FEATURE:
You Learn?
IN THIS PHOTO: Olivia Rodrigo/PHOTO CREDIT: Lancôme
Why Do Major U.K. Festivals Still Overlook Women for Their Biggest Stages?
_________
I am still angry…
hat we have another Glastonbury Festival, where there are more male headliners than women. One can say that the fact stages away from the Pyramid Stage have female headliners makes up for it. I get tired of the argument when people say festivals are ‘more than their headliners’. That you have to look at the whole bill. That is a load of crap! Many people book festival tickets for the headliners alone. Also, if you say it is about the whole bill, then logically it should mean women are included as headliners as they are elsewhere. Anyone who says any different clearly is not interested in gender equality at festivals. It is not a new issue. This feature from 2023 looks at festivals not booking female headliners. The result of an industry deprioritising women. After Glastonbury booked two female headliners last year – SZA and Dua Lipa -, one hoped it would be a turning point. Consider the fact that, before that, Glastonbury had never booked more than one female headliner in its history. The vast majority of years has seen all-male headliners. Since 2000, with this year included, there have only been eight female headliners. That is out of a possible sixty names. I have not included cancelled festivals (during the pandemic). Again, I am aware that there are women headlining away from the Pyramid Stage. Charli xcx for one (she headlines the Other Stage). Also, the fact that half of the female headliners from this and last year’s Glastonbury have been women is a massive step forward. It is appalling last year was notable because it was the first time in over fifty years since Glastonbury booked more than one female headliner. Will they ever have three female headline acts? It seems very unlikely! I will move on to other festivals, as it is not only an issue with Glastonbury. However, look at smaller festivals around the U.K. and they do not have quite the same issue and regressive attitudes.
A couple of years ago or so, the organisers of Glastonbury said there was a ‘pipeline issue’ regarding a lack of female headliners. That would only make sense if you were booking rising artists as headliners. Something Glastonbury should do. It did not apply to artists already established. In 2023, Lana Del Rey could have been booked as a headliner and was not. She played on the Other Stage. I don’t think it is the case that there is a pipeline issue or a lack of female headliners. It is another excuse! This year’s excuse will be that the bill will be gender-equal and women are headlining away from the Pyramid Stage. Still, after all of these years, the most prestigious stage at Glastonbury is prioritising men. Women coming through will look at Glastonbury’s history and see that it is very hard to ever get to the Pyramid Stage. Whilst they might make the Other Stage, why are women being let down when it comes to the Pyramid Stage? People might argue that there are fewer women who could command that stage and produce a memorable set. No female bands that could rise to the occasion. I would argue bands like HAIM, Girls Aloud or, if they reformed, Spice Girls could. Bands coming through like The Last Dinner Party and Wet Leg (more a duo) are almost there in terms of being headline acts. Will they be considered next year? It seems unlikely. I don’t also think it is the case they have too little material to fit a set. Think about this year too. There are artists on the bill already who could have headlined the Pyramid Stage.
RAYE, Alanis Morissette and even Self Esteem could have been great headliners. I said it when the Glastonbury bill was announced it was scandalous Charli xcx did not get the call for the Pyramid Stage! Someone at her peak who released the best album of last year, BRAT, and has delivered five-star sets for ages now, why is she only on the Other Stage? A natural headliner, it is insane that she was not booked. I seriously doubt that, a) she was offered it but turned it down and, b) her budget was too high or there were other reasons she was not suitable. If she was offered a Pyramid Stage headline slot she would have taken it! What about an artist like Kylie Minogue? She was meant to headline in 2005 but pulled out as she was diagnosed with cancer. Twenty years later and, as she released the hugely acclaimed TENSION in 2023 and is arguably at her most popular, was she ever called?! I am sure Minogue would have loved to have been back at Glastonbury and headlining. Imagine two female headliners again. Whether Olivia Rodrigo (who is headlining this year) and Charli xcx or even Kylie Minogue and Olivia Rodrigo. With plenty of options, Glastonbury have taken step back when it comes to their Pyramid Stage headliners. As I said when the bill was announced, who was clambering for The 1975 to headline?! With no new music out and them very much being out of the spotlight for years, they easily could have been put on the Other Stage. Like Guns N’ Roses in 2023, it is a year when a band are lazily dropped in to a slot that could have been given to a female artist. Glastonbury is wonderful when it comes to gender equality through the bill and the diversity and range of acts booked. However, it needs to do better when it comes to headliners and not making excuses or ignoring the issue – which they have done this year.
Even though Reading & Leeds have made steps regarding addressing their notorious male-heavy line-ups, the biggest slots are largely taken by men. Chappell Roan is going to be a great headliner. However, she is the only one! The biggest slots on the bill are dominated by men. It is no longer a festival that relies on Rock and heavier sound. It has diversified and included many genres. It means there is no real excuse. If the remainder of the bill includes some women, then you need to look at the headline slots and ask why women are not more included. I know that the Isle of Wight Festival 2025 has twenty big names and seven/eight are female-led/female. However, the three headliners are all men. Their Big Top headliners are all men. Download Festival is largely male-driven with a real lack of female headliners. The biggest music festivals in the U.K. are still booking many more male headliners than women. Festivals around the world do not have the same issue. Coachella has a lot of wonderful women on the bill. In spite of the fact last year’s festival saw three of the four headliners women/female-led bands, this year’s headliners includes only one woman (Lady Gaga). Some might say that slow ticket sales last year might account for this reversal and major step back. I don’t think female headliners accounted for that - and it is a shame that a huge U.S. festival is male-dominated when it comes to headliners. The only major international festival that is really leading the way is Primavera Sound. Sabrina Carpenter. Charli xcx and Chappell Roan are headlining. This is the festival that the likes of Glastonbury, Isle of Wight, Reading & Leeds and Coachella should be looking up to. If they can book female headliners then what excuse do others have?! They do not have much more money and it is not a case of the dates being more suitable for female artists – who might be busy during the other festivals’ dates. In 2025, it is shocking that we should still see such imbalance! Ignorance when it comes to women headlining. To those who keep saying it is not all about headliners and you have to look at the whole bill. The headline slots are as/more important and they are letting women down. At a time when they are dominating, why do female artists not get the opportunity to headline the biggest festivals? There is plenty of choice for organisers. Excuses made or the issue ignored. It is sad and infuriating that the coming years will show no improvement. I do wonder, when it comes to our major music festivals, will we see all-female headliners…
IN our lifetime?