"Well, you didn't think we were gonna let you down, did you?" So said Jarvis Cocker as he addressed the enormous crowd at Glastonbury 's Park stage in 2011; thousands and thousands of people stood in front of him to see perhaps the worst-kept secret in the festival's history, and one of its greatest live music experiences. The speculation that the then newly reformed Pulp would play the surprise set that day - after Radiohead the previous day, no less - had grown so intense that latecomers reportedly had to be turned away, such was demand. Beyonce, Coldplay and U2 headlined that year, but like many squashed in the Park Stage audience, squelching in the mud, it was the magic of singing along to Do You Remember The First Time?, Something Changed, and Common People I remember above everything.
Over the years, artists including The Killers, The Libertines, Lady Gaga, Foals and Franz Ferdinand have also popped up "unannounced" at Glastonbury. Last year, an act supposedly called The Churnups, conspicuous by their late-evening Pyramid Stage slot despite being an unknown entity, turned out to be The Foo Fighters . The festival is famous for its secret sets, surprise guests and big names appearing in unexpected places, so while Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA headline this year, it is the TBA slots that may well provide some of the most memorable moments.
One person in the know is the founder of @secretglasto, a Twitter account which launched 10 years ago and now has almost 80,000 follower.
