Florence + The Machine will step-up to the headline position at Glastonbury next weekend after Dave Grohl broke his leg forcing Foo Fighters to cancel.
Florence Welch and co were already set to play the Friday night of the festival right before the Foos. With Dave Grohl announcing, in a detailed and heartfelt bog post, that the Foos have to cancel their upcoming tour dates and Glasto headline slot, only six days until the festival begins, organisers opted to promote Flo to headliner rather than choose a new act completely.
“Once we heard the sad news that Foo Fighters had been forced to pull out, there was only one person we wanted to call and that was Florence,” organiser Emily Eavis said in a statement.
“Every time she has played here she’s done something spectacular and we always knew she would headline the Pyramid one day. I’m delighted she’s agreed to step up to it – she’s going to smash it!”
If anyone can sympathise with Dave Grohl’s position it’s Florence who broke her foot on the first weekend of Coachella and spent the next two months performing from a stool. Recent live performances show she’s back on her feet and ready to toss herself around the Glasto stage.
Before the Glastonbury lineup was announced, Florence + The Machine were strong contenders to headline the festival, however, The Who, Kanye West and Foo Fighters eventually claimed the top spots.
“I think she could headline, definitely. I don’t know what she’s doing this summer but I think she’s big enough, for sure,” said Eavis back in February.
Once the lineup was announced Welch told NME, “It would be wonderful to headline, but also I don’t know how I’d be dealing with that right now.”
“If I’m back in fully charged feet mode, I’m nervous for what’s going to happen. It’s this sense that anything could happen.”
While it’s likely Welch and the band will tear up the stage, the Foos will be missed. Grohl told NME before he broke his foot that Paul McCartney could join them on-stage after Grohl jumped up with McCartney at a gig in London.
“If Paul happens to be standing round the side of the stage at Glastonbury, this time it’ll be me saying: ‘Paul! ‘All My Life’! It’s in the key of G. Let’s go’,” he said.
He also teased the possibility of fellow-headliner Kanye West coming up on stage with the band.
“Sure! Why the fuck not?” Grohl said.
Glastonbury should give Florence + The Machine plenty of practice in preparation for their headline set down-under at Splendour In The Grass next month.
Watch: Florence + The Machine – Ship To Wreck
We are so sorry to hear that the Foo Fighters have had to pull out of Glastonbury, we met Dave Grohl a few years back…
Posted by Florence + The Machine on Wednesday, 17 June 2015
