Mystery Glastonbury act The ChurnUps baffle ticket-holders – but who are the secret band?

A secret set? Well, that’s a churnup for the books

The eyes of Glastonbury ticket-holders were drawn to one particular band name while perusing the stage times for this year’s festival.

On Wednesday (31 May), organisers released the set times for all of the acts on the 2023 bill, including headliners Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John.

New names were featured on the list, with Queens of the Stone Age, Skepta, Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Rick Astley officially added to to the lineup for the festival, which is returning to its usual location of Worthy Farm in Somerset.

However, another new addition was also announced – a band called The ChurnUps – but no one has any idea who they are.

Making matters more curious is the fact the mystery band are booked to play the Pyramid Stage on the Friday evening, ahead of Royal Blood and Arctic Monkeys.

Glasto festivalgoers love playing detective, though, and The ChurnUps has sent them into overdrive.

Most people seem to think The ChurnUps is a reference to Pulp, whose reunion tour, which began earlier this month, has a free slot on that day (23 June). The theory is that if you churn something up, it becomes pulp.

Should a Pulp secret set come to fruition, it seems likely that Jarvis Cocker could duet with fellow Sheffield-born musician Alex Turner when Arctic Monkeys headline later that evening. Maybe even Richard Hawley, who is supporting Pulp on certain dates and has worked with Turner in the past, will show up for good measure?

Pouring water on the idea is Pulp drummer Nick Banks, who commented on the speculation: “Though it’s very tempting to tease you lot again. I know nothing of the ‘ChurnUps’ band. Ok?”

Another claim is that Dave Grohl could have something to do with The ChurnUps. This is because the mystery band’s Twitter photo shows the Foo Fighters frontman’s leg cast from 2015. Also, when Grohl was a teenager, he used to be in a band named Churn. However, many think Grohl is a red herring.

Are Pulp playing a secret set at Glastonbury? (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Perhaps a stretch, but some Glasto heads believe the mystery set could be Blur, who also recenty launched a reunion tour.

There are two other secret sets planned, listed on the line-up as “TBA”, both of which will take place on the Woodsies Stage (previously known as John Peel).