Glastonbury 2023: Arctic Monkeys will play after all – but who are The Churnups?
The Arctic Monkeys will play their headline set at Glastonbury Festival tonight, despite fears that illness would force them to pull out, co-organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed.
The Sheffield rock band top Friday’s bill on the prestigious Pyramid Stage, but after cancelling a gig in Dublin earlier this week, fans had been left wondering whether their Glastonbury set would go ahead.
However, Eavis has now allayed fears, speaking to BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball from the Worthy Farm site on day one of performances, she replied to a question on whether they would be playing by saying: “They’re on,” which was welcomed with loud applause.
Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner was suffering from laryngitis
She went on: “It was a little bit close there for a minute and we were thinking about whether we should have a serious back-up plan in place, but no, thankfully they’re on, so that’s great.”
Arctic Monkeys, who are currently midway through a world tour, had been due to play Marlay Park in Dublin on Tuesday but were forced to cancel the show as frontman Alex Turner was suffering from laryngitis, following three consecutive shows at the Emirates Stadium in north London.
Apologising to fans on social media, a statement said: “Alex is suffering from acute laryngitis, and following medical advice, has been ordered to rest.”
Laryngitis – which is when your vocal cords become swollen or irritated – comes on suddenly and gets worse during the first few days. It usually lasts for one to two weeks, according to the NHS website.
When asked if the band were still set to play earlier in the week, Eavis told reporters on Wednesday: “I think we are going to be alright.
“They’ve cancelled that [Dublin show], he’s recovering. I’m sure we’re going to be alright.”
She added: “We’ve got a couple of backup plans if not. We’ve always got backup plans for everything.”
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Gates open at Glastonbury
Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O’Malley are expected to take to the Pyramid Stage at 10.15pm tonight and play for one hour.
It will be the third time the Brit, Mercury and Ivor Novello award-winning band have headlined at the festival, following shows in 2007 and 2013.
Who are The Churnups?
Meanwhile, another question hanging over Friday’s set list is who are the mystery band The Churnups?
Glastonbury has a history of surprise sets and unconfirmed slots, and this strangely-named group in a prime headline slot are causing a particular stir.
They are billed on the Glastonbury poster to play the Pyramid Stage before rock duo Royal Blood, whose set leads into the Arctic Monkeys.
Foo Fighters previously pulled out when Dave Grohl injured himself before the 2015 event
Speculation it could be Foo Fighters was fuelled earlier this month after the American rockers posted a thank you letter to fans on social media, which included the line: “It feels so good to see you, churning up these emotions together.”
The band are currently on a world tour, but are now on a scheduled gap between gigs following their last performance in the US on 18 June, and they are not due to pick up again until 6 July in Canada.
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The band previously headlined the festival in 2017, after pulling out of Glastonbury 2015 when frontman Dave Grohl fell off the stage at a gig in Sweden and broke his leg.
Foo Fighters announced their new drummer, Josh Freese last month, following the death of Taylor Hawkins who died in a hotel room in the Colombian capital, Bogota, during the band’s South America tour in March 2022.
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Who else could it be?
Other theories for the mystery act’s identity include Britpop band Pulp led by Jarvis Cocker, who are currently on tour, and whose name could be seen as a definition of ‘to churn up’.
Others have speculated it could be fellow Britpopers Blur, fronted by Damon Albarn, with the band also currently on a reunion tour.
Other headline acts at Glastonbury this year include Guns N’ Roses, Elton John and Lana Del Rey.
Glastonbury Festival is taking place at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, until Sunday.
Taylor Swift has revealed the release date for her new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
The pop megastar announced her 12th studio album earlier this week but didn’t give many details.
Now, in social media posts and an appearance on boyfriend Travis Kelce’s sports podcast, Swift revealed just what fans can expect from the new album.
Taylor Swift and boyfriend Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast. Pic: New Heights
The Life of Showgirl, written during the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour, will be released on 3 October.
It consists of 12 songs, including the title track that features pop star Sabrina Carpenter.
The full track list is:
1. The Fate Of Ophelia
2. Elizabeth Taylor
3. Opalite
4. Father Figure
5. Eldest Daughter
6. Ruin The Friendship
7. Actually Romantic
8. Wi$h Li$t
9. Wood
10. Cancelled!
11. Honey
12. The Life Of A Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)
Long-time collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, two Swedish producers who worked with Swift on some of her biggest hits, joined the pop star for this album.
Within four hours of posting the full podcast episode on YouTube, it had already gathered 4.7m views.
The cover of Taylor Swift’s newly announced album. Pic: Republic Records
The back cover of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album The Life Of A Showgirl. Pic: Republic Records
‘The hardest-working star in pop’
The album follows last year’s The Tortured Poets Department, which was released during the Eras tour.
That tour, with shows on five continents and in 51 cities, raked in more than $2.2bn (£1.62bn) and was the highest-grossing tour of all time.
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“This album is about what was going on behind the scenes in my inner life during this tour, which was so exuberant and electric and vibrant,” Swift said during her podcast appearance.
Sky News culture and entertainment reporter Gemma Peplow said after her globe-trotting tour and a swathe of re-releases over recent years, the new album cemented Swift’s reputation “as the hardest-working star in pop”.
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
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