Glastonbury’s co-organiser has said that Arctic Monkeys will definitely play at Glastonbury on Friday night.
The set was thrown into doubt after lead singer Alex Turner was struck down with acute laryngitis, leading the band to pull out of their gig at Marlay Park in Dublin on Tuesday (June 20).
However, when asked by Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 on Friday if the band were still set to play, Emily Eavis, who organises the festival alongside her father Michael, said: “They’re on”, which was welcomed with uproarious applause.
She added: “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 there on, so that's great.”
Earlier in the week, Eavis said she was confident the Arctic Monkeys will play the festival, but that they “have a couple of back-up plans” just in case.
Arctic Monkeys fans setting up camp at Glastonbury had begun to worry that the gig may not happen over concerns for lead singer Alex Turner’s health.
Eavis had told reassured fans earlier in the week, telling the BBC earlier that she believed the band would still headline the event.
“He’s recovering, I’m sure we’re going to be all right,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of back-up plans if not,” she added.
“We’ve always got back-up plans for everything.”
Here’s everything that has happened up until now.
What happened to Alex Turner?
The Sheffield quartet are halfway through a world tour and, following three days at London’s Emirates Stadium, were set to play in Dublin.
But the Monkeys were forced to pull out of the gig after Turner was struck down with acute laryngitis, which is a condition when your voice box or vocal cords in the throat become irritated or swollen.
Typically, it goes away by itself within one to two weeks.
People who attended the final Emirates show on Sunday (June 18) noticed how Turner seemed to be struggling with some of his songs, such as Brianstorm, Cornerstone, and The View from the Afternoon.
Will the band still play Glastonbury?
The festival’s co-organiser has now confirmed that the Arctic Monkeys will play on the Pyramid Stage on Friday night.
The band is scheduled to headline Glastonbury on Friday, June 23, alongside fellow music icons Guns N’ Roses (Saturday) and Elton John (Sunday). It will be the band’s third Glastonbury headline slot after their 2007 and 2013.
They are also due to play Glasgow’s Bellahouston Park on Sunday as part of their ongoing UK and Ireland tour, although Scottish fans are concerned about this given Turner’s health issues.
For a full list of the band’s tour dates, check out their official website here.
What have the band said?
— Arctic Monkeys (@ArcticMonkeys) June 19, 2023
Addressing their earlier gig cancellation, the Arctics said in a statement on Monday: “We are extremely sorry to announce the cancellation of Arctic Monkeys show at Marlay Park in Dublin tomorrow.
“Alex is suffering from acute laryngitis, and following medical advice, has been ordered to rest.
“Alex and the band apologise for the huge disappointment this will inevitably cause all their Irish fans.
“Full refunds will be credited back to the ticket purchaser’s account by Ticketmaster within the next six working days.”
