Magical and unforgettable secret sets are one of the most exciting prospects for those heading to Glastonbury Festival. Every year the world-famous Somerset event hosts a number of surprise secret shows, and global megastars have been known to perform in these unannounced slots away from the main Pyramid Stage and Other Stage, Somerset Live reports.
Some of the big acts that have played secret sets on smaller stages at Worthy Farm include The Killers, Foals, George Ezra, Pulp, Lady Gaga, Mumford and Sons, Skrillex, The Libertines, Bastille, Jack White of The White Stripes and Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead. Theses unannounced shows are often labelled on the line-up as "TBA" (To Be Announced) or "TBC" (To Be Confirmed).
At recent festivals, there have been at least two massive secret sets every year involving world-famous acts. They are often hosted on the Park Stage or the John Peel Stage (now known as Woodsies).
These secret sets are usually massively popular, with big crowds swelling at smaller stages - but it can be a rare opportunity to catch a larger act at a more intimate venue. Take a look below at everything you need to know about secret sets at Glastonbury Festival 2023.
Will there be secret sets this year?
As secret sets have been a feature of the festival for many years, it is expected that they will continue in 2023. However, a local council safety report and some recent comments from festival organiser Emily Eavis suggest that secret sets could potentially be toned down this year.
The Mendip District Council scrutiny board previously made a number of recommendations for safety improvement in its de-brief report following Glastonbury Festival 2022. The document highlighted reported problems with crowd density in parts of the site, particularly when larger acts took to smaller stages.
In the days following the 2022 festival, some attendees shared concerns regarding what they described as "crowd crushing" in parts of the site. Sugababes at the Avalon Stage, Wet Leg on the Park Stage and TLC at the West Holts Stage were highlighted by some festival-goers, as well as the secret set show from George Ezra on the John Peel Stage.
Emily Eavis has revealed the festival is well aware of the reported issues and is working to rectify them this year. Speaking to The Guardian, she said: "They were a bit too big for the stages that they were booked on. We’re making sure that doesn’t happen this year by not having big surprises in small places."
Who will play a secret set this year?
It's still very early on, and we are yet to see the full line-up with any potential "TBCs" or "TBAs". Because of this, rumours are very thin on the ground.
Pulp?
One band that has been rumoured to turn up unannounced is Pulp. The Brit Pop legends, famous for hit song Common People , performed at Glastonbury in their heyday in 1995 and 1998.
And they aren't strangers to a secret set at Worthy Farm either. They appeared in an unannounced slot on the Park Stage in 2011.
Fans were convinced Pulp would be returning to Glastonbury Festival this year when they announced a reunion tour. The band are touring the UK throughout the summer, and have the whole Glastonbury week free - however they have not been announced for a Worthy Farm show yet.
Queens of the Stone Age?
Another big act that could perform a secret set this year is Queens of the Stone Age. Fans think the huge US rock band could be heading to Worthy Farm this June after they revealed new tour dates - but they are yet to be named on the line-up.
The rockers, known for hits including No One Knows and Go With The Flow , were originally named by The Guardian newspaper on March 3 as part of "the first 55 artists" confirmed for Glastonbury Festival 2023. However, around 40 minutes later, the official Glastonbury line-up poster was released with Queens of the Stone Age absent from the names, and not long after the Guardian article was amended to remove the band.
A recent tour announcement details live shows in the UK in late June. Lead singer Josh Homme and his bandmates would be free to play at Worthy Farm on the Saturday (June 24) or Sunday (June 25), before their next gig in Denmark on June 28.
Queens of the Stone Age have previously performed twice at Glastonbury Festival, playing on the Other Stage in 2002 and 2011. They were joined in 2002 by Dave Grohl, of Foo Fighters and formerly Nirvana, on the drums.
How do you find out when a big band is playing a secret set?
In recent years, if a massive band is playing an unannounced set, it doesn't tend to be very secret for long. The "secret" will end up being common knowledge among festival-goers by the time the act hits the stage.
Sometimes word will slip out before the festival has even started. Other times the secret may spread through word-of-mouth during the festival, subsequently spreading onto social media and soon everybody on site will know.
However, there have been a handful of times when the set really is kept a secret. If you want to do some detective work on the day of an anticipated secret set, try asking staff working in and around the stage on the day of the set.
Security staff, mixing desk staff and anybody involved with the production of the stage will almost certainly know who will be playing on stage and may let slip, or at least give you a clue. It's worth a try!
A look back at one of the best secret sets
One of the most famous secret set of recent years occurred in 2017 when The Killers stormed the John Peel Stage. The stadium rock band played to a raucous tent six years ago, and the Las Vegas rockers were so popular among festival-goers that the entire field had to be shut off by staff and thousands couldn't even set foot inside the tent, but still partied outside.
A short hour-long set meant the band played hit after hit, including favourites such as When You Were Young , and Mr Brightside. Afterwards, band members described the gig as a "rumpus", and "the craziest it's ever been", and they went on to headline the Pyramid Stage at the next festival in 2019.
You can take a look below at a video of The Killers playing their secret set in the John Peel tent in 2017. Bonus points if you can spot comedian Jimmy Carr randomly filming the band with his phone in the middle of the stage.
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