Glastonbury may have been a metal-free zone in the past, but recently, festival organisers have begun to embrace metal in a pretty big way. Since the turn of the Millennium, heavier acts have begun to appear on the bill on a regular basis – who could forget Metallica’s headline slot in 2014, for instance?
Following that watershed moment, Worthy Farm has seen the likes of Motorhead, Babymetal, Deftones, and even Napalm Death play at the UK’s top music festival. Furthermore, this year, Earache Records – the independent label home to the heaviest and finest of bands – pulled off quite a coup with its Earache Takeover of the Shangri-La Truth Stage.
Sure, some Billie Eilish fans may have been surprised to stumble upon the Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs set, but audience demographics at Glasto are as diverse as they come, with attendees having a wide variety of tastes in music and entertainment. It’s high time that Glastonbury invited heavy acts onto the Pyramid Stage! Here are five that we’d love to see headline the bill in 2023 and beyond.
Slipknot
If metal were as hierarchical as the Hollywood red carpet, Slipknot are easily the A-listers paparazzi would clamour over. The groove metal pioneers are big enough – both in terms of the number of band members and audience popularity – to fill the field surrounding the Pyramid Stage. Heck, they could even go down the classic alternative route and play the Other Stage, too, if there’s too much of a clash between the Des Moines gang and Glasto sensibilities.
Speaking of Slipknot, we’re surprised by the absence of UK dates on the band’s international roster for 2022. While they’ve been doing the rounds in European festivals, there’s been a Slipknot-shaped hole in the line-up for Download and Reading/Leeds. Can Glastonbury organisers remedy this in 2023?
Skindred
Benji Webbe’s Dub War are no strangers to Worthy Farm, having first appeared way back n 1997 and turning up at this year’s Earache takeover. Yet, there’s still no sign whatsoever of Skindred making their Pyramid or Other Stage debut.
Granted, the Welsh natives are booked and busy year in year out. 2022’s seen them headline Download as well as the usual big European festivals, and we’re sure 2023 will bring more of the same. The eclectic bunch aren’t ones to turn down a major event like Glasto, however. Can Earache pull this out of the bag for next June?
Nine Inch Nails
The year 2000 was a momentous one for several reasons. As well as something about the start of a new century, the year brought about a major change in the typical Glastonbury line-up. Nine Inch Nails became the heaviest act ever to headline at the festival – much to the chagrin of certain BBC TV presenters.
It’s been 22 years since NIN tore up the Other Stage, and since then, Trent Reznor’s trailblazing industrial band have become even more important and influential. Glasto definitely missed a trick not signing them to headline the Pyramid this year, especially since the band were in travelling distance in the run-up to the festival, thanks to a series of gig dates across Manchester, London and Cornwall. Let’s see what can be done to put that right next year!
Nightwish
There’s symphonic metal, and then there’s Nightwish. For decades, this Finnish troupe have been delighting metalheads the world over with their beguiling blend of the chunkiest riffs and soaring, operatic vocals. While Nightwish may not be the most blatant choice for a headline set on the same stage that typically houses the bloodiest of performers, a la Paul McCartney, we reckon they’d compel a lot of audience members to watch.
Who could resist Floor Jansen’s stunning voice for a start? Plus, it’s not like the band shies away from mainstream performances. In 2015, they joined forces with author Richard Dawkins for their 24-minute opus, The Greatest Show on Earth. Plus, having warmed up with an arena tour across the UK this winter, thrashing about in the sacred mud would be a fitting way to bring things to a close.
