Arctic Monkeys are due to make a third Glastonbury appearance with this year a decade after their last showing.
The Sheffield band are still billed to headline the festival’s opening day but fears over the health of frontman Alex Turner have thrown the appearance into doubt.
Harry Styles is the fan-favourite to step in if needed, with a conveniently-timed gap in his current tour on the day.
Royal Blood and Texas, among others, also take to the main stage earlier that Friday.
Find out the rest about when they will hopefully be playing, and who else might replace them below.
Arctic Monkeys’ third Glastonbury booking comes in the middle of their tour for last year’s album The Car
They remain due to headline the festival’s opening day despite fears over the health of their frontman Alex Turner
Ex-One Direction star Harry Styles has a conveniently-timed break in his tour that could see him fill in for Arctic Monkeys
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When would Arctic Monkeys perform at Glastonbury?
Arctic Monkeys will, touch wood, be the first headliners of Glastonbury 2023, capping off the first day of this year’s festival.
They would follow Royal Blood on Friday June 23, and are expected to play for an hour and a half from roughly 10.15pm.
This is naturally a very prestigious slot, with Billie Eilish in this place a year ago, and Radiohead and Stormzy also finishing the opening night in recent years.
However, this is nothing new to the Sheffield band, who headlined on Friday in 2013, and performed their other Glastonbury set on the Friday night six years earlier in 2007.
The big concern is over lead singer Alex Turner’s health, whose ‘acute’ laryngitis caused the quartet to cancel their final gig before the festival.
The 37-year-old was told to rest by his doctor before their Dublin show, and has not revealed how long he will have to break for.
Arctic Monkeys are set to be supported by Royal Blood and Texas on Friday June 23
What is laryngitis?
Laryngitis, the culprit for all the doubts about Arctic Monkeys’ Glastonbury appearance, refers to a swollen voice box – larynx – or vocal chords.
It tends to result in a hoarse and croaky or even lost voice, with a cough to boot, hence it is understandable that it has had such potentially fatal results for a chunk of Arctic Monkeys’ summer tour.
The swelling is often caused by a viral infection, meaning that any instances of the illness often coincide with other cold or flu symptoms.
Allergies are also a common culprit.
How long does it take to recover from?
Laryngitis tends to come suddenly, and gets to its worst within three days, before going away in a week or two by itself.
With the band last performing just five days before the Glastonbury date is scheduled, it is clear why such a panic has erupted about who will be at Worthy Farm on Friday.
Symptoms can be improved though, with the NHS suggesting typical cough medicines and lozenges.
The band last performed just five days ago, so with laryngitis tending to take a week or two to get over, doubts over their Glastonbury appearance are certainly valid
Who is rumoured to replace Arctic Monkeys?
Fans have pitted Harry Styles as the ideal Arctic Monkeys replacement ahead of Friday.
The former-One Direction man has a well-timed gap in his own tour schedule which could allow him to play in Somerset in theory.
An appearance for the 29-year-old would come shortly after playing in Cardiff.
‘Only two hours drive from Glasto. He is the perfect replacement,’ wrote one fan on Twitter, highlighting how close Cardiff is to Glastonbury.
Dua Lipa, Eminem and Pulp are also all being touted as potential secret performers.
What stage would Arctic Monkeys perform on?
Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage is arguably the most prestigious place to perform on the UK festival circuit
Arctic Monkeys hope to be playing the festival’s famous Pyramid Stage, which will be graced by Guns N’ Roses and Elton John later in the weekend.
It is also where the foursome – consisting of Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley, and Matt Helders – performed their other two appearances at Worthy Farm.
Speaking to NME after the 2013 performance, Turner said it was ‘one of the best gigs we’ve ever done,’ and added that ‘it’s a different beast, Glastonbury.’
The stage was first set up in 1971 and has held some impressive acts since then including Diana Ross, David Bowie, and Oasis, to name a few.
This year, despite Arctic Monkeys’ huge fame, Elton John is undoubtedly the most anticipated act to take to Glastonbury’s main venue, in his last ever live appearance.
What would they play?
The band have been playing all the biggest hits with a smattering of their new work
The set list will not be announced before they take to the stage – fingers crossed they do.
However, recent shows on their tour indicate a few of their new songs should be in amongst many of the old favourites.
In their most recent set, at Emirates Stadium on June 18, the only songs from latest album The Car were Perfect Sense, There’d Better Be a Mirrorball, and Body Paint.
That performance also included these classics:
- Brianstorm
- Crying Lightning
- Fluorescent Adolescent
- Do I Wanna Know
- Mardy Bum
- I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
- R U Mine?
