Shortlist: Glastonbury Secret Sets 2024

Death, taxes and Glastonbury’s surprise guests. While we have all come to expect a secret set or a shock appearance at the festival each year, who it could be for 2024 is still anyone’s guess.

What we do know is there is still one slot marked “TBA'' on the Woodsies stage.

In 2023 the Pyramid Stage welcomed Foo Fighters to the delight of legions of fans. Festival goers have also been treated to surprise appearances from the likes of Lady Gaga, Rick Astley, and Mumford and Sons over the years.

The precedent has well and truly been set: the only question now is who will it be this year? Here are the most hotly anticipated surprise guests for Glastonbury 2024.

While the California trio are booked to play the Isle of Wight as a ‘festival exclusive’, there’s no saying for sure that Glastonbury is out of the question. With a convenient gap in their calendar and a fairly recent album of new tracks to take on the road, this could be quite the move for Green Day. Plus, if their surprise gig in a London pub is anything to go by, we know this band is not averse to taking fans by surprise.

The unsung heroes of Britpop are back - that much we know already. However, could these quirky rockers be planning a surprise appearance at Worthy Farm? It wouldn’t be totally out of the question for the always surprising outfit. Plus, Jarvis Cocker is already on the bill alongside Alexis Taylor at the Stonebridge Bar on Friday, and again on Saturday in the Speakers Forum. Surely he’ll have some time to kill between these appearances? Watch this space.

Hold on to your hats, lad rockers. William Hill has suspended betting on the Leicester band following some strong rumours the foursome will make a surprise appearance at Worthy Farm. Kasabian are due to release their new album Happenings the week after the festival, and have a hotly anticipated homecoming show in Leicester’s Victoria Park for the Summer Solstice, so could this be the hardcore warm up the band are looking for?

The Killers are no strangers to Glastonbury, having performed there three times as a billed act. They also have experience in subterfuge at the farm, playing a secret set on the John Peel Stage in 2017. Bookies currently have them as 7/4 favourites to appear at the festival, presumably thanks to the timings of their UK and Ireland tour, which allows for a convenient break between gigs during the Glasto weekend. Killers fans, watch this space.

Last year saw Blur return with another comeback. Always guaranteed to get the crowd going - and perhaps looking to erase the memory of their set at Coachella in April - could Blur make a secret appearance at Glastonbury Festival? The last time the London quartet played at the farm was back in 2009, so it may be high time for this band to make a resurgence in Somerset and prove to the world that they most definitely still have it.

She may not be the most likely to appear from the roundup, but that doesn’t stop her fans from rooting for it. Rihanna has been on a notorious musical hiatus since the release of her album Anti in 2016, driving fans wild with desperation and speculation. However, the superstar herself has strongly hinted at a return to the stage, and performed at the Super Bowl in 2023. Following the birth of her second child, could this unlikely secret set be the way Rihanna announces her comeback to music with an almighty bang?

In anticipation of their UK tour for their new album Only God Was Above Us, William Hill is offering 8/1 odds that Vampire Weekend may make a surprise appearance at Glastonbury in 2024. While they are currently touring their album stateside, there is a gap between two of their US dates that would leave Ezra Koenig and the gang plenty of time to hop over to the farm and back.

Another year, another rumour Harry Styles may be making a guest appearance at Glastonbury Festival. Bookies have Styles at 4/1 to appear on the farm, though we couldn’t tell you what that’s based on. For now, there are no scheduled tour dates for the former One Direction star during 2024, but that could always change. With such a wide open schedule, it’s no surprise superfans are hoping for an appearance from the man of the hour.

Weezer are currently on tour around the UK supporting The Smashing Pumpkins - which auspiciously comes to an end in Cardiff on 14th June. With a sizable gap between the end of their UK tour and the start of their North American one, could Worthy Farm be a pitstop during their downtime?