Glastonbury 2024 line-up with epic female headline act after 'sexism' row
Glastonbury Festival has announced the line-up for 2024 with fans reacting to some huge names on the bill this summer.
Dua Lipa is set to headline on the Pyramid Stage alongside Coldplay and Sza while Canadian singer Shania Twain will take the Sunday afternoon Legend's slot this year. LCD Soundsytem, Little Simz, Burna Boy, PJ Harvey, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Kiwanuka, Janelle Monae, Seventeen, Paul Heaton, Keane, Paloma Faith, Olivia Dean and Ayra Starr will also take to the famous stage.
A surprise name among the line-up is Avril Lavigne, bringing a 00s vibe to Worthy Farm alongside the Sugababes and Corinne Bailey Rae. Other big names taking part include Disclosure, Anne-Marie, Camila Cabello, Jessie Ware, Jamie XX and London Grammar.
Reacting to the news of the announcement, Dua Lipa shared her excitement on X - formerly Twitter - as she wrote: "FRIDAY NIGHT PYRAMID STAGE HEADLINE!!!! I have dreamt of this moment all my life. Something that lived only in my wildest dreams and highest manifestations !!! I am so excited to see you all in my favourite place on earth and make it a night to remember!! Thank you @emilyeavis ~ GLASTO 4EVER."
This year will also mark Coldplay's fifth time as headliners, making them the most headlined act ever in the festival's 54-year history. Announcing the news on their official social media page, the band simply tweeted the line-up with a moon and pyramid emoji.
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While Shania Twain will be playing the "legend" slot, which has in the past been occupied by stars such as Kylie Minogue and Diana Ross, on Sunday. Sharing the news with fans, Shania said: "The legends slot at GLASTONBURY 2024 - Another jewel in my crown!! I feel so honoured and so excited about this one! Thinking about what to wear already and tell me, what should we sing together?! Let’s make history with this ultimate dream performance!!"
Speaking on Radio 2, the pop icon added: It's a beautiful feeling. It was never in my mind that I'd ever make it across the border from Canada to go anywhere. It's always been my dream. I'm actually going to Glastonbury!"
Initial reaction to the line-up has been mixed, with some disappointed fans even going so far as to brand it as "the worst line-up the festival has ever had". One tweeted: "Tenth year and by far the worst line up. No wonder there were no leaks." While another commented: "Crikey all other festivals are hands down beating Glastonbury on line up and variety of big music headliners, @iowfestivalblog is better then @glastonbury this year." A third fumed: "Pyramid gets worse every single year. That’s probably the worst set of headliners I’ve ever seen. Thankfully there’s enough across the rest of the lineup."
However, others hit back at the criticism, with one commenting: "Here come the moaners! Give your ticket to someone who appreciates it in the resale!" While another gushed: "Wow, the Glastonbury 2024 line-up is absolutely incredible! So excited to see powerhouse artists like @DUALIPA, @coldplay, and @sza taking the stage. What a testament to the power of persistence, passion, and hard work. Let this be a reminder to never give up on your dreams, no matter how big they may seem. These artists once dreamt of performing at Glastonbury, and now they're headlining. Let's chase our own dreams with the same determination and drive. #Glastonbury2024."
Last year's line-up received rave reviews after Arctic Monkeys closed the Pyramid Stage – their third time topping the bill. Lizzo played immediately before and has joint headline billing on the line-up poster and Sir Elton’s headline slot on Sunday night marked his final UK show of his farewell tour. Saturday night also saw US rockers Guns N’ Roses headline, after the original line-up of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan reunited in 2015.
Glastonbury fans faced the longest wait for a headliner announcement in over 20 years, but with the festival finally confirming the big names heading to Worthy Farm, the 2024 lineup does not disappoint.
Liam Gallagher appeared to self-confirm for Worthy Farm in February ahead of the release of his collaborative album with The Stone Roses guitarist John Squire. "Will we see you and Squire at Glastonbury this summer LG?" A fan asked the Oasis star, to which he replied: "Yeah."
The now-solo artist, who is preparing to embark on a sold-out tour in support of his new record with Squire, has been known to tease his fans in the past and so it was unclear whether the confirmation was accurate at the time.
Earlier this month, Uptown Girl singer Billy Joel had the odds of him appearing at the June gigs slashed, after revealing he is releasing his first single for 17 years. The 74-year-old star made a surprise announcement that he will release new track Turn the Lights Back On on February 1, which he has co-written with Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez’s songwriters.
Missing dog walker 'fell into river' as police say disappearance not suspiciousIt will be Billy’s second single since 1993, and the singer is playing a string of live dates over the summer, following his headline slot at British Summer Time Hyde Park last year.
He was at 7/2 to perform at Glasto, which takes place at the end of June, ahead of his Cardiff gig in August. Dua Lipa was also named as the favourite to be a headliner at the event, as were Coldplay, and Madonna. Billy said earlier this month: “We got a little something we’re working on you might hear sometime.”
Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis had previously denied claims in Instagram post that Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and Madonna were headlining the 2024 festival. Back in November, she released a statement which read: “As always, there is much speculation and excitement about who is playing at Glastonbury. We are working on the line-up day and night at the moment, but it’s still changing every day. The story about our confirmed headliners is untrue. As always, we love your enthusiasm and guesswork – but accurate news on headliners will be with you sometime in the new year."
Late last year, fans were left reeling after ticket sales were pulled hours before release and delayed by two weeks "out of fairness" to certain customers who did not realise their registration had expired. Some older profiles had been suddenly deleted prior to release, with people claimed they had not been made aware of the problem. Tickets for 2024 cost £355, plus a £5 booking fee. Registration was re-opened for a week before tickets were released on November 19. However, ticket site errors left fans furious as 200,000 tickets to the event at Worthy Farm were snapped up in less than an hour.
Glastonbury previously came under fire as all four headliners – Arctic Monkeys, Guns N' Roses and Elton John, with Yusuf / Cat Stevens performing in the Legends slot – were male. Addressing the lack of female headliners last year, Eavis said: “I’ve always been really passionate about gender split [on festival lineups] and I think, actually, our problem was that I’d been so outspoken about it that having a year when there wasn’t a female sent people a bit mad - or some people. And we did have a female - she pulled out and we replaced them with Guns N’ Roses. But everyone knows that it’s top of my list.
“It is difficult with female artists because there aren’t enough headliners. But we’re also creating them. We’re putting the bands and female artists on smaller stages and bringing them through all the time. And who knows? Next year we might get two. And certainly, I can say that the legend is female.”
Glastonbury 2024 will take place at Worthy Farm Somerset from Wednesday 26 June until Sunday 30 June.