Wed 22nd – Sun 26th June 2016
On the same day that millions across the UK are heading to their nearest polling station to vote in the EU referendum, hoards of revellers are arriving at Glastonbury’s gates.
Festival organisers encouraged ticket holders to arrive later than usual while they struggle to deal with the damage caused to the site by a flash flood just days before. Heavy rain that affected most regions of the country hit Worthy Farm hard, flooding entire fields and leaving boggy ground behind. On the other hand, Glastonbury-goers aren’t known for their fear of mud.
Over 2,000 acts have been confirmed for this year’s festival and I’ve trawled through every last one of them to bring you my top picks, whether you’re watching in the flesh or from the comfort of your clean, dry sofa.
My Picks
Foals
Oxford outfit Foals will rock the Pyramid Stage on Friday night. They play just before Friday headliners Muse and frontman Yannis’ vocal harmonies, energetic performance style and crowd-surfing tendencies threaten to steal the show. Watch out for ‘What Went Down’. It’s sure to be something special.
Skepta
Fresh from the release of hit album ‘Konnichiwa’, grime OG Skepta will light up the Pyramid Stage on Friday afternoon with new and old tracks. The big one for fans of grime and hip hop.
Catfish and the Bottlemen
Britain’s newest indie sweethearts have just released their second album ‘The Ride’, met by mixed reviews, but always step up to the mark with big live performances. They battled through technical difficulties and water damage last year to deliver one of the best sets of the weekend.
Little Simz
You can catch the UK’s most promising hip hop upstart on the West Holts Stage on Saturday afternoon. She represented BBC Introducing at SXSW last year and delivered a mesmerising performance on Later with Jools Holland. You might recognise her track ‘Wings’ from the iPhone advert.
Coldplay
Chris Martin and co will bring all the hits to their Sunday headline set, as well as some tunes from their 2015 album ‘A Head Full of Dreams’. Just last week, they created a spectacular atmosphere at their colourful Wembley show. Coldplay seem natural-born Glastonbury headliners.
Blossoms
Stockport five-piece Blossoms have just supported The Stone Roses at their gargantuan Etihad Stadium gig, but now it’s time for their biggest festival appearance to date. This band have the potential to write themselves into indie legend.
Two Door Cinema Club
Indie heroes TDCC are back! A number of big festival appearances and a new single announced their long-awaited return. Their Friday afternoon set is sure to feature some new material as well as sing-along anthems.
Disclosure
Disclosure headline the Other Stage on Friday night. The duo, who co-headline Reading and Leeds with Foals in August and are credited with the revival of house music, will be the main event for fans of dance.
Honourable Mentions
Here are a few acts who didn’t quite make the cut, but are still worth checking out…
- Tame Impala, Pyramid Stage Saturday 8pm
- Wolf Alice, Pyramid Stage Saturday 3pm
- Beck, Pyramid Stage Sunday 7:15pm
- Bastille, Other Stage Friday 8:40pm
- New Order, Other Stage Saturday 10:30pm
- Alunageorge, John Peel Stage Friday 9pm
- Fatboy Slim, John Peel Stage Saturday 10:30pm
- Savages, The Park Stage Friday 9:30pm
- Grimes, The Park Stage Sunday 9pm
- Hinds, The Park Stage Sunday 2pm
- Oliver Heldens, Sonic Saturday 11pm
- WSTRN, Sonic Sunday 7pm
- The Vryll Society, BBC Introducing Friday 4pm
Glastonbury 2016 full line-up: http://www.glastonburyfestivals.co.uk/line-up/line-up-2016/?stage
You can watch BBC Music’s coverage of this year’s festival and highlights from last year here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007r6vx
Trackdose 