Noel Gallagher calls Guns N’ Roses Glastonbury slot ‘mad’
He questioned why a British act wasn't booked instead
By Joe Goggins
Noel Gallagher has chimed in on this year’s Glastonbury lineup, calling the decision to have Guns N’ Roses headline the Pyramid Stage “mad”.
The Californian hard rockers are set for a massive slot atop the bill on Saturday (June 24), which will mark their debut at Worthy Park. Speaking to the Daily Star for their ‘Wired’ column, the former Oasis guitarist admits being thrown by the booking. “I thought, ‘What? Are you being serious? That’s crazy shit,” he said. “When you think of all the huge British artists who’ve had albums out this past year, having Guns N’ Roses headlining the Saturday is mad.”
Gallagher himself will not perform at this year’s festival, as he and his High Flying Birds continue a co-headlining tour of North America with Garbage. “I would have been smart to play Glastonbury this year, but I played it last year because I’d been booked to do it in 2020 and everything got pushed back,” he said. “There’s always next year to go back to Glastonbury – I’m not going anywhere. Because of lockdown, the band hadn’t played together for ages – and touring again is joyous.”
He will instead play a slew of outdoor shows in the UK later this summer, including a huge homecoming show in Wythenshawe Park in south Manchester, close to where he grew up in Burnage. You can see the full dates below. “What I like about boutique festivals is that pretty much everyone will go to see you,” he said of the smaller bashes he’ll be headlining. “That makes the festival more like one of our own gigs. You won’t get new fans out of it, but you’ll have a great night.”
Gallagher has been on typically chatty form in recent weeks, having released his fourth solo album, Council Skies, and watched his beloved Manchester City complete a historic treble. He’s also continued his feud with The 1975’s Matty Healy, taking credit for the singer’s reported split with Taylor Swift in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, July 2023:
21 – Buckinghamshire, PennFest
23 – Nottingham, Splendour Festival
28 – London, Crystal Palace Bowl
August 2023:
4 – Bingley, Bingley Weekender
5 – Saffron Walden, Audley End
19 – Monmouthshire, Caldicot Castle
20 – Sedgefield, Hardwick Festival
24 – Taunton, Vivary Park
26 – Manchester, Wythenshawe Park
27 – Dublin, Royal Hospital
30 – Hull, Bonus Arena
September 2023:
1 – Sheffield, Don Valley Bowl