Arctic Monkeys Glastonbury 2023: Emily Eavis confirms band will play
Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed Arctic Monkeys will headline the event on June 23rd despite health concerns surrounding singer Alex Turner. The band previously cancelled a performance at Dublin’s Marlay Park due to Turner’s acute laryngitis.
In a statement, Arctic Monkeys told fans on June 19th: “Alex is suffering from acute laryngitis and following medical advice, has been ordered to rest”. According to the NHS, laryngitis tends to take around a week to recover. Now, Eavis has confirmed the show will definitely go ahead despite previously saying she had “back up plans” in case they were forced to pull the gig.
On June 22nd, Arctic Monkeys brought their stage set-up into Worthy Farm, which included a giant mirrorball, which has been a prominent part of their tour for The Car. Before this, it seemed their third headline performance at Glastonbury was still up in the air.
During an appearance on BBC Radio 2, presenter Zoe Ball discussed the arrival of mirrorball with Eavis: “Now Arctic Monkeys, we’ve all been concerned about Alex, he’s had laryngitis. And listeners have been messaging in asking will it happen? If it doesn’t happen, what’s the contingency plan? Someone has spotted a giant mirror ball on its way here.”
In response, Eavis said “that’s a very good spot” before confirming their appearance by adding “he’s definitely – they’re on.” When asked whether the show ever looked doubtful, Eavis admitted: “It was a little bit close there for a minute and we were thinking about whether we should have a serious backup plan in place but no, thankfully they’re on so that is great.”
Arctic Monkeys are set to play on the Pyramid Stage at 10:15pm following performances from Royal Blood and the unidentified The Churnups. Foo Fighters are expected to be the mysterious band after they wrote a letter to their fans which included the phrase “churning up” earlier this month.
Additionally, BBC 6 Music host Lauren Laverne increased speculation regarding the identity of The Churnups. “Right now, a band who… will they be there, who knows? I wonder,” Laverne told listeners. “But Here We Are is certainly the name of their new album. Foo Fighters on 6 Music, this is out on RCA… Getting all churned up, as they might post on their social media feed…”
Watch the footage below of Arctic Monkeys headlining Glastonbury in 2013.
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