The most famous festival stand-ins of all time

11 July 2024, 16:24

What happens when festival headliners have to pull out at the last minute? Radio X looks at the most notable festival replacements in history...

By Radio X

@RadioX

1. The Darkness - in for David Bowie at T In The Park, 2004

   During his performance at Hurricane Festival in Germany on 25th June 2004, Bowie suffered what turned out to be a heart attack, causing the immediate cancellation of his remaining European dates and effectively ending his career as a live performer. One of those shows was a Saturday night headline slot at T In The Park on 10th July 2004, so men of the moment The Darkness were promoted to top of the bill. According to legend, disgruntled glam rock fans went to see Muse on the second stage instead.

   

   The Darkness - Growing On Me (T In The Park 2004)

2. Pulp - in for The Stone Roses at Glastonbury 1995

   '95 was the year of the big Stone Roses comeback, following the release of the long-awaited album The Second Coming in December 1994. So the Roses were a shoe-in for a Glasto headline slot, right? However, after suffering the loss of long-term drummer Reni two weeks before the Second Coming tour was due to start, guitarist John Squire broke his collarbone while mountain-biking and had to pull out of their Pyramid Stage appearance, leaving Pulp to stand in and be crowned the winners of the Summer Of Britpop.

   

   Pulp - Common People (Glastonbury 1995)

3. Travis - in for Morrissey Isle Of Wight, 2005

   Thanks to the awesome blog "Every date that Morrissey has ever cancelled", we can confirm that the former Smiths frontman cancelled his only show of 2005, which just so happened to be headlining the Isle Of Wight festival on the Saturday night.

   In a statement, the Moz camp said: "The pressure of preparing the new album and losing his drummer earlier this month has made it impossible to do the gig without massively compromising both the gig and the album." Thankfully, that nice, dependable Travis stepped in and even encored with a version of the man himself's tune Everyday Is Like Sunday.

   

   Travis - Isle Of Wight Festival 2005 (Interview & Highlights)

4. The 1975 - in for Rage Against The Machine, Reading and Leeds Festival 2022

   Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha tore his Achilles tendon during a performance of Bullet In The Head at the second show on the band's 2022 European tour. This meant the cancellation of their Reading and Leeds headline sets - but don't panic! The 1975 stepped in to deputise, much to the barely- suppressed rage of political rock fans.

   

5. Florence + The Machine - in for Foo Fighters, Glastonbury 2015

   You may remember the time that Big Dave Grohl fell off a stage in Sweden and broke his leg. This was unfortunate, but equally unfortunate was that all this happened two weeks before Foo Fighters were set to headline Glastonbury. Luckily, Florence + The Machine were also booked and stepped into the slot to close the first night. Florence Welch performed Times Like These as tribute to the Foos, and in 2017, when he finally returned to Glastonbury, Dave Grohl repaid the favour by singing it back to her.

   

   Florence + The Machine - Times Like These - Live At Glastonbury 2015

6. Basement Jaxx - in for Kylie Minogue at Glastonbury 2005

   Originally due to close the festival on Sunday night, the former Neighbours star turned pop princess was given a diagnosis of breast cancer that May, causing her to cancel the Glastonbury slot and her greatest hits tour. Basement Jaxx stood in for the singer, covering Can't Get You Out Of My Head to wish Kylie well. Thankfully, the star's treatment was successful and she finally appeared at Glastonbury as part of the Sunday Legends slot in 2019.

   

7. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - in for The White Stripes, Reading and Leeds 2003

   Jack White fractured his finger in a car crash - which also involved Renée "Bridget Jones" Zellweger! - shortly before the Stripes were due to perform on the main stage at Reading and Leeds, warming up headliners Blur.

   Unfortunately, the injury was to Jack's guitarin' hand, so the duo cancelled these shows, plus Witness and T In The Park festivals. This being 2003, Jack and Meg's place was taken by the leather-clad heroes Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, who opened with Spread Your Love (of course) and covered their fallen comrades' song The Hardest Button To Button.

   

   Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Reading Festival 2003

8. Gorillaz - in for U2 at Glastonbury 2011

   At 2010's festival, Irish mega-legends U2 were set to headline the Pyramid Stage on Friday night, but frontman Bono suffered from a "herniated disc" (ouch) and was in dire need of emergency back surgery. The ever-dependable Gorillaz, featuring Damon Albarn and friends, deputised and, to prove that you can't keep a good frontman down, Bono was back with the rest of U2 in 2011 to fulfil their promise.

   

9. Eat - in for Radiohead, Reading 1993

   Remember Eat? Early 90s alternative rock band, signed to The Cure's label Fiction? Well, they stepped in when the nascent Radiohead were taken ill and had to cancel their Saturday slot on the Melody Maker stage, where they were due to appear before Blur (there's a pattern emerging here, see The White Stipes in 2003).

   

10. Ash - in for Steve Winwood, Glastonbury 1997

    1997 was one of the muddiest years on record and the bad weather caused a number of cancellations from artists. Neil Young opted out of his Pyramid Stage appearance, leaving Kula Shaker to play their second set of the weekend, while Sunday night headliner Steve Winwood (of Valerie fame) gave way to young rockers Ash, who had already played The Other Stage on the Friday, but - luckily - hadn't gone home yet.

    

11. Marc Bolan - in for The Kinks, Glastonbury 1970

    Things even went belly-up at the very first Glastonbury! Young Michael Eavis contacted the manager of The Kinks, who agreed to appear at the very first "Pilton Pop Folk & Blues Festival" in September 1970, but when they realised that the organiser's day job was a dairy farmer and thought the event was going to be an embarrassment, they cancelled.

    Luckily, Marc Bolan, stepped in at the last minute and it was an opportune replacement as the singer was about to change his band's name from Tyrannosaurus Rex to T.Rex and released the iconic single Ride A White Swan, making him the UK's first glam superstar.