Hardwicke Circus ‘fortunate’ Sir Paul McCartney requested they play Glastonbury

Hardwicke Circus say they feel “very fortunate” to be playing at Glastonbury after Sir Paul McCartney put in a request with festival officials.

The six-piece rock band were squeezed into a Sunday slot on The Rabbit Hole stage after 80-year-old former Beatle Sir Paul heard their music and asked if they could be included in the line-up.

Interviewing brothers Jonny and Tom Foster on BBC Breakfast ahead of their performance, co-host Charlie Stayt said: “This is a story about timing and good luck.

“As recommendations come from music, they don’t come much higher than one from Sir Paul McCartney.”

Drummer Tom said: “I thought my mates had got together to pull a huge prank, but it turns out to be true.”

Frontman Jonny added: “It’s a huge moment for us and I feel like we are ready for Glastonbury. We’ve been playing a lot of gigs, playing in prisons and supporting other bands around the country, and now, with the recommendation of Paul McCartney, we are on our way to Worthy Farm for a great time.”

On the official Glastonbury website, it said: “When a request from Paul McCartney came through to Rabbit Hole HQ to ask if we could fit in a band he is a fan of, the White Rabbit’s ears pricked up.

“A new outfit from Cumbria, Hardwicke Circus are in our opinion going to be enormous.”

It added: “If there is one band not to miss this weekend, it’s these guys. That’s why we have put them conveniently in our 2022 headline slot.”

Tom said the band have worked “really hard” and hope Glastonbury revellers “relate to our songs”.

Jonny added: “Since this news, we’ve had a lot of people around the country, fans connecting with the music, connecting on a very musical level, so it’s been a really positive thing for us that people now are hearing our music, listening to our words, and thinking, ‘Actually, this is a band from the north that’s to be contended with’.

“So, it’s an exciting moment. Glastonbury is one of those ones, when you start playing and pick up that guitar, you learn the undertones to the Beatles and all these songs and you want to play them at Glastonbury. That’s why you do it, and we feel very fortunate for this.”

The pair joked that they had forgotten to pack their wellies and were “very worried”.