They won't reveal who it is due to health and safety fears...
Scott Colothan

10:23 27th May 2009

Glastonbury has confirmed that a huge band will play a secret show on The Park stage over the festival weekend.


However, we won't find out who the band is as Glasto are worried they're so big that a leak would cause health and safety problems.

Emily Eavis made the revelation in an interview to BBC6music, saying: “There's a really top surprise on The Park which will definitely not come out because otherwise we'd have a health and safety issue. You can start guessing.”

Pressed for more information, she continued: “I don't think it will ever be announced. It will just happen for those people that happen to be there, hopefully for the people that are fans of the band.”

Our money's on Radiohead. Well, we can live in hope can't we?

The best of Glastonbury 2009:

  • Kate Nash had the honour of opening Glastonbury 2008 with an early morning set on The Pyramid Stage. The singer said that she was so nervous beforehand she had only had one hour's sleep.

  • With their trademark dry ice turned up to max, Glasvegas were sonorous on the John Peel Stage on Friday in front of a totally packed-out tent.

  • Franz Ferdinand stunned Glastonbury revellers with an unannounced show on The Park Stage on Sunday.

  • Arctic Monkeys and Last Shadow Puppets star Alex Turner backstage with his TV presenter girlfriend Alexa Chung.

  • Easily one of the most talked about bands of 2008, MGMT packed out the John Peel Stage on Sunday evening. They culminated their set with their signature tracks 'Time To Pretend' and 'Kids.'

  • The Kills' Jamie Hince with his supermodel girlfriend Kate Moss in tow. The band performed on the John Peel stage where they were let down by poor sound levels.

  • Despite dropping a clanger of a second album, on Friday The Subways were in buoyant mood on The Pyramid Stage. As always Billy had his shirt off and was jumping around the stage energetically.

  • Beth Ditto ditched her tight, flesh-baring PVC outfits of yesteryear in favour of a baggy hoodie. The Gossip belted out a killer set early on Friday evening.

  • Kings of Leon proved all the naysayers who said that they were not a worthy headliner wrong with a storming set on Friday night.

  • While Kings of Leon were strutting their stuff on the Pyramid Stage, emo favourites Panic At The Disco played to the kids on The Other Stage.

  • A fresh-faced Pete Doherty in action during his late-night set on The Park Stage. The Babyshambles man proved all the cynics with a stellar set which included acoustic renditions of many Libertines classics.

  • Gigwise caught up with Shakin Stevens shortly after he opened the Pyramid Stage on Saturday morning. He joked to us: “I taught Jay-Z everything he knows.”

  • Thanks to 'Chelsea Dagger', The Fratellis provided one of the sing-along moments of the entire festival on The Pyramid Stage. It was arguably only matched by Neil Diamond's rousing 'Sweet Caroline' on the Sunday.

  • One of the many sets of famous Glastonbury flags which keep acid lovers at the festival entertained for days on end.

  • The pioneering DJ Yoda was one of a plethora of electronic acts who performed over in the dance village – an area of the site which grows in popularity every year.

  • Liam Fray of The Courteeners looking particularly pleased with himself on The Other Stage.

  • Alex Turner and Miles Kane of The Last Shadow Puppets warming up before their surprise performance on The Park Stage. The slot wasn't announced until Turner let it slip to Gigwise.

  • The Jigga Man himself in front of the ultimate bling item – Damien Hirst's diamond skull entitled 'For The Love Of God' which was recently sold for a massive £50million.

  • Despite Jay-Z providing the most talked about and popular set of the festival on the Pyramid Stage, over on The Other Stage Massive Attack blasted out a powerful gloomy headline slot on Saturday.

  • The Beatles as you have never seen them before. We particularly love the expression on Sir Paul's face.

  • Model Lily Cole was one of the smorgasbord of celebrities spotted in the VIP area.

  • Jay-Z triumphed with his controversial headline slot on the Saturday night. He arrived onstage to Oasis' 'Wonderwall' clutching a guitar mocking Noel Gallaghers comments last month when he slated the rapper's appearance at the festival.

  • Jay-Z's wife Beyonce Knowles watching his show from the VIP area of the Pyramid Stage. Also there are Amy Winehouse and Jack White.

  • Despite all the criticism and controversy his headline slot provoked, Jay-Z ultimately triumphed. Emotional, he thanked the crowd for sharing in the “beautiful moment.”

  • Michael Eavis and daughter Emily on their way to watch Amy Winehouse perform on The Pyramid Stage. Both will be ecstatic with how well the festival went.

  • Playing with his now trademark three string guitar, blues star Seasick Steve made the huge step of performing on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday, indicative of his growing popularity.

  • Los Campesinos! performed a lively set early on Saturday afternoon. Here are the tweecore outfit doing what they do best – shouting.

  • Glastonbury Festival – arguably the breast in the world.

  • Welsh singing sensation (trademark), Duffy continued her dominance in front of a massive crowd on The Other Stage on Saturday.

  • Roy Chubby Brown has lost so much weight recently that the comedian can now sit on his friend's shoulders without crushing him.

  • Up until Glastonbury we at Gigwise despised James Blunt. However, when you get to meet him this will totally obliterate these thoughts – he even digressed his tips for pulling at festivals. His music's still shit though.

  • Hyper-eclectic punskster Manu Chao entertained a huge crowd on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday afternoon. He later headlined the Jazz World Stage.

  • The Raconteurs provided one of the surprise hit sets of Glastonbury 2008 on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday afternoon. Jack White also made a guest appearance with The Last Shadow Puppets on the Park Stage.

  • An intoxicated Amy Winehouse on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday. The set bordered on the shambolic as she gradually got more drunk throughout as she slurred many of her lines and constantly referred to her incarcerated husband "Blakey."

  • Winehouse hit the headlines after she punched a man in the crowd who she claims touched her. She also kept spitting during her set – a classy lady.

  • Jennifer Aniston's other half John Mayer pulling a gurn face on the Pyramid Stage. We wonder what she sees in him to be honest...

  • Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe milling about backstage where Gigwise caught up with him. He told us that he thought the abysmal weather in 2007 was to blame for slow ticket sales this year.

  • Glastonbury main man Michael Eavis stands in the VIP booth to watch Leonard Cohen on the Pyramid Stage. His prediction that Glastonbury 2008 would be a vintage year very much turned out to be true.

  • The Pigeon Detectives played a typically lively set on The Other Stage on the Sunday. Here is Matt Bowman jumping like a mad man as always!

  • Looking more and more like Jesus every day, Dave McCabe and The Zutons graced the penultimate slot on The Other Stage.

  • The legend that is Neil Diamond playing the famous Sunday afternoon Pyramid Stage slot – a place occupied by Shirley Bassey last year. He ended his performance with 'Sweet Caroline', which saw tens of thousands wave their arms in the air in harmony

  • The excesses of Glastonbury look to have taken their toll on this reveller

  • Big-haired crooner Gilbert O'Sullivan entertained the older Glastonbury-goers with a set of his vintage hits early on Sunday. Here he is arriving by car backstage.

  • Everybody's favourite trumpet obsessed producer Mark Ronson looking orgasmic on The Other Stage on Sunday. Sadly Amy Winehouse did not guest with him as she had to check in to a London clinic to address her ongoing health problems.

  • Glastonbury reveller with blow-up guitar enjoying the Sunday afternoon sunshine.

  • Perfectly fitting the hazy Sunday afternoon Pyramid stage slot, Goldfrapp predominately ditched their disco-pop roots in favour of the pastoral sounds of their latest album 'Seventh Tree.' Alison Goldfrapp hypnotised the crowd with her breathtaking vocals.

  • Leonard Cohen played the penultimate set on the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday night. In front of a vast crowd, the music praised the Glastonbury revellers calling them “Angels of the mud.”

  • The Verve closed the Pyramid Stage on the Sunday evening with a triumphant set. The band were searing throughout playing all the hits like 'Sonnet', 'Lucky Man', 'History' and 'Bitter-sweet Symphony.' Their final track - and new single - 'Love Is Noise' was cemented as their new classic song.

  • Towards the end of The Verve's closing set Richard Ashcroft told Michael and Emily Eavis that they were right to book him, joking "I want to thank Emily Eavis for asking us to play. I hope her dad realises why he booked us now, I think he was worried we wouldn't be as good as Keane or something. But, no, respect to Keane, respect to all bands."

  • The John Peel Stage in the aftermath of Sunday evening. Hundreds of staff will be staying on this week to clear the vast amount of debris left by 170,000 people.


Photo: Shirlaine Forrest