Emily Eavis says Florence + The Machine will be a “phenomenal” Glastonbury headliner

Following an official statement earlier this week, Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has spoken out further about the festival’s decision to shift Florence + The Machine up to the headliner spot following Foo Fighters’ cancellation. The switch-around came after Dave Grohl broke his leg on stage in Sweden last Friday.

“I think when she walks on as a headline act, and she walks off stage at the end, she’ll be probably one of the biggest stars in the world,” Eavis told BBC Newsbeat. She also pointed out the importance of festivals like Glastonbury taking risks and giving acts the chance to step up and prove themselves as headliners. “”That’s a really important thing for us to do,” she said. “To see people make that leap is a really important part of what Glastonbury’s about.”

“She’s on a roll, everybody loves her, she’s an incredible live performer and for us, you know, putting her in that spot is the most natural thing to do,” she continued. “This is a time for her and I think this is totally her year…I think she would have had an amazing gig, second down, but I think it will be phenomenal as a headliner. I think people will be really blown away by it on the night. And there’s no doubt from our side that this is absolutely the right thing to do.”

In the same interview, Emily Eavis confirmed that Glastonbury will be bringing in a new booking to fill Florence’s previous spot second on the bill. The band are not on the existing line-up, she said.

Listen to Florence + The Machine’s ‘What Kind of Man,’ from recent album ‘How Big How Blue How Beautiful,’ below.