PJ Harvey, Jarvis Cocker, George Ezra and Róisín Murphy are among the artists newly added to Glastonbury’s ticketed livestreamed event.
Live at Worthy Farm, available to view on 22-23 May, will see Ezra and Murphy join previously announced musicians Coldplay, Damon Albarn, Haim, Idles, Jorja Smith, Kano, Michael Kiwanuka, Wolf Alice and DJ Honey Dijon performing in key locations across the festival site.
Presented as “one continuous wild night” at Worthy Farm, the five-hour show will thread together musical performances with a spoken-word narrative delivered by Harvey, Cocker, Kae Tempest, George the Poet, Kurupt FM, Little Amal, Caleb Femi and Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis. More guests are still to be announced.
Viewers can pay to stream the event at home for £20, or watch in certain cinemas around the UK, where prices may vary. The event will raise funds for the festival, which lost £5m after having to cancel in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, co-organiser Emily Eavis told the Guardian in March. Cancelling earlier in 2021 significantly reduced the festival’s losses.
Performers waived their fees to appear at the show, the first in a series of extraordinary events planned by Glastonbury’s organisers this year. Worthy Farm will operate as a family campsite this summer – without any live music – and the Eavises have applied for a licence to hold a two-day festival in September, although no event has yet been confirmed.
The Glastonbury live stream may be as close as many music fans will get to a gig this summer: more than a quarter of UK festivals in 2021 with a capacity of more than 5000 people have already been cancelled, their organisers citing uncertainty over the pandemic and government inaction on insurance for live music events.
A government trial has run pilot events to collect evidence on how large concerts and festivals can take place safely as coronavirus restrictions ease: 5000 guests recently attended an unmasked, indoor concert in Liverpool, and more than 3000 partied at a rave.
Live at Worthy Farm is directed by Paul Dugdale, who has previously directed concert films for artists including Taylor Swift, the Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Ariana Grande and Adele.
The festival organisers have also announced set timings:
19.00 Wolf Alice
19.25 Michael Kiwanuka
19.55 George Ezra
20.05 Idles
20.30 Haim
21.05 Coldplay
21.50 Damon Albarn
22.35 Jorja Smith
23.05 Special guest
23.35 Kano
00.00 DJ Honey Dijon ft Róisín Murphy
(BST times listed – the live stream will be broadcast in full across four staggered timezones).
