23 June 2023 , 10:41
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Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed the Arctic Monkeys will headline the Pyramid Stage on Friday after their set was thrown into question earlier this week.
The rock band announced on Monday that frontman Alex Turner had acute laryngitis which forced them to cancel their show in Marlay Park, Dublin, on Wednesday.
Broadcasting from the grounds of the festival at Worthy Farm, Zoe Ball asked during her BBC Radio 2 show if the band were still set to play, and Eavis replied “they’re on”, which was welcomed with applause.
“It was a little bit close there for a minute and we were thinking about whether we should have a serious back-up plan in place, but no, thankfully they’re on, so that’s great,” she added.
It will be the Sheffield band’s third time headlining the festival after topping the bill on 2007 and 2013.
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The group are currently on a world tour with venues in Europe, the US, Canada and Mexico lined up across the next few months.
Since the start of the year, they have performed hits across Australia, Asia and the UK from their back catalogue including I Wanna Be Yours, 505 and Do I Wanna Know?
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has given some exciting updates about this weekend's surprise performances (GETTY)They performed three shows at the Emirates stadium in London from Friday to Sunday last week before they had to announce that Turner was under doctor’s orders to rest.
Eavis also appeared to accidentally confirm rumours that Rick Astley and Blossoms will play a secret set this weekend.
When asked about if their set was confirmed, she said: “Yep” before catching herself and asking if the show was being broadcast live.
The other major rumour of the day is in relation to a mystery band named The Churnups who are listed to perform ahead of rock duo Royal Blood and Arctic Monkeys, with speculation that could be a cover name for Foo Fighters.
Addressing the rumblings, Eavis said: “To be honest, I think there’s a lot of rumours that are circulating about The Churnups one of which is true.
“I don’t think I can completely confirm but it’s coming soon.
“But this is a huge, huge, huge, huge surprise and we have kept this secret for so long, just me and (her husband) Nick, we didn’t even tell the kids we were like ‘Nobody can know this’ and I think it’s going to be extraordinary later.”
Hozier officially confirmed on Friday morning that he will be the surprise act at 7.30pm on the Woodsies stage, previously named the John Peel stage.
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The Irish singer-songwriter, full name Andrew Hozier-Byrne, said he is “thrilled” to be performing at the festival again in a “not-so-secret set” on Friday evening.
The third day of the festival in Pilton, Somerset, will also host film screenings, theatre and circus performances and a debate titled Solidarity With Iran which will include British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was imprisoned there for six years.
The festival is set to remain mainly “dry and bright” on Friday, with temperatures hitting around 25C during the day, the Met Office has forecast.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the national weather service said: “The weather is set fair for much of the weekend at Glastonbury Festival with only a small chance of a shower.
“Friday and Saturday should see a good deal of dry, bright weather with some sunny spells, albeit hazy at times, with highs in the mid-20s, with some warm nights to follow once the sun goes down.”
Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys performs live on the Pyramid Stage in 2013 (Getty Images)
Rick Astley will also be playing to fans this weekend (Mirrorpix)Saturday night will see US rockers Guns N’ Roses headline, after the original line-up of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan reunited in 2015.
Sir Elton John, 76, will close the festival on Sunday night for what has been billed as the final UK show of his mammoth farewell tour.
Eavis revealed she has wanted to book the Rocket Man superstar for years but felt it was something that would “never ever happen”.
“Then I wrote him a letter, it was probably September or October last year, and it was like a really cool autumn morning and I sat thinking ‘What’s my dream?’ I’ve got to try and get him,” she added.
“So I wrote this letter and so lucky that he called up and just said, ‘I’m so up for this’. And I was like, ‘what?’ I can’t believe it.”