Alex Turner’s girlfriend may have just hinted at what is going to happen with the Arctic Monkeys’ Friday night set at Glastonbury.
Turner was forced to pull out of the band’s scheduled show in Dublin on Tuesday because he’s come down with acute laryngitis, which led fans to speculate about whether he’d be fit enough to play at Glasto this Friday.
Don't worry, organiser Emily Eavis will have a plan for any eventuality, we're told.
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The Sheffield band are one of the most anticipated acts for this weekend’s festival, so it would be a crying shame if they weren’t able to make it in the end.
That means that the amateur doctors of the internet have been making their diagnoses for days now, with many suggesting that a bad bout of laryngitis can take as much as a week to recover from.
That wouldn’t be good news for those headed to Worthy Farm for this weekend’s festivities.
There is some potentially positive news to report, though.
Turner’s girlfriend Louise Verneuil has set off for Somerset already, sharing a picture of herself travelling in a car with the caption: “Go Glasto.”
So, does that mean that she’s just going anyway, or does that mean that everyone is going and the whole show is set to go off as planned?
It could be either, but if she’s going, it does seem more likely that Alex will be going as well.
There’s not much else to go on, as it’s just a picture of her torso and none of the band members – or anyone else for that matter – can be seen in it.
Still, it’s all that the 200,000 or so festival-goers this weekend will have to play with, so they’ll have to take what they can get.
On Monday, the band issued a statement about the illness, writing: "Alex is suffering from acute laryngitis and, following medical advice, has been ordered to rest."
That sent those hoping to see them in Dublin – as well as those with Glasto tickets – into a frenzy.
One person wrote: "Back in 2013, Alex Turner had to cancel shows due to laryngitis and was back on stage 5 days after the first cancellation.
“He has 4 days to get his voice ready for the Arctic Monkeys' Glastonbury set on Friday... hopefully it won't risk damage but that's a bit touch and go.”
Another worried: "Woah what about Glastonbury? He's not gonna properly recover for Glastonbury.."
According to the NHS, laryngitis usually clears itself up within one or two weeks, but it can mean that you lose your voice, which isn’t fantastic for a man in Alex’s line of work.
So, what would happen if the Monkeys can’t fill the bill?
Well, some have speculated that Coldplay could step in – which has divided opinion to say the least – and others have suggested that 90s legends Pulp, rumoured to be playing a secret set this weekend, might turn up in their stead.
We’ll just have to wait and see, but it’s getting closer and closer to the time now.
Topics: UK News, World News, Arctic Monkeys, Music, Glastonbury
Tom Wood