That music has moved on from The Who, Motor-head, Lionel Ritchie etc.
I has just occurred to me while watching the chemical brothers on iplayer at Glastonbury that, over 20 years since Dance music burst onto the scene, pioneers such as the chems, Orbital, The prodigy an so on still don’t get the headline slot at Glastonbury and probably never will.
Its almost as if we are happy to accept that in the 60 and 70’s smoking weed, taking mushrooms and LSD was OK but MDMA and the like, which alot of people at these festivals are obviuosly on, is still frowned upon and treated like its not happening so we`ll put act that attract that audience on a smaller stage.
Seems bonkers to me. (
p.s. I`m not condoning taking drugs as its not for all.

The fact some music has moved on doesn’t necessarily make it better….

well said mooly.. I hadn’t considered it from that angle, just seeing these big festies as corporate money spinners pandering to beige, middle class, middle aged straight heads..

Happily there’s plenty of grass roots festies that are far more modern in their music policies

Orbital, basement Jaxx, Chase and Status, Chems have all had headline slots (on the pyramid at least)

I think the retro wave runs about 30 years behind, something like that? So all the seventies and early eighties stuff is cool again, dance music should become retro chic in the next few years, I reckon.

Why haven’t people moved on from Orbital – they’re like so 1990s!

Dance music isn’t as popular. It’s as simple as that.
Glasto is traditionally a rock biased festival. Other, more dance based festivals are available.

Glastonbury has traditionally been guitar lead music mainly, while a growing number of options have been given as time has progress.
DG’s and electronic music rarely provides the live performance that traditional bands do, even when they have a back catalogue as great as the chemical brothers.

DID YOU SEE KANYE FFS!!!!!!!!!!!

Dance music isn’t as popular. It’s as simple as that.
Glasto is traditionally a rock biased festival. Other, more dance based festivals are available.

+1

You could always go to creamfields? It’s not a case of moving on, it’s a case of the people who want to see the Who aren’t going to be the same people who want to see Metalica, and they’re not going to want to see Orbital either.

Although I’d dispute that Glasto is ‘rock based’. Reading/Leeds is rock based, Glasto just puts on a smaller stage for every taste.

What I don’t get is… well these novelty headliners: Lionel Richie, Dolly Parton – everyone hated them back then, Lionel’s crap came on and you turned the radio off!
Now it’s like Ooh, Lionel Richie’s so great!
Piss off!
Next headliner – Black Lace? ohh aren’t Black Lace FUN!! NO!!!

Stabaliser
Orbital, basement Jaxx, Chase and Status, Chems have all had headline slots (on the pyramid at least)
I think they always get shoved on the other stages as head-liners not the Pyramid.
MSP electronic music rarely provides the live performance that traditional bands do,
Have you seen the Chemical brother gig at Glato this year?
It all seems totally bonkers to me.

the people who want to see the Who aren’t going to be the same people who want to see Metalica, and they’re not going to want to see Orbital either.

Rubbish! I love the Who and Orbital (not Metallica though).

I suppose, in answer to the OP – there are other festivals for dance acts to headline. Sonar, Cochella, that sort of thing.
Let Glasto carry on with its novelty old man rock festival vibe.

Seems bonkers to me.

Modern pop* music was effectively invented for the baby boomers, and the baby boomers are the generation who have come to dominate the cultural status quo. Consequently, it doesn’t matter what other pop music you like and from what era, you’re up against the homogeneity of the generation that the self-named music industry grew up to serve.

*It’s all pop music, so don’t pretend otherwise. 😉

Coming back on the “There are other festivals that are dance music based” surely adds weight to the fact that some of these people should be headlining because they are the top of a whole musical genre and have entire festivals full of people that are desperate to see them.
What about Kraftwerk , Daft Punk, The ORB, Death in Vegas???

You’re right mooly, but you’re ignoring what has already been pointed out..

The music industry is run by ageing middle class plonkers for ageing middle class plonkers because they have the most spending power and are the most materialistic and unimaginative.. Which means they’ll buy whatever they’re presented with, and they’ll buy lots of it

Coming back on the “There are other festivals that are dance music based” surely adds weight to the fact that some of these people should be headlining because they are the top of a whole musical genre and have entire festivals full of people that are desperate to see them.
What about Kraftwerk , Daft Punk, The ORB, Death in Vegas???

Why not? Why not have a Country and Western, modern classical, freeform Jazz, or manufactured pop? Someone will be at the top of those genre’s too and headlining somewhere.

And:

Its almost as if we are happy to accept that in the 60 and 70’s smoking weed, taking mushrooms and LSD was OK but MDMA and the like, which alot of people at these festivals are obviuosly on, is still frowned upon

Dance music and drugs doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dj-hardwell-belfast-gig-chaos-children-claim-to-have-taken-heroin-ecstasy-and-legal-highs-29991117.html

I’m going to agree to some degree with the OP.

Rock Music in it’s hayday wasn’t the only music to rattle the bass drums, take epic bands such as Chic, Average White Band etc. etc. then taking that through to Disco and latterly House and all it’s sub genres.
It really is about time Glasto (being the biggest by far) had headlines act more in keeping with the generations moving on. As it stands it’s too Rock based, and we know about other festivals for specific genres thanks.

The argument of middle class cockbags managing the bookings is valid, but those that grew up listening to the Chem’s et all from the 90’s are all now in their late 30’s and 40’s these are the people involved in bookings shirley?

I’d offer up Sophie Ellis Bextor to headline next year or Room5 at the very least. 😆

I think you will find there are festivals where music several hundred years old is still being played. Shocking but true.

A lot of people don’t really understand dance music being performed live you know.

The music industry is run by ageing middle class plonkers for ageing middle class plonkers because they have the most spending power and are the most materialistic and unimaginative

Why would you aim a festival (which you want to turn a profit from) at financially less well off lower class plonkers who are going to overdose or mug people? (I’ve been to raves, it happens) Do you honestly believe taht the lower classes are any less materialistic than the middle classes? 😐

Dance music and drugs doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dj-hardwell-belfast-gig-chaos-children-claim-to-have-taken-heroin-ecstasy-and-legal-highs-29991117.htmlNot entirely sure that’s a dance music issue.

On a bit of a tangent, boo Glastonbury shame on you, another big fish kill at Worthy Farm. Happens year after year and they really dont seem to give a shit. Old man Eavis doesn’t have a lot to do with the actual running of it and the people who are are as slippery as the eels they killed.

Dance music and drugs doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/dj-hardwell-belfast-gig-chaos-children-claim-to-have-taken-heroin-ecstasy-and-legal-highs-29991117.html

That’s up there with this classic

http://www.mixmag.net/read/the-great-british-freak-out-news

The Sun’s article was especially fantastical, describing “thousands of ecstasy wrappers littering the floor” – whatever ecstasy wrappers are.

😆

I’ve seen the Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and Leftfield play Glastonbury as ‘almost’ headliners on the main stage, they were all great, who’s really big in Dance music at the moment? Calvin Harris? I know he’s making buckets of money, but could most people name more than one of his songs? There aren’t many Dance/electronic music acts that really stand up to performing a ‘set’ more likely you’ll get some DJ stood there waving their arms about whilst their iMac plays someone else’s music.

As for Lionel Richie – since way back in the mid-90’s when they booked Tom Jones to play (and every wore t-shirts saying “who the **** is Tom Jones??) they’ve had a ‘Legend’ book for early evening on the Sunday, every year these old guys walk out in front of 100k plus people who aren’t really fans who’ve either come for a bit of nostalgia or to laugh and them – but here’s the thing – these people have been doing their thing for decades – they’ve gone from nobodies, to huge stars but more importantly managed to maintain a certain level of adulation for decades after they stopped being cool – they’ve passed the test of time, which is the hardest test of all, it doesn’t matter if you’re into them, or their style of music – the quality of the performance shines through and because they’ve been at it so long they’ve nothing to prove – all the new exciting acts, they’re all pretending they’re not really fussed by it all, they stand their sneering trying to act cool – but the old timers engage with the crowd – it’s usually a complete masterclass.

OH for gods sake, does it really matter?
Festivals are all about making money. To make money you need people. To attract people you need popular bands.
There are plenty of scene based festivals, so if the Glasto selection doesnt appeal, go somewhere else instead.
Glasto is not a **** democracy is it?

If Glasto was about making money, you think they would have cracked how to make some by now 😉

(they give most, if not all of the profits to charity).

Please don’t ever let Ray Davis near a stage ever again.
And Macca.