The worst kept secret in music is out. Metallica have become the third and final band to be confirmed as Glastonbury headliners for 2014.
Plenty of names – most prominently Fleetwood Mac, Oasis, Prince, Depeche Mode, David Bowie and The Stone Roses – were heavily linked with Glastonbury at one point or another after the festival sold-out in record time last October, but Metallica’s odds have been shortening consistently during the past few weeks, and the heavyweight US rockers are now signed up to join Kasabian and Arcade Fire at the tip of the Pyramid Stage next month.
“To be honest with you, we didn’t sit around and have a big conversation when the call came,” Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who has previously spoken of his great desire to headline the festival, told BC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe. “In Metallica we have a saying called a ‘no-brainer’. Headlining Glastonbury is a no-brainer. We didn’t need to sit around thinking about the pros and cons.”
The Other Stage has also had its main acts confirmed, with Skrillex, Jake Bugg and Massive Attack leading the way, while Metronomy, Mogwai and James Blake top the Park Stage and MGMT, London Grammar and Kaiser Chiefs headline the John Peel Stage.