Glastonbury 2024 – live: TV broadcast kicks off ahead of first headline set

Our on-site team have been fed and watered and are starting to make their way around the site. Head of culture/lifestyle Patrick Smith has offered his own weather report: “Really overcast morning, with some ominous-looking clouds hanging over Worthy Farm.”

“A few groggy heads too,” he adds, after sets by Daniel Avery, Joy Orbison and Shygirl got the party going last night, “even though they were seriously overcrowded”.

Patrick adds: “There’s a fantastic lineup today — I’m particularly looking foeward to Olivia Dean on the Pyramid Stage, Billie Marten on the Avalon Stage and of course Dua Lipa’s headline set.”

Also today: Marina Abramovic is on the Pyramid Stage doing a silence, while the brilliant Kate Hutchinson is bringing Tate Modern Lates to Worthy Farm later today. Tate Modern Lates presents Yoko Ono’s Voice Piece for Soprano, performed by Bishi on the Park Stage at 12.25pm. Experience collective emotional release as Ono’s instructional artwork invites you to scream. Inspired by Tate’s exhibition Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind.

Then, at 3pm at Stonebridge, Kate will be doing a Club Ono set: an hour of Yoko Ono remixes. She’s a busy bee, so you’ll also be able to catch her at Glastonbury’s brand new queer space, Scissors, on Friday night! Along with many other brilliant acts.

This is the scheduled Glastonbury 2024 televised line-up for Friday (28 June): Olivia Dean, Headie One, Kenya Grace, Sugababes, Paul Heaton, Dua Lipa, Jungle, as well as an introduction show starting at 12pm and several hightlights reels throughout the day.

Glastonbury has become increasingly known for its rumoured surprises – and this year is no different.

Claims about possible surprise sets and guests circulate social media, not to mention the festival’s site, with many theorising about which unannounced acts could be showing up.

But, according to Emily Eavis, there’ll be “no big surprises” this year.

Speaking on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on Friday (28 June), Eavis said: “There’s no big surprises as well I just want to say that, in case you’re expecting something else coming later that’s been rumoured, it’s probably not true, because we’ve got all these amazing things, who needs more?”

Videos posted to social media show a queue forming outside The Cheese and Grain, where Coldplay are rehearsing for their Glastonbury headline act. While reports on Somersetlive claim that Coldplay are simply rehearsing, fans are convinced the band is preparing to host a surprise set.

The Frome venue has become known amongst festivalgoers as a place where former headliners have hosted small and intimate gigs. In 2017, the Foo Fighters performed a surprise set there before they headlined Glastonbury.

Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis, 88, performed at the festival on Thursday (27 June).

Eavis, whose daughter Emily now co-runs the festival, performed songs, including “My Way” and “Suspicious Minds”, on the Park Stage.

Emily Eavis has shut down the idea of a “Glastonbury ballot”, calling the dilemma over the demand for tickets “one of the worst sides to the job”.

Speaking to the BBC in front of the Pyramid Stage at Worthy Farm, Eavis was asked about whether organisers would ever consider doing a ticket ballot, considered one of the fairest ways to allow people to apply for tickets to in-demand events.

“I think if we did a ballot, we’d end up with some people who weren’t necessarily as bothered about coming,” Eavis explained to presenter and DJ Annie Mac.

“It’s really hard to say this year because I know a lot of people didn’t get tickets and they wanted them. But you know, a lot of the time, the people who really really want them get them do through volunteering or through competitions.”

The British-Albanian pop star was announced as one of the festival’s star bookings in March, alongside pop-rock band Coldplay and US R&B artist SZA. Country-pop queen Shania Twain will take on the Legends Slot on Sunday.

Dua Lipa, 28, has a string of top 10 singles under her belt including “New Rules”, “One Kiss” and “Don’t Start Now”.

Here’s everything you need to know about Dua Lipa’s headline performance.

After days of arriving, tent pitching and aimlessly ambling around to get a feel for the site, revellers will be preparing for the official launch of the televised live music performances.

Things will get started on West Holts at 11am, with a set from Sofia Koutesis.

It’ll be down to Annie Mac to set the tone on the Other Stage, with a DJ set starting at 11.30am. Past acts to kick off this stage with a Friday morning slot include Christine and the Queens, James and The Vaccines.

Thirty minutes later, Squeeze will be opening up the Pyramid Stage with Voice Of Baceprot playing on Woodsies. Meanwhile, Lynks will be opening the Park Stage.

It was the kohl-eyed cultural assassin Super Hans who struck the killer blow. “People like Coldplay and voted for the Nazis,” Peep Show’s resident joker infamously told Jez in one 2005 episode of the sitcom. “You can’t trust people.” Granted, he was arguing that Jez’s new pub should be themed as a working laundrette and not serve lager, but this wild illogic acted as judge, jury and saucer-eyed executioner on the perceived credibility of Chris Martin and his three band members who, despite popular misconception, also have names.

In the two decades since, from pub to panel show, Coldplay have become shorthand for dull, mimsy musical Evian: industry bigwig Alan McGee dubbed them “bedwetters”; John Oliver likened their listening experience to “sex with the lights on” (which is better, right?). More than any other band of their era, however, Coldplay make the debate surrounding their so-called “coolness” seem about as pointless and ludicrous as a Tory 2024 manifesto.