Neil Young stars on Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage
Neil Young joked about his dispute with the BBC after taking to the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
The 79-year-old star - who made a last-minute decision to allow the BBC to broadcast his set - began his show with a rendition of Sugar Mountain, performing the song solo with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica.
Neil was subsequently joined on stage by his backing band, the Chrome Hearts, as he performed some of the biggest hits of career, including When You Dance I Can Really Love, and Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black).
The veteran star also performed a gritty rendition of Cinnamon Girl, which appeared on his 1969 album Everybody Knows This is Nowhere.
At one point, Neil asked the crowd: "How you doing out there? How about you people in the back? How about you people with your TVs in the bedroom?"
Neil previously threatened to pull out of Glastonbury because of the BBC's involvement with the festival.
In an open letter published on his website, Young wrote: "The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favourite outdoor gigs. We were told that the BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.
"It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be."
However, Neil subsequently performed a U-turn, suggesting that he had received false information about the festival.
He said: "Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved.
"Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing!"
Elsewhere, Charli xcx starred on the Other stage.
The 32-year-old musician - who took the stage wearing leather hotpants, an Alexander McQueen scarf and a pair of sunglasses - began her set with a mash-up of 365, Club Classics and Von Dutch, three tracks that featured on her 2024 album Brat.
However, the curtain subsequently fell and revealed the corroded artwork of the Brat album, suggesting that Charli is leaving the acclaimed record behind and looking forward to the next phase of her career.
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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Glastonbury organisers appalled at 'death to IDF' chant
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers say they are appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan. During their show on Saturday, the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military. United Kingdom police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation but did not name Bob Vylan or Irish rap band Kneecap, who appeared on the same stage and also criticised Israel. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England where the festival is held, said on X late on Saturday. "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech," Starmer said in a statement. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence." The festival organisers criticised the chanting by Bob Vylan, which comprises the guitarist-singer with the stage name Bobby Vylan and a drummer known as Bobbie Vylan. "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," it said on Sunday. The Israeli Embassy in the UK condemned the "inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed" on stage at the festival. Bob Vylan's band members did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Starmer also criticised the public broadcaster, which transmits much of the festival live, for showing the performance. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast," he said. The BBC said some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language," a spokesperson said. "We have no plans to make the performance available on demand." Bob Vylan's show on the festival's West Holts stage took place just before controversial Irish rap trio Kneecap played to a huge crowd, leading chants against Starmer and also taking aim at Israel. During the show, frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying: "There's no hiding it." Known by the stage name Mo Chara, he was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert. He has denied the charge. Starmer had said it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to play at the festival. A senior member of his government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, earlier on Sunday criticised the chants by Bob Vylan but added that he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News. "I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers say they are appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan. During their show on Saturday, the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military. United Kingdom police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation but did not name Bob Vylan or Irish rap band Kneecap, who appeared on the same stage and also criticised Israel. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England where the festival is held, said on X late on Saturday. "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech," Starmer said in a statement. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence." The festival organisers criticised the chanting by Bob Vylan, which comprises the guitarist-singer with the stage name Bobby Vylan and a drummer known as Bobbie Vylan. "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," it said on Sunday. The Israeli Embassy in the UK condemned the "inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed" on stage at the festival. Bob Vylan's band members did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Starmer also criticised the public broadcaster, which transmits much of the festival live, for showing the performance. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast," he said. The BBC said some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language," a spokesperson said. "We have no plans to make the performance available on demand." Bob Vylan's show on the festival's West Holts stage took place just before controversial Irish rap trio Kneecap played to a huge crowd, leading chants against Starmer and also taking aim at Israel. During the show, frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying: "There's no hiding it." Known by the stage name Mo Chara, he was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert. He has denied the charge. Starmer had said it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to play at the festival. A senior member of his government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, earlier on Sunday criticised the chants by Bob Vylan but added that he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News. "I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers say they are appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan. During their show on Saturday, the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military. United Kingdom police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation but did not name Bob Vylan or Irish rap band Kneecap, who appeared on the same stage and also criticised Israel. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England where the festival is held, said on X late on Saturday. "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech," Starmer said in a statement. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence." The festival organisers criticised the chanting by Bob Vylan, which comprises the guitarist-singer with the stage name Bobby Vylan and a drummer known as Bobbie Vylan. "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," it said on Sunday. The Israeli Embassy in the UK condemned the "inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed" on stage at the festival. Bob Vylan's band members did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Starmer also criticised the public broadcaster, which transmits much of the festival live, for showing the performance. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast," he said. The BBC said some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language," a spokesperson said. "We have no plans to make the performance available on demand." Bob Vylan's show on the festival's West Holts stage took place just before controversial Irish rap trio Kneecap played to a huge crowd, leading chants against Starmer and also taking aim at Israel. During the show, frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying: "There's no hiding it." Known by the stage name Mo Chara, he was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert. He has denied the charge. Starmer had said it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to play at the festival. A senior member of his government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, earlier on Sunday criticised the chants by Bob Vylan but added that he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News. "I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Glastonbury organisers say they are appalled by on-stage chanting against the Israeli military during a performance at the festival by Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan. During their show on Saturday, the duo chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in reference to the Israel Defence Forces, the formal name of the Israeli military. United Kingdom police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation but did not name Bob Vylan or Irish rap band Kneecap, who appeared on the same stage and also criticised Israel. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England where the festival is held, said on X late on Saturday. "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech," Starmer said in a statement. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence." The festival organisers criticised the chanting by Bob Vylan, which comprises the guitarist-singer with the stage name Bobby Vylan and a drummer known as Bobbie Vylan. "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," it said on Sunday. The Israeli Embassy in the UK condemned the "inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed" on stage at the festival. Bob Vylan's band members did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Starmer also criticised the public broadcaster, which transmits much of the festival live, for showing the performance. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast," he said. The BBC said some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language," a spokesperson said. "We have no plans to make the performance available on demand." Bob Vylan's show on the festival's West Holts stage took place just before controversial Irish rap trio Kneecap played to a huge crowd, leading chants against Starmer and also taking aim at Israel. During the show, frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying: "There's no hiding it." Known by the stage name Mo Chara, he was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a concert. He has denied the charge. Starmer had said it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to play at the festival. A senior member of his government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, earlier on Sunday criticised the chants by Bob Vylan but added that he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank. "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News. "I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously."
The Advertiser
13 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Police review rapper's Glastonbury anti-Israel comments
British police are examining videos of a band that led chants of "death to the IDF" or Israel Defense Forces at the Glastonbury Festival. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds attending the festival in chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF" on Saturday. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." The Israeli Embassy to the UK said on social media it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Sunday condemned the band's actions as "appalling". He told Sky News the BBC and festival organisers had to answer questions about how the comments were broadcast live to millions. The government said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance. The BBC said it issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language" during the live stream. Glastonbury is Britain's biggest summer music festival and draws some 200,000 music fans each year to Worthy Farm in southwest England. Almost 4000 acts perform on 120 stages. Festival organisers said on Instagram that Vylan's chants "very much crossed a line." "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence." "With almost 4000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs," it said. Saturday's festival lineup also included Irish-language rap group Kneecap, which gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O'Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August. The group has faced criticism for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references, and for political statements, especially since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" and calling on people to kill politicians. On Saturday, band members led the audience in chants of "Free Palestine" and "Free Mo Chara". They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn't think it was "appropriate" for Kneecap to play Glastonbury. with PA British police are examining videos of a band that led chants of "death to the IDF" or Israel Defense Forces at the Glastonbury Festival. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds attending the festival in chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF" on Saturday. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." The Israeli Embassy to the UK said on social media it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Sunday condemned the band's actions as "appalling". He told Sky News the BBC and festival organisers had to answer questions about how the comments were broadcast live to millions. The government said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance. The BBC said it issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language" during the live stream. Glastonbury is Britain's biggest summer music festival and draws some 200,000 music fans each year to Worthy Farm in southwest England. Almost 4000 acts perform on 120 stages. Festival organisers said on Instagram that Vylan's chants "very much crossed a line." "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence." "With almost 4000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs," it said. Saturday's festival lineup also included Irish-language rap group Kneecap, which gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O'Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August. The group has faced criticism for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references, and for political statements, especially since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" and calling on people to kill politicians. On Saturday, band members led the audience in chants of "Free Palestine" and "Free Mo Chara". They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn't think it was "appropriate" for Kneecap to play Glastonbury. with PA British police are examining videos of a band that led chants of "death to the IDF" or Israel Defense Forces at the Glastonbury Festival. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds attending the festival in chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF" on Saturday. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." The Israeli Embassy to the UK said on social media it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Sunday condemned the band's actions as "appalling". He told Sky News the BBC and festival organisers had to answer questions about how the comments were broadcast live to millions. The government said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance. The BBC said it issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language" during the live stream. Glastonbury is Britain's biggest summer music festival and draws some 200,000 music fans each year to Worthy Farm in southwest England. Almost 4000 acts perform on 120 stages. Festival organisers said on Instagram that Vylan's chants "very much crossed a line." "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence." "With almost 4000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs," it said. Saturday's festival lineup also included Irish-language rap group Kneecap, which gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O'Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August. The group has faced criticism for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references, and for political statements, especially since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" and calling on people to kill politicians. On Saturday, band members led the audience in chants of "Free Palestine" and "Free Mo Chara". They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn't think it was "appropriate" for Kneecap to play Glastonbury. with PA British police are examining videos of a band that led chants of "death to the IDF" or Israel Defense Forces at the Glastonbury Festival. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds attending the festival in chants of "free, free Palestine" and "death, death to the IDF" on Saturday. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence would be assessed by officers "to determine whether any offenses may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." The Israeli Embassy to the UK said on social media it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Sunday condemned the band's actions as "appalling". He told Sky News the BBC and festival organisers had to answer questions about how the comments were broadcast live to millions. The government said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance. The BBC said it issued a warning on screen about "very strong and discriminatory language" during the live stream. Glastonbury is Britain's biggest summer music festival and draws some 200,000 music fans each year to Worthy Farm in southwest England. Almost 4000 acts perform on 120 stages. Festival organisers said on Instagram that Vylan's chants "very much crossed a line." "We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence." "With almost 4000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs," it said. Saturday's festival lineup also included Irish-language rap group Kneecap, which gave an impassioned performance for tens of thousands of fans despite criticism by British politicians and a terror charge for one of the trio. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged under the Terrorism Act with supporting a proscribed organisation for allegedly waving a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November. The rapper, who was charged under the anglicized version of his name, Liam O'Hanna, is on unconditional bail before a further court hearing in August. The group has faced criticism for lyrics laden with expletives and drug references, and for political statements, especially since videos emerged allegedly showing the band shouting "up Hamas, up Hezbollah" and calling on people to kill politicians. On Saturday, band members led the audience in chants of "Free Palestine" and "Free Mo Chara". They also aimed an expletive-laden chant at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has said he didn't think it was "appropriate" for Kneecap to play Glastonbury. with PA
7NEWS
20 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Glastonbury festival BBC livestream: Outrage as ‘death to IDF' chant airs, Bob Vylan, Kneecap investigated
British authorities have issued a strong condemnation after rap punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants at the Glastonbury Festival calling for 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF' during a set broadcast live by the BBC. The performance, which took place on the West Holts Stage just ahead of Belfast rap trio Kneecap, prompted the government to describe the comments as unacceptable. A BBC spokesperson stated that some of the remarks were 'deeply offensive,' with a warning about 'very strong and discriminatory language' displayed on screen. The broadcaster confirmed the set would not be available for replay on BBC iPlayer. Police have announced they are reviewing video footage of both Bob Vylan's and Kneecap's performances to determine if any laws were broken. A statement from Glastonbury Festival said it 'does not condone hate speech or incitement to violence of any kind from its performers.' Following the incident, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy contacted the BBC director general to request an urgent explanation regarding the broadcaster's due diligence before airing the act. The government also expressed approval of the decision not to re-broadcast the performance. Loading Instagram Post Kneecap, who performed after Bob Vylan, have been in the spotlight recently after band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (Mo Chara) was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying the flag of banned group Hezbollah at a previous concert—a charge he denies. Kneecap's Saturday set, watched by thousands, included expletive-laden chants directed at UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who had previously described their festival appearance as 'not appropriate.' Ó hAnnaidh is currently on bail following a recent court hearing. Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they are assessing video evidence from both acts to decide whether a criminal investigation is warranted. 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man,' Mo Chara said after appearing on stage. 'The prime minister of your country - not mine - said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer,' Mo Chara told the crowd, wearing the keffiyeh scarf associated with Palestinians. At least 30,000 people, hundreds of them with Palestinian flags, crammed into the West Holts stage in blazing sunshine to watch the trio, causing organisers to close the area. After opening their set with Better Way to Live, which mixes English and Irish, another of the group's members - M?gla? Bap, otherwise known as Naoise ? Caireall?in - said Mo Chara would be back in court for a 'trumped up terrorism charge'. Mo Chara told the crowd the situation over the lawsuit was stressful but it was minimal compared to what the Palestinians were going through every day. Later in the set, Mo Chara accused Israel of committing war crimes, saying, 'There's no hiding it.' Irwin Kelly, 40, said the trio got the crowd really involved in the set. 'Obviously it had a bit of controversy surrounding it,' he said. 'But it's art, it's performance.' The Israeli embassy in the United Kingdom earlier said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kneecap's statements. Access to the area around the West Holts Stage was closed about 45 minutes before Kneecap's performance after groups of fans arrived to form a sea of Irish and Palestinian flags. Starmer told the Sun newspaper this month it was 'not appropriate' for Kneecap to appear at the famed music festival in the southwest of England. Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch had said the public broadcaster BBC, which livestreams the festival, should not show Kneecap, and 30 music industry bosses asked organisers to pull the band from the line-up, according to a letter leaked by DJ Toddla T, cited by the Guardian newspaper. In response, more than 100 musicians have signed a public letter in support of the group. The BBC said on Saturday Kneecap's set would not be live-streamed but said the performance is likely to be made available on-demand later. Kneecap manager Dan Lambert told Reuters the group had expected calls for the performance to be cancelled. During the hour-long set, Kneecap thanked organisers Michael and Emily Eavis for not bowing to the pressure. Kneecap, whose third member has the stage name DJ Pr?va?, has said they do not support Hamas or Hezbollah. Mo Chara said on Friday the group were 'playing characters' on stage, and it was up to the audience to interpret their messages. The performance followed months of debate over the band's inclusion, after frontman Liam O'Hanna (stage name Mo Chara) was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag and making supportive remarks about Hamas and Hezbollah at a London concert last year. Both groups are banned in the UK, and expressing support for them is an offence. O'Hanna, who appeared in court earlier this month, has denied the charge and described his legal troubles as minimal compared to the suffering of Palestinians. On stage, O'Hanna wore his trademark keffiyeh and gave a 'shout out' to the Palestine Action Group, which has also recently been banned under anti-terror laws. Fellow band member DJ Provai wore a t-shirt dedicated to the campaign group. Kneecap's set was just one highlight of a festival that also saw surprise performances from Britpop legends Pulp and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, as well as headline acts including Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo.
