On the March 27th 2013, the ever-anticipated line-up for the biggest festival in the UK was announced. Since its establishment in 1970 Glastonbury has grown into one of the largest festivals in the world, with attendances of over 150,000 people and performances from the likes of Beyoncé, Coldplay, Stevie Wonder and Muse.
This year the line-up has not only seriously impressed but also seriously surprised, with one of the headline acts being none other than The Rolling Stones. This summer will see The Rolling Stones’ first appearance at the festival, and will join other headline acts Arctic Monkeys and Mumford & Sons on the Pyramid Stage.
With over 100 stages, the festival will, as always, tend to all manner of musical tastes, as Guardian journalist Sam Wolfson described; “a line-up proving you can keep everybody happy.” British electronic duo Chase and Status and indie-rock band Two Door Cinema club will both feature on the Other Stage, while Americana band Dinosaur Jr. and British rock group Django Django will perform The Park Stage. Other acts include Ben Howard, Rita Ora, Professor Green, The Lumineers and Enter Shikari.
But it was the addition of 60s iconic rock band The Rolling Stones that got people talking. Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie will use the festival as a farewell gig to mark the end of their over 50 year career. One Twitter user described it as a, “cheap Stones gig,” a fair point given that tickets to their 50th Anniversary gigs at the O2 Arena last year reached a whopping £950, with even higher prices on secondary ticket sites. Others have described the appointment of the Arctic Monkeys and Mumford & Sons as “very safe pairs of hands” and called the line-up and specifically the headliners a “disappointment.”
Nonetheless the diversity of acts that will grace the stages of Glastonbury this June is indisputable, and with more acts to be announced in the coming months Glastonbury 2013 is sure to be one of the highlights of the summer.
