Fans react to Arctic Monkeys' headline set at Glastonbury Festival 2023

After a few days of speculation as to whether they would perform or not – due to Alex Turner having an acute case of laryngitis and having to cancel their show in Dublin earlier this week – fans were delighted when they found out that the set was going ahead.

Following their performance, which included hits such as, "Teddy Picker", "Florescent Adolescent", "Conerstone", and "Mardy Bum", there have been quite a few mixed reviews of the set, with some saying that it seems like they "didn't want to be there", and that instead of it feeling like a band who are headlining the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury 2023, that it's just "another stop on their tour".

#glastonbury2023

ARCTIC MONKEYS ⭐⭐
It was as if they didn't want to be there. And certainly didn't wanna be there as the Arctic Monkeys. Looked like he was trying to abandon everything that made them great and become some sort of Elvis impersonator. We got Vic Reeves instead

— Jake Ratcliff (@ratcliff_jake) June 23, 2023

Yer da when 37 year old Alex Turner isn’t singing songs about fights in kebab shops any more pic.twitter.com/rDRPPQj03C

— Brad Goddard (@brad_goddard) June 24, 2023

Rick Astley showing more stage presence in 30mins than Alex Turner did throughout his entire set last night. #glastonbury2023

— Duncan Knapp (@DunkKnapp) June 24, 2023

Despite this, there were also some fans who came to the defence of the band, noting that it's important to champion growth in an artist, as they cannot be making exactly the same music for the past two decades.

Apparently #ArcticMonkeys played far too much new material at #Glastonbury and ‘not enough old stuff’. Only 5 songs from last 2 albums out of 21 in the set. The other 16 from AM (released 2013) and before, including 6 from first 2 albums (released 2006 & 07). #keepup pic.twitter.com/GnVfkQjcZ3

— Iain Collin (@IainCollin) June 24, 2023

Arctic Monkeys are quality. Turner is obvs playing some stage character and people get wound up by it.

Folk have some strange obsession with nostalgia, so think they all should be singing about chippys and bouncers still. And they don’t, so assume it’s shit.#glastonbury2023

— Jack Brownbill (@JackBrownbill) June 23, 2023

It is mad the amount of shouts that Alex Turner is shite. If Sam Fender had 3 of these tunes, he could play arenas in cities he doesn’t wear football tops for. If Matt Healy actually looked like that in a black suit/white shirt, he’d still be with Taylor Swift. It’s just levels.

— Shutts (@Shuttsapalooza) June 23, 2023