AGEING ROCK STARS
Despite Billie Eilish headlining this year, Glastonbury headliners tend to be old pros
THE average age of a Glastonbury headliner is still well into their 40s - despite 20-year-old Billie Eilish trying to bring the average down this year. The average age of the headliners this year is 45 years and two months, a slight drop from 49 years and one month when the festival last went ahead in 2019.
Paul McCartney is the one bringing years of experience, and will be the oldest headliner ever at Glastonbury when he performs a week after turning 80.
Sunday night headliner Kendrick Lamar will be closer to this year's average, having turned 35 nine days before.
Generally, the average age of headliners has been increasing.
In 1997, it was 26 years and five months, with nearly every member of The Prodigy, Radiohead, and Ash in their 20s.
Between 1998 and 2008, the average crept up into the 30s.
Since then it's been over 40 every year, apart from 39 years and eight months in 2014 (the thirty-something Kasabian and Arcade Fire balancing out the older Metallica), and 37 years in 2016 (Adele aged 28, and Muse on their third headline appearance and Coldplay on their fourth all approaching 40).
The oldest year was 2019, with The Cure, The Killers and Stormzy.
Of the 181 artists and band members who have headlined in the past 25 years, most have been in their 20s and 30s (at least the first time they performed).
At 20 years and six months when she performs this week, Billie Eilish will be the youngest solo artist (and youngest woman) to headline the Pyramid Stage.
However, the youngest performers to headline are twothirds of Ash - bassist Mark Hamilton was 20 years and three months, and singer and guitarist Tim Wheeler was 20 years and five months when they took to the stage in 1997.
Drummer Rick McMurray was a comparatively ancient 21 years and 11 months.
Also all aged 21 when they first performed were the Arctic Monkeys.
The Arctic Monkeys are the newest band to top the bill on the Pyramid Stage - having performed 18 months after the release of their debut album. Both Coldplay and Stormzy performed around two years after their debut albums.
It's been three years since Billie Eilish's debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was released. In comparison, it's 59 years since the first Beatles album was released.
Performers have an average of 16 years between their debut album and their headline slot. Kendrick Lamar is again closer to this average, with 11 years since debut album Section.80.
This year continues the trend of returning headliners - Paul McCartney last headlined in 2004 - with 2014 the last year all three performers were new to the Pyramid Stage.