Rock music obituaries are hard to write, especially because some of the old stars (Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Bruce Springsteen) continue to fill stadiums around the world. But the genre has long since lost the relevance it had as a social phenomenon in the second half of the 20th century. Today, no young group can compete, from that artistic and aesthetic standpoint, with the new pop stars, who are almost all women: Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Karol G. The new generations, eclectic and unprejudiced, never saw a hint of rebellion in the music their parents listened to, if anything they find it in sounds they call urban and in other unclassifiable proposals. The concept of the band is also in danger of extinction, to the point that many of these soloists appear on stage only with dancers, without other musicians in sight.
Coincidence or not, the most feminine Glastonbury festival (deservedly so: they have earned their place) has been the least guitar-oriented. Held at the end of June, when the days are very long in England, Movistar+ offers, as every year a summary of five one-hour chapters, carefully produced by the BBC. British public television itself offers on his Youtube channel lots of footage from the performances (not all of it will last more than a few weeks, so some of the videos embedded in this article will disappear).
Glasto, which has been the showcase for British rock since 1972, no longer feels the need to invite big names of that style to headline its lineup. In recent editions, Glasto has been there Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses, Paul McCartney, Radiohead, The Who or Muse. It’s no longer necessary: The main performances of 2024 They have all gone in other directions: the names announced in large letters were those of Dua Lipa, Sza, the saccharine Coldplay and the country diva Shania Twain.
Dua Lipa and Sza offered stunning shows, with no reservations in sets and choreography, which made the mass of people of all ages, dressed up or dressed up, dance. They came to see and be seen. They danced and sang, which is another trademark of this highly participatory festival, and raised various flags, many of them Palestinian this year. The most popular choruses were achieved by Coldplay, a group that has more success than prestige despite having a handful of good songs: so much confetti, balloons and colour distract us from their music, which is worthy, if not populist. In their usual display of good vibes, they brought out the actor Michael J. Fox on stage, who suffers from advanced Parkinson’s but from his wheelchair grabbed the guitar with enthusiasm.
Not all is lost for the nostalgic. What is called indie rock, label that is somewhat worn out from overuse, is often a hybrid rock, embracing electronics and club culture. As it does Kasabianwhich was the headliner a few years ago, this time They appeared by surprise and got everyone bouncing on one of the secondary stages; just like LCD Soundsystem does with their hypnotic atmospheres and James Murphy’s epic. Among the new stars were: The Last Dinner Party, with a theatrical and baroque show, and they returned the year after their debut, a rare privilege here. Other repeat bands, but not in consecutive years, were Idles, The National or Fontaines DC… It is difficult to label PJ Harvey, but she convinced with her unique voice and style. Of course, there is nothing more nostalgic than meeting Cyndi Lauper and her 80s pop anthem again Time After Time.
Other very diverse proposals were noted: the K-Pop of Seventeen, the rapper Little Simz, the hip-hop electronics of The Streets, the renewed soul of Michael Kiwanuka, the Sugababes in their long-standing effort to be recognized as the heirs of the Spice Girls… And a lot of dance music, from Justice, Disclosure or Jungle. Even country music has had a place on the main stage before rock, although it is a consolation that with Shania Twain, brilliant in her field, it is understood that both genres are related.
Rock music no longer rules this farm in the south-west of England. Festival co-organiser Emily Eavis acknowledges this: “The poster reflects what is happening in the music world at the moment. If I am honest, there are not many new rock bands to choose from.” José Ignacio Lapido, who is a resistance fighter from Granada, has a good argument about this. He said in this interview: “The time has come to assume rock as a genre that has produced musical wonders. It is not its golden age as it was in the sixties, when it acted as a generational beacon.” But it is not dead: “It has been said that rock is dead since the beginning of the sixties. Just as jazz has not died, nor the blues, nor the bluegrass, “Well, neither does rock.”
Will Glasto be back to using established names, those that fit into its tradition, in 2025? Many looked to Oasis, a legend of the nineties, for their return: the Gallagher brothers have frequented the festival, together in their prime, separately later in careers that did not take off. But the band reappeared has denied very categorically that will be at Glastonbury: they will only be seen at concerts on their own tour.
New rock talent, the kind Emily Eavis has been struggling to find, will have to push their way through, because centre stage is now occupied by others.
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