Glastonbury Festival: No secret gig but Coldplay to rehearse at beloved music venue

A big-name act at Glastonbury Festival is set to rehearse at a beloved independent venue before their headline performance at Worthy Farm - but don't expect a secret gig. Revellers have already flocked to Worthy Farm with Dua Lipa, Coldplay, and SZA set to headline, and plenty of rumours circulating about the 'surprise' slot.

Speculation is rife on social media after photos showed music production trucks outside the Cheese and Grain in Frome. The venue, which hosted a warm-up gig for Sir Paul McCartney in 2022, has fenced off a section of its car park, with a sign stating the car park area has been reserved for a private function for today (Thursday, June 27) and tomorrow (Friday, June 28).

Coldplay will perform on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday night (June 29), but will swing by the Frome venue. SomersetLive understands that Coldplay will not perform a secret gig at the Cheese and Grain but instead will be rehearsing for their headline slot at Glastonbury Festival.

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The community-owned venue is beloved by residents and musicians for its modern facilities and dedicated staff. The band are also understood to want to support an independent and not-for-profit music venue.

Cheese and Grain said in a statement: "We are receiving a large number of enquiries about the potential of a secret Glastonbury show at the venue. We can unequivocally state that there will be no events at all taking place at the Cheese and Grain until Sunday's screening of England's Round of 16 game in the UEFA EURO 2024.

"To those lucky enough to be making the trip to Glastonbury Festivals over the weekend, we hope you have an incredible time and drink lots of water!"

While local Coldplay fans will be disappointed there won't be a smaller and more intimate set before their headline gig, you will have to wait until 9.45pm on Saturday evening. Coldplay are set to make history when they become the only band to perform at Glastonbury five times.

Their loyal appearance at the festival comes ahead of the release of their tenth studio album, Moon Music, in 2025, in line with the band's 25th anniversary. You can watch it live and on demand through the BBC iPlayer.

While some music lovers would be disappointed about the lack of a secret set, there will be live music tonight with The Clash tribute act London Calling. The tribute act will perform the 1978 album Give ‘Em Enough Rope in full at the Tree House.

The Cheese and Grain has enjoyed worldwide attention for attracting famous musicians over the years, thanks to Sir Paul McCartney swinging by for a warm-up gig before his headline set at Glastonbury Festival in 2022. The Foo Fighters also squeezed in dozens of lucky fans for a surprise gig in 2017 before confirming their appearance at Glastonbury Festival later that year.

The Cheese and Grain is a venue that is entrenched in the local community and employs 60 local people, uses local food suppliers and electricians and strives to be a strong community hub.

Having survived the Covid pandemic and a cost of living crisis, 2023 saw a record number of gigs and events at the Cheese and Grain as well as record ticket sales. Bosses at the venue say there are more than 200,000 visits a year, with customers coming from across the UK and beyond.

The venue also recently unveiled £1.6 million plans to construct a new building to house rehearsal spaces, editing suites and wheelchair accessible washroom between the Canoe Club and the rear of the Cheese and Grain 'tower'. The goal is to ensure the venue offers cheaper facilities for musicians to hire and can be used without a house engineer or producer., as well as support local musicians and those starting in the music industry.