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Emily Eavis has ‘backup plans’ in case Arctic Monkeys are forced to drop out of Glastonbury

‘We’ve always got backup plans for everything,’ Eavis said

Peony Hirwani

Thursday 22 June 2023 10:38 BST

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Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis says she has “backup plans” in case Sheffield rock band Arctic Monkeys are forced to drop out of this year’s lineup.

Earlier this week, the English rock band cancelled their Dublin show days before Glastonbury after frontman Alex Turner was diagnosed with acute laryngitist, an inflammation of the larynx.

“We are extremely sorry to announce the cancellation of Arctic Monkeys’ show at Marlay Park in Dublin tomorrow,” the band said in a statement. “Alex is suffering from acute laryngitis, and following medical advice, has been ordered to rest.”

The announcement left fans fearing that Turner would not recover in time for his Glastonbury performance on Friday 23 June. Laryngitis typically lasts for a period of three to seven days, with chronic cases lasting as long as three weeks.

As she opened the gates to the festival site at Worthy Farm, Somerset, on Wednesday 21 June, Eavis reassured fans that she has a “backup” plan in case anything goes wrong, but said she was confident that Arctic Monkeys would play, The Times reports.

“I think we are going to be all right,” she said. “They’ve cancelled that [Dublin show], he’s recovering. I’m sure we’re going to be all right.”

She added: “We’ve got a couple of backup plans if not. We’ve always got backup plans for everything.”

Eavis did not reveal details of who might replace Arctic Monkeys. However, fans have been speculating that Foo Fighters could perform in their place. The US rock band are rumoured to be behind mysterious act The Churnups, who are billed on the Glastonbury posted to play the Pyramid Stage before rock duo Royal Blood and Arctic Monkeys.

Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys performs during the second day of Lollapalooza Buenos Aires 2019 at Hipodromo de San Isidro on March 30, 2019 (Getty Images)

This year’s Glastonbury Festival will also see Elton John perform at the festival for the first and the last time.

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Speaking to Sky News, the musician’s husband and filmmaker David Furnish said John would bring on “four collaborators of his choosing” during his two-hour set on Sunday 25 June.

When pressed as to who the artists could be, Furnish said: “Sorry. I am sworn to secrecy.”

He did hint, though, that the singer’s final performance would contain “a different setlist” with “a lot of changes”.

Fans have speculated that John’s collaborators could either be Dua Lipa, Rina Sawayama, Lil Nas X (who is playing the Pyramid Stage just before him), or even Britney Spears.

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