The Festival

Last week, it was announced that Sheffield band the Arctic Monkeys will be headlining Glastonbury Festival this June.

The festival will be taking place from June 21st – 25th and will be showcasing other artists including Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, Lizzo and Aitch.

The festival comes after the Arctic Monkey’s performance in Sheffield which is due to be taking place in Hillsborough Park on the 9th and 10th June.

Frazer Spooner, Live Promotions Assistant at The Leadmill, said: “To see them go from playing in their trackie bottoms the first-time round, to the leather-clad rockstars of the AM era in 2013, and now to be playing the Pyramid Stage alongside the likes of Elton John and Guns N’ Roses is just another testament to why they’re arguably the biggest musical export Sheffield has ever seen.

“Having Arctic Monkeys headlining Glastonbury for an astonishing third time will hopefully be a huge motivator for aspiring bands in Sheffield’s music scene.”

Tickets for Glastonbury, which cost a total of £340 have already sold out. However, there will be a resell of any cancelled or returned tickets next month.

Their Sheffield Routes

The Arctic Monkeys famously formed in Sheffield in 2002 after meeting at Stocksbridge High School and performed their first gig at The Grapes pub in 2003.

They have since become great supporters of Sheffield music venues such as the Leadmill. Last year they famously supported the #WeCantLoseLeadmill Campaign, when the club was facing eviction.

In 2020, frontman Alex Turner also raffled one of his guitars, a black Fender Stratocaster which he used for many of his earlier performances at The Leadmill and Reading festival in 2006.

Mr Spooner said: “The guitar raised over £100,000 for The Leadmill and other grassroots venues at the height of Covid, money that went a long way to helping us keep our doors open.”

Their Legacy

After releasing seven studio albums, the band have accumulated a whopping 41.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and won a total of seven Brit awards.

Music fanatic and engagement editor of The Star, Chris Hallam said: “It’s their chance to once again extol the musical brilliance that Sheffield continues to produce.”

Image credit Frazer Spooner- The Leadmil