West Holts looks set to deliver another cornucopia of globally sourced grooves for our 2023 edition. Reggae legends Third World and Barrington Levy will appear alongside cutting edge R&B from Sudan Archives and Yaya Bey. From Mongolia, we’ll be welcoming the folk-metal band The Hu, whose astonishing vocals arise from their native tradition of throat-singing. In contrast, South Korea’s ADG7 bring together shamanism, exotic instrumentation and a huge amount of charm for some highly alternative K-pop. From Africa, Congolese legend Kanda Bongo Man will feature alongside the Star Feminine Band. The latter, are a group of schoolgirls from a remote area of northern Benin who have overcome incredible odds to bring their music to the world. Their joyful mix of highlife and Congolese rumba underpin righteous lyrics that demand social justice for girls and women.
The stage is all about great live performers and so we’re delighted to welcome acclaimed acts such as Young Fathers, Ezra Collective and Gabriels whose WH set is rumoured to feature golden leopards.
Jacob Collier who’s worked with everyone from Coldplay to Stormzy, is a musical polymath who delights audiences by turning them into a beautifully harmonious choir. Another artist who’s collaborated with Collier is the hugely charismatic Mahalia who takes the penultimate slot on Saturday. London’s febrile music scene continues to throw out all kinds of creative collaborations. At the centre of this lies Speakers Corner Quartet who will be joined by Kae Tempest, Tirzah, Shabaka Hutchings and many more as a kind of South London super-group. Also hailing from this neck of the woods, Black Country, New Road will make their Glastonbury debut.
We’ll be showcasing some legendary female artists from Beth Orton to Candi Staton who will be performing as part of her farewell tour. Kelis has earned her spot at the top by releasing certified bangers for over twenty years. The party vibe will continue across the headline slots with Rudimental and the great Loyle Carner.
Steve Symons
West Holts Stage Programmer
Here are this year’s playlist and poster
