The Pretenders announce secret show at Glastonbury

‘There has never been a festival like it anywhere else,’ lead singer Chrissie Hynde said

The Pretenders have been announced as one of Glastonbury’s secret set holders.

Each year, the legendary Somerset-based festival keeps a number of its line-up slots blank to add a little extra excitement for ticketholders.

Follow along with the live updates from Glastonbury here.

On Tuesday (20 June) evening, The Pretenders revealed they would be performing on Saturday, 19:45 BST, at The Park Stage. The band also teased some special guests though their identities were not disclosed.

“It’s always been there for most of our lifetimes. There has never been a festival like it anywhere else,” lead singer Chrissie Hynde said.

The English-American rock band was formed in 1978 and are known for hits including “I’ll Stand by You”, “Brass in Pocket”, “Don’t Get Me Wrong” and “Back on the Chain Gang”.

The news comes as fans of The Pretenders await the release of their new studio album, Relentless, out 1 September.

Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders (Ki Price )

In the past, secret sets have seen the likes of Lady Gaga, Franz Ferdinand and Pulp perform.

The gates to Glastonbury 2023 will officially open tomorrow (Wednesday 21 June) at 8am.

This year’s festival – taking place from Friday 23 June to Sunday 25 June – will see Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John perform as headliners.

Arctic Monkeys fans were alarmed this week after the Sheffield-formed rock band were forced to cancel the last show before their Friday headline performance on the Pyramid Stage, after frontman Alex Turner was diagnosed with acute laryngitis.

Also this week, Elton John teased surprise guests in his “brand new” set. “When you put a setlist together, I always say it’s a bit like having sex,” he said. “You start off really well, then you chill out a little bit, then towards the end of the show all hell breaks loose.”

While the musician has refused to say which guests will join him on stage, fans have speculated that his collaborators Dua Lipa, Rina Sawayama, Lil Nas X (who is playing the Pyramid Stage just before him), and even Britney Spears could make an appearance.

You can find the full lineup and stage times here.

The weather for this year’s festival is predicted to be a mixture of sun and rain, after a month’s worth of rain fell in the UK last weekend.

If you’re not attending this year, find out how to watch the festival at home here.