With Coldplay announced to headline Glastonbury 2024, fans are uncertain as to the band’s future after Chris Martin previously revealed that the band would stop making music in 2025.
The pop icons were announced as headliners for this year’s instalment of Glastonbury earlier this morning (March 14), alongside SZA, Dua Lipa and Shania Twain. However, following previous comments by the frontman, fans are questioning what the slot may mean for the band’s future.
It comes as, back in 2021, Martin revealed that Coldplay were coming to the end of their time writing new material, and had plans to stop writing music as a band by 2025.
“Well I know I can tell you: our last proper record will come out in 2025 and after that I think we will only tour,” Martin said during an interview with Jo Wiley. “Maybe we’ll do some collaborative things but the Coldplay catalogue, as it were, finishes then.”
The singer-songwriter shared a similar sentiment with NME too, when he said that he discussed how “intense” it can be to keep releasing new material.
“We’re going to make 12 albums. Because it’s a lot to pour everything into making them. I love it and it’s amazing, but it’s very intense too,” he said. “I feel like because I know that challenge is finite, making this music doesn’t feel difficult, it feels like, ‘This is what we’re supposed to be doing’.”
He added: “I don’t think that’s what we’ll do. I know that’s what we’ll do in terms of studio albums.”
Coldplay’s set at Worthy Farm this June will see the band become the first act to top the Glastonbury bill five times, following headline performances in 2002, 2005, 2011 and 2016.
At their last headline slot, the band made headlines by bringing out The Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb to collaborate on ‘To Love Somebody’ and ‘Staying Alive’, as well as the festival’s founder Michael Eavis, who joined them to perform the Frank Sinatra classic ‘My Way’.
Since then, Chris Martin made two surprise appearances at the 2019 festival, joining Stormzy as a guest for ‘Blinded By Your Grace Pt. 1’, and Kylie Minogue for ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head’ during her legend’s slot. In 2021 the group did a set as part of Glastonbury’s ‘Live At Worthy Farm’ livestream after the festival was cancelled due to COVID.
As well as fan favourites including ‘Clocks’, ‘Yellow’, ‘The Scientist’ and ‘Paradise’, the band are also expected to play tracks from their latest album, ‘Music Of The Spheres’, which arrived in 2021 and was described by NME as “a celestial beauty that’s capable of inspiring great awe and emotion.”
As for new material, in January last year, the band revealed that their new album ‘Moon Music’ was almost finished. At time of writing, it is not clear whether or not the LP will mark their last, and it is unlikely that it will be shared ahead of their slot at the iconic festival.
Little has been said about the album since it was first teased back at the start of 2023, although in November, the band did call on their fans to add their voice to one of their new songs called ‘One World’.
Alongside the headliners, other acts on the poster include LCD Soundsystem, Little Simz, Burna Boy, PJ Harvey, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Kiwanuka, Janelle Monae, Olivia Dean, Paloma Faith and Keane – all of whom will appear on the Pyramid Stage.
Idles, Disclosure and The National are scheduled to top the Other Stage. Elsewhere on the line-up are the likes of The Streets, Two Door Cinema Club, Avril Lavigne, The Last Dinner Party, Jungle, Justice, Bloc Party, Fontaines D.C., Yard Act, Arlo Parks and Gossip.
Glastonbury 2024 will take place from Wednesday, June 26 to Sunday, June 30 at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset.
Last November, coach and ticket packages sold out in 25 minutes before the general ticket sale sold out in just under an hour. However, a re-sale of unwanted and unpaid-for tickets will be held next month for those registered. Visit here for more information.
In other news, Shania Twain has teased what to expect from her legends slot performance, calling it the “honour of [her] life”.
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