Arctic Monkeys will headline the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on Friday night after the band had to cancel a gig because frontman Alex Turner was stricken with illness.
Festival co-organizer Emily Eavis confirmed that the Sheffield group will be performing in front of an audience after their set was called into question earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the band was scheduled to perform at Dublin’s Marlay Park, but the show was canceled two days early due to Alex Turner suffering from acute laryngitis.
Broadcasting from the festival grounds at Worthy Farm, Zoe Ball asked on her BBC Radio 2 show if the band would still be playing, and Eavis replied “they are busy”, which was welcomed with applause.
“It was close to that for a minute and we were thinking about whether we should have a serious backup plan, but no, luckily they’re on it, so that’s great,” she added.
It will be the band’s third time headlining the festival, having topped the bill in 2007 and 2013.
Singer ordered to rest
Since the start of the year, they have performed hits in Australia, Asia and the UK from their back catalogue, including I Wanna Be Yours, 505 and Do I Wanna Know?
They played three shows at London’s Emirates Stadium from Friday to Sunday last week before having to announce that Turner was on a doctor’s rest.
Eavis also appeared to inadvertently confirm rumors that Rick Astley and Blossoms will be playing a secret set this weekend.
When asked if their set was confirmed, she said “Yep” before catching herself and asking if the show was being broadcast live.
The other big rumor of the day concerns a mysterious band called The Churnups who are listed to perform for rock duo Royal Blood and Arctic Monkeys, with speculation that this could be a cover name for Foo Fighters.
In response to the rumbling, Eavis said: “To be honest I think there are a lot of rumors going around about The Churnups, one of which is true. I don’t think I can fully confirm it, but it’s coming.
“But this is a huge, huge, huge, huge surprise and we kept this a secret for so long, just me and (her husband) Nick, we didn’t even tell the kids we were like, ‘No one should know about this’ and I think it will be extraordinary later on.”
Hozier also confirmed on Friday morning that he will be the surprise act at 7:30pm on the Woodsies stage, formerly known as the John Peel stage.
Irish singer-songwriter, Andrew Hozier-Byrne in full, said he is “excited” to be back at the festival on Friday night in a “not-so-secret set”.
The third day of the festival in Pilton, Somerset will also feature film screenings, theater and circus performances and a debate entitled Solidarity with Iran, which will also see British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was imprisoned in Tehran for six years , will be present. .
The weather is fair for the weekend
Meanwhile, the Met Office has forecast Glastonbury to have mostly “dry and clear” weather on Friday, with temperatures reaching around 25C during the day.
In a statement, a spokesman for the National Weather Service said: “Weather is beautiful for most of the weekend at Glastonbury Festival with only a slight chance of showers.
“Friday and Saturday should see plenty of dry, clear weather with some sunny spells, albeit hazy at times, with highs around the mid-20s, with some warm nights to follow once the sun sets.
“Sunday will see some warm sunshine at first, although some showers are possible during the afternoon, although these will be unsettled in nature.
“Conditions appear to be freshening up from Monday as temperatures move closer to average.”
