Mystery band The Churnups have been unmasked as US rockers the Foo Fighters, in what was possibly the worst-kept secret at this year’s Glastonbury Festival.
On Friday (23 June) evening, Dave Grohl and his band appeared on the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm in Somerset, ahead of sets by duo Royal Blood and Sheffield’s Arctic Monkeys.
Keep up to date with all the updates at our Glastonbury live blog here…
The Seattle-formed band took the stage at 6.15pm to 7.30pm, filling the slot that had previously been billed as The Churnups.
Partway through their one-hour set, Grohl referenced the mystery behind their performance.
“You guys f***ing knew it was us this whole time,” he said. “We’re not good at secrets.”
Admittedly, the unveiling was far from unexpected. Hours before the set, Grohl had been spotted hanging out backstage at the festival earlier today (23 June).
Elsewhere during their performance, Grohl brought out his daughter Violet Maye Grohl for a performance of “Show Me How”.
The track – taken from the band’s latest album But Here We Are – was written for Grohl’s mother and Violet’s grandmother.
Earlier this month, the band seemingly confirmed the rumours after singer and guitarist Grohl tweeted a photo of a handwritten note that included a subtle reference to the secret group.
Several fans responded to the post, convinced the “churning up emotions” line was a big hint at their forthcoming Glastonbury slot.
Other guesses as to The Churnups’ identity had included Brit pop bands Pulp and Blur. However, fans attending Glastonbury seemed convinced it had to be the Foos, with flags supporting the band popping up around the festival site ahead of their performance.
Left: Dave Grohl spotted backstage on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2023— (Twitter/@RichWoodyWood)
There are two other secret sets planned this weekend, listed on the line-up as “TBA”, both of which will take place on the Woodsies Stage (previously known as John Peel).
Arctic Monkeys fans breathed a sigh of relief after Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis confirmed that Alex Turner will be able to perform tonight (Friday 23 June).
The 37-year-old had been suffering from a bout of acute laryngitis, which forced the Arctics to cancel their Dublin show earlier this week. However, he is now well enough to take to the Pyramid Stage this evening. This will mark the third time the band have headlined the festival.
You can find the full Glastonbury line-up and stage times here.
For viewers tuning into the BBC broadcast from home, you can find the full TV schedule of live performances here.
