white bill-toppers, Eavis attributed the lack of viable female headliners to an industry “pipeline” problem in an interview with the Guardian.
She explained that Guns N’ Roses were booked after a previously-confirmed female headliner cancelled because she “changed her touring plans”. While she didn’t disclose the act’s name, Eavis said she hoped to secure them within the next five years.
Taylor Swift, who was scheduled to headline the axed Glasto 2020, had been rumoured for this year’s festival before the pop star’s conflicting North American ‘Eras Tour’ ruled her out.
Forty-three percent of the 55 acts confirmed for this summer’s event are non-white, or feature non-white members.
“[We’re] entirely focused on balancing our bill. It’s not just about gender, it’s about every aspect of diversity,” Eavis said. “We’re probably one of the only big shows that’s really focused on this.”
Check out the full list of confirmed artists for Glastonbury 2023 below.
Arctic Monkeys
Guns N’ Roses
Elton John
Lizzo
Aitch
Alison Goldfrapp
Alt-J
Amadou and Mariam
Becky Hill
Blondie
Candi Staton
Carly Rae Jepsen
Cat Burns
Central Cee
Christine And The Queens
Chvrches
Ezra Collective
Fatboy Slim
Fever Ray
Flo
Fred Again
Hot Chip
Joey Bada$$
Kelis
Lana Del Rey
Leftfield
Lewis Capaldi
Lil Nas X
Loyle Carner
Maggie Rogers
Mahalia
Måneskin
Manic Street Preachers
Nova Twins
Phoenix
Queens of the Stone Age
Raye
Rina Sawayama
Royal Blood
Rudimental
Shygirl
Slowthai
Sparks
Stefflon Don
Sudan Archives
Texas
The Chicks
The War on Drugs
Thundercat
Tinariwen
Warpaint
Weyes Blood
Wizkid
Young Fathers
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
Tickets for Glastonbury 2023 sold out last November. General sale tickets were snapped up in one hour, while coach packages went in under 25 minutes. According to organisers, “demand far exceeded supply”.
A resale of any returned tickets is expected to take place in the spring.
The post Glastonbury Festival announces 2023 line-up appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME
