Some of Glastonbury’s best moments undoubtedly come from its secret sets. Who could forget 2017, when The Killers famously stormed the John Peel Stage to deliver a surprise gig for the ages? Or Lady Gaga, Foals, Foo Fighters, Mumford and Sons and Bastille all popping up over the years – with approximately ten minutes’ notice – to the delight of their rapidly-flocking fans?
Part of the joy of this particular music festival is being open to stumbling upon the unexpected – and secret sets are undoubtedly one of the best ways to catch some of your favourite artists, on some of the festival’s smaller stages.
With speculation already swirling around last-minute attendees, here are our tips for making sure you don’t miss out on the biggest surprise moments of the weekend.
Who’s rumoured?
The list of rumoured secret sets is already long, and getting even longer as the Worthy Farm bash fast approaches. The odds are better for some than others.
Whereas last year belonged to the Foo Fighters and their easy-to-decipher alter-ego The Churn-Ups, most of the rumours for 2024 revolve around Kasabian – there’s so much speculation that William Hill has suspended betting for it.
There are also whispers that Pulp, The Killers and The xx might make an appearance (after their years-long hiatus, this last one would be especially exciting, and both Romy and Jamie xx are already playing sets at the festival this year). And could pop star Troye Sivan rock up at some point? Smart money (and a Glasto-sized gap in his UK tour schedule) says maybe.
Look for holes
The Glastonbury line-up is massive, sure, but there are plenty of clues hidden within its (many, many) pages. Keep a keen eye out for any weird holes in the line-up: is there a suspicious, hour-long gap between certain sets? Is a portion of the evening mysteriously free of massive names? Make a note and keep your eye on the slot: there’s a good chance it’s been put aside for a last-minute appearance.
The slots to keep your eyes on? Woodsies (the newly renamed John Peel) often hosts some of the higher-profile secret sets, and has a mysteriously vacant slot at 6pm on Saturday June 29. Perfect for a surprise performance.
The BBC Introducing Stage has two free slots (Saturday at 4.30pm and Sunday at 7.30pm) while new area Wishing Well has a couple of free spaces too: Friday at 8.45pm and 11pm, and Sunday at 9pm. And then there’s Firmly Rooted at 1am on Friday, followed by a TBA slot at Levels at midnight on Saturday: expect these ones to be raucous.
Any bands you don’t recognise?
One of the best weapons big-name acts have in their arsenal is the art of disguise. To that end, there are occasional names hidden in the line-up that don’t make sense, or that don’t even exist.
Though there’s no equivalent of last year’s Churn-Ups malarkey – which eagle-eyed fans quickly spotted was not a real band, and which turned out to be the Foo Fighters – there is a slightly lower-key act called Dove who will be making their appearance at Levels this year. Only problem: Dove doesn’t exist. And given Levels’ status as an open-air nightclub, the chances are good this one will be an electronic artist in disguise.
Keep tabs on the Internet
Spotting secret sets is a whole cottage industry for dedicated Glasto fans, and naturally the Internet is where they all gather to swap rumours and put together clues with like-minded souls.
One mecca for all Glasto-related rumours is the X feed @Secretglasto, which has more than 55,000 followers and a proven talent for correctly predicting secret sets – as well as announcing said secret sets a few hours before they actually happen.
Glasto Fest Feed also has a handy page collating all the information they have on secret sets, and sort their tips into rumours, strong rumours and confirmed acts, as well as the list of venues they’ll be likely to perform at.
Another good tactic is to keep tabs on the Instagram and Twitter profiles of rumoured names – often, they’ll post hints, or even just announce their secret gig right as it’s kicking off. The truly dedicated will set up push notifications to keep them in the loop – after all, it only takes one clue at the right time to make your entire weekend.
Grab your newspaper
Yes, there is an on-site newspaper at Glastonbury, and as advocates of journalism we would naturally advise you to pick up a copy when you can. They run out quickly, but the Glasto Free Press will provide invaluable insights into what’s happening on the festival ground that day – which includes last-minute gigs and hints about certain secret slots…
And finally…
Keep an eye out
Finally, one of the best ways of spotting a secret set is just by wandering around the festival campsite and staying alert to where people might be gathering. Often, last-minute gigs are signalled via posters hastily stapled around the festival site that very morning, offering clues or even just the time and act. Admittedly, things won’t always go to plan: like last year, when everybody was convinced Britney, Kylie Minogue and more were going to show up unannounced for Elton’s farewell gig? Or the year when thousands of people traipsed up to an incredibly remote corner of the Stone Circle off the back of a flaky-at-best rumour that Radiohead were playing. Alas, they were not.
Another good tactic is checking out the BBC Radio 1 Introducing stage, where they list that day’s gigs (including the surprises) on their chalk board each morning.
And the best advice of all? Stay curious: can you hear people making a noise somewhere off the beaten track? Go and investigate, and you might just be surprised.
