Glastonbury 2023: How to watch as Arctic Monkeys return for third headline set

‘You do big shows, big festivals all the time. But it’s a different beast, Glastonbury,’ Alex Turner said of 2013 headline slot

Glastonbury 2023 is fast approaching, with veterans of the festival Arctic Monkeys preparing to headline for the third time.

The music festival returns to Worthy Farm in Somerset from 21 to 25 June, with Guns N’ Roses and Elton John also headlining.

Sheffield rockers Arctic Monkeys will close out the Pyramid Stage on Friday (23 June) night, with a 90-minute set from 10.15pm to 11.45pm. It will be broadcast live on the BBC and be available later on BBC iPlayer.

You can keep up with all things Glastonbury here.

Performing before them are Royal Blood, who recently faced controversy after storming off stage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend, and a mysterious new act called The ChurnUps, the identity of whom fans have been speculating upon.

Glastonbury 2023 marks Arctic Monkeys’ third time headlining the legendary music event. The Sheffield rockers – consisting of Alex Turner, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley, and Matt Helders – formed back in 2002, and would go on to headline the festival just five years later in 2007.

The “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” band’s 2007 headline spot was actually their first time playing Glasto full stop and came just five years into their career. At the time, the group had just two albums under their belts: 2006’s Mercury Prize-winning debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, and its 2007 follow-up, Famous Worst Nightmare.

During their set, the band performed with rapper Dizzee Rascal and electronic duo Simian Music Disco, and covered Shirley Bassey’s Bond theme “Diamonds Are Forever”.

Nick O’Malley (left) and Alex Turner play their first Glastonbury in 2007 (Getty Images)

It would take six years for Arctic Monkeys to return to the festival in 2013, headlining once again ahead of the release of their album AM that autumn.

In the years between, the group had built on their impressive discography, releasing Humbug in 2009 and Suck It and See in 2011.

They opened the set with their newly released single “Do I Wanna Know?” and were joined on stage by frontman Turner’s Last Shadow Puppets bandmate Miles Kane. In addition to songs by Arctic Monkeys, Turner sang “Yellow” by Coldplay, and a rendition of “Happy Birthday” for his mum.

Speaking to NME after their 2013 headline slot, the singer said: “It’s one of the best gigs we’ve ever done. Ever!... This is the best it gets! You only ever do, like, five gigs like this. And that one was the one.

“You do big shows, big festivals all the time. But it’s a different beast, Glastonbury. We’ll carry on playing to a lot of people all over the summer, but it won’t have that feeling we had just then. That feeling I can’t describe. It felt like I was in outer space.”

The band also headlined in 2013, one decade ago (Getty Images)

In recent years, the four-piece group have taken a more slow and deliberate approach to music. In the decade since their last Glasto set, the group have put out just two records: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino in 2018, and The Car in 2022.

Last summer, the band began their return to the live circuit as they performed at a string of European shows and headlined Reading and Leeds Festival.

In the past month, they have played several UK shows – including three separate nights at the Emirates Stadium earlier in June – before heading to Worthy Farm.

They were forced to cancel their Tuesday 20 June date in Dublin, Ireland, when Turner was struck with acute laryngitis. However, Glastonbury co-organiser Emily Eavis confirmed on Friday morning (23 June) that they’d be performing as planned.

While their setlist for Glastonbury is yet to be announced, you can expect it to feature a healthy mix of new and old material.

During the first show of their European show in Bristol last month, the band kicked off their show with “Mardy Bum”, a 2006 fan favourite they haven’t performed live in six years.