Duran Duran may finally be open to performing at Glastonbury Festival, but only if the legendary group receives the kind of placement they believe matches their legacy.
In a recent interview with The Times, frontman Simon Le Bon admitted the band would love to play the iconic festival for the first time. However, he made it clear they are not interested in taking a smaller slot on the lineup.
“We want the right slot,” Le Bon said. “We shouldn’t be below anybody on the bill.”
The singer later doubled down on the group’s position, explaining that Duran Duran still sees itself as a headlining act. “So, we’ll hold out because we’re a headline act — that’s all there is to it,” he added.
According to Le Bon, the band had previously been approached about performing at the festival but declined because the offer did not match their expectations. “Well, we want to,” he explained, “but not in a disco tent at 3pm, which is what we were offered.”
Over the decades, Duran Duran has built one of the most decorated careers in British pop and new wave music. The band has collected multiple Grammy Awards, Ivor Novello Awards, Brit Awards honors, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Le Bon himself was also appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by King Charles III in 2024 for contributions to music and charity work.
Other members of the band, including Nick Rhodes and John Taylor, also participated in the interview, discussing everything from fame and drug culture to technology and artificial intelligence.
Rhodes, the band’s founding keyboardist, shared strong thoughts on AI’s growing role in society and music. “Anyone who thinks AI will go away is certifiably insane,” he said.
Fans hoping to see Duran Duran at Glastonbury may need to wait until 2027. The festival is taking a traditional fallow year in 2026, allowing the Eavis family farm site time to recover before the event returns.
The band will still spend plenty of time on outdoor stages this summer. Duran Duran is scheduled to headline BST Hyde Park on July 5, returning to the same venue where they previously performed for an estimated crowd of 70,000 fans in 2022.
Earlier this year, the group released “Free to Love,” a disco inspired collaboration with longtime producer Nile Rodgers. The track marked their first new material since the 2023 album Danse Macabre, which peaked at No. 4 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
Duran Duran also recently wrapped up a residency in Las Vegas before preparing for a new run of U.K. and European festival appearances beginning June 19 at Heartland Festival in Denmark.
