Real Muggle Rock Stars Played at the Yule Ball in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire—But the Scene Was Cut from the Final Film

While not originally a Christmas tale, Harry Potter has become a holiday classic for generations. The first films, directed by Chris Columbus with enchanting scores by John Williams, evoke a festive atmosphere. Later installments, too, often feature glimpses of Christmas at Hogwarts. In The Goblet of Fire, the Yule Ball is a grand highlight, with the wizarding world’s most popular rock band, The Weird Sisters, performing. This fictional band was portrayed by real-life rock stars from bands like Radiohead and Pulp. Jarvis Cocker even wrote three original songs for the 2005 film, and a lively concert scene was filmed—but much of it was cut from the theatrical release, though it eventually surfaced on the DVD.

“We went to the set near Watford, and for three days, people screamed at us like we were the Beatles. It was great fun, and I became popular among the younger members of my family,” Jarvis Cocker, frontman of the ’90s Britpop sensation Pulp, recalled of his Hogwarts experience. Cocker played Myron Wagtail, the lead singer of The Weird Sisters, in The Goblet of Fire. He also revealed that the producers initially only requested songs from musicians. When he agreed, he hadn’t realized he would appear in the film as well. Cocker ended up writing three wizard rock anthems, including “Do the Hippogriff,” for which the deleted concert scene was shot. Two other songs, “This is the Night” and “Magic Works,” made it onto the film’s soundtrack.

In recent years, Cocker has collaborated with Wes Anderson, contributing music to Fantastic Mr. Fox, The French Dispatch, and Asteroid City. He even appeared in Anderson’s Oscar-winning short film, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. But Cocker wasn’t the only notable member of The Weird Sisters, the most popular band among wizarding teens in J.K. Rowling’s books. Fellow Pulp member and bassist Steve Mackey joined him, with rhythm guitarist Jason Buckle from All Seeing I, and bagpipes played by Steven Claydon from the electronic group Add N to (X).

The iconic three-necked guitar was played by none other than Radiohead and The Smile multi-instrumentalist Jonny Greenwood. Beyond his projects with Thom Yorke, Greenwood is a two-time Oscar-nominated composer, recognized for his scores for The Power of the Dog and Phantom Thread. He’s also composed music for several Paul Thomas Anderson films, including There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Inherent Vice. Greenwood brought Radiohead drummer Phil Selway to Hogwarts, who cherished his time on the set.

“The whole thing was pure fantasy, going into the studio and spending three days immersed in the sets. In the Great Hall, all the Harry Potter characters were there—we stepped into this fantastical world. It was amazing, one of those privileged and surreal experiences that come with being part of a band like Radiohead,” Selway recalled. (Source: Louder)