Billie Eilish, 20, will become the youngest solo headliner when she goes up to the Pyramid Stage on Friday night. Meanwhile, Sir Paul McCartney, 80, will close the festival as the oldest solo headliner on Sunday afternoon. A fan of the Beatles and Linkin Park, Eilish began writing songs at the age of 11. Sir Paul’s performance will mark more than 60 years of music creation, with his set being full of hits from his time with the Beatles and the Wings, as well as his best-known solo material. Read more: The complete line-up of Glastonbury Image: Sir Paul last appeared in Glastonbury in 2004 It is expected to attract a particularly large crowd and could compete with those of the Rolling Stones in 2013 and Adele in 2016. The Somerset Festival is finally celebrating its 50th anniversary after the COVID pandemic forced organizers to cancel it twice. But the revelers have difficulty getting to the Pilton location. Members of the Union of Railways, Shipping and Transport in the Railway Network and 13 train operators will leave on June 21, 23 and 25 in the largest outbreak of such industrial activity in a generation. People are set to arrive at the festival site on Wednesday, June 22 – right in the middle of the planned strikes. The Great Western Railway, which runs between London Paddington and Castle Cary near the festival, has said it “plans to maintain train services” throughout the week. The National Express, the official bus partner for the event, has warned that travel demand is high with a significant increase in questions and bookings on strike days. A warm start to the weekend Those who succeed at Worthy Farm will be welcomed by the warm weather on Wednesday and Thursday, before temperatures drop over the weekend. A Met Office spokesman said: “On Wednesday there will be high temperatures of around 24 C (75F) and high levels of ultraviolet radiation throughout, so the start of the festival will be a bit hot. “It will be similar again on Thursday. It will stay dry with sunshine all day and temperatures a little higher, so 25 C or 26 C (77 F to 79 F) and possibly high UV levels.” From Friday there will be an increased risk of rain, with temperatures around 20C (68F). Ringo Starr launches Glastonbury campaign Sir Paul will not be the only Beatle to attend the famous festival, with Sir Ringo Starr joining a number of musicians as part of a campaign to send postcards to the prime minister urging action on climate change. WaterAid’s Climate Fight campaign will officially launch in Glastonbury, and postcards include designs created by music stars to celebrate the power of water. Festival guests can send one postcard to Boris Johnson and another to themselves as a reminder of how they can play their part. Sir Ringo, a longtime supporter of WaterAid, designed a postcard showing him at a tap that has dried. The former Beatle said: “We all share a world and we must unite to protect each other as we face the threat of climate change.” Read more: Illegal drug levels high enough to harm wildlife found in river crossing Ukrainian bands bring anti-war message Glastonbury will also host a series of Ukrainian performances this year, amid Russia’s invasion of their country. The Kiev folk quartet DakhaBrakha will perform on Sunday afternoon on the stage of the Pyramid. The band, which combines the musical styles of many local ethnic groups, have described themselves as “ambassadors of a free Ukraine” and have long used their appearances to express their opposition to Vladimir Putin’s war and policies. Go_A will open the John Peel stage on Saturday with a performance of electronic folk music and soaring vocal melodies. Subscribe to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker The band, formed in 2012, represented Ukraine in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest with the Shum dance anthem, finishing fifth. Band member Ihor Didenchuk is also a member of the Kalush Orchestra, which triumphed during this year’s competition.
