Glastonbury Festival 2025 ends after weekend of controversy and surprises
Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance, and led the crowd on chants of 'f*** Keir Starmer'.
Sir Keir had said in the run-up to the festival that he thought Kneecap's set was not 'appropriate' at Glastonbury.
On Friday, festival goers were treated to surprise performances from alternative pop star Lorde, who played her new album Virgin in full, and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, who played two years after a set at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms.
The 1975 took to the Pyramid Stage to headline that night, with a set which saw singer Matty Healy joke he was his generation's 'best songwriter', with the band playing songs such as Chocolate, Love Me and About You.
Pulp were revealed to be Patchwork appearing on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday to a backdrop paying homage to their classic 1995 stand in headline set.
The Jarvis Cocker-fronted band performed some of their best known songs such as Common People, Babies and Do You Remember The First Time?.
Lewis Capaldi returned to Glastonbury two years after a set at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms (Yui Mok/PA)
Their appearance came 30 years after their breakthrough headline performance at the festival when they stood in for The Stone Roses after the Manchester band's guitarist John Squire was injured in a cycling accident.
Candida Doyle, the band's keyboard player, had previously appeared to confirm the band would not perform at the festival, despite being keen to play, telling BBC Radio 6 Music last week 'they (Glastonbury) weren't interested'.
Also on Saturday, Haim made a surprise appearance on the Park Stage opening with one of their best known songs in The Wire, before performing a mix of older songs such as Summer Girl, and new singles including Relationships.
The day saw veteran rocker Neil Young headline, performing some of his best known songs including Cinnamon Girl, Like A Hurricane and Rockin' In The Free World, at one point in the set he performed with Hank Williams' guitar.
The 1975 lead singer Matty Healey joked he was his generation's 'best songwriter' (Yui Mok)
Brat star Charli XCX headlined the Other Stage on Saturday, performing tracks from last year's summer sensation such as 360, Von Dutch and Club Classics.
Performing the viral Apple dance, during the song of the same name, was US singer Gracie Abrams, who had played on the same stage a day earlier.
Sir Rod Stewart performed in the Sunday legends slot, bringing out former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for Stay With Me, Lulu for Hot Legs and Simply Red's Mick Hucknall for a performance of his band's If You Don't Know Me By Now.
He was also joined by the festival's founder, Sir Michael Eavis, who was wheeled on to the stage by his daughter, organiser Emily Eavis.
Charli XCX headlined the Other Stage on Saturday (Ben Birchall/PA)
Bagpipes had signalled the arrival of Sir Rod, who kicked off his afternoon performance with 1981 single, Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me).
Sir Rod's set also included hits such as Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?.
The Pyramid Stage was headlined by pop rocker Olivia Rodrigo on Sunday evening, who brought out The Cure frontman Robert Smith to sing his band's songs Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love.
As the 66-year-old indie-goth star arrived on stage on Sunday night, Rodrigo said: 'Glastonbury would you please welcome Robert Smith, give him a big welcome, come on.'
Sir Rod Stewart was joined by the festival's founder, Sir Michael Eavis (Yui Mok/PA)
At the end of Just Like Heaven, the pair hugged, before Rodrigo said 'give it up for Robert Smith you guys' before adding she was 'so honoured to play with him tonight'.
The weekend saw many acts express their support for Palestine, with singer Ellie Rowsell of indie rockers Wolf Alice telling the crowd: 'We want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine, and we shouldn't be afraid to do that.'
Their Other Stage set saw them climax with their best known song Don't Delete The Kisses, which came after they had played snippets of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army and Black Sabbath's War Pigs.
Irish country star CMAT, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, chanted 'free Palestine' during her set, which included Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, from her forthcoming third studio album Euro-Country.
The Pyramid Stage was headlined by Olivia Rodrigo on Sunday evening (Yui Mok/PA)
While frontman Dan Hoff of Irish noise rockers Gurriers said during their Woodsies set: 'Free Palestine, unlike other bands we know where we stand politically.'
A number of other acts performed through the night on some of the festival's smaller stages, before a large scale clean-up operation begins in the early hours of the morning.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
40 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Glastonbury 2025: BBC breaks silence on Bob Vylan coverage
Bob Vylan's set proved to be controversial - and the BBC has broken its silence on its coverage 🚨 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Punk duo Bob Vylan caused a stir at Glastonbury 2025. The group led anti-Israel chants during their set on Saturday. BBC has now issued a statement on the coverage. In the build up to Glastonbury 2025, Kneecap were the group drawing the pre-emptive backlash. The trio's set was not broadcast live on the BBC's iPlayer stream However it was the act that took to the stage before the Irish hip-hop group that caused the biggest stir of the weekend. Punk rock duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in pro-Palestine and anti-Israel chants during their performance on the West Holts stage on Saturday (June 28). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Viewers have been divided, with many praising the rockers on social media - while others have accused them of anti-semitism. The BBC has come under a lot of flak for not pulling the live stream at the weekend. The broadcaster has now broken its silence over the incident - and admitted it had 'regret' around the coverage. Here's all you need to know: What happened during Bob Vylan's set at Glastonbury? Punk duo Bob Vylan caused controversy with their Glastonbury 2025 set. | AFP via Getty Images The punk rock duo from London - who perform under the stage names Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan - initially led the crowd at the West Holts in a chant of 'Free, Free Palestine'. During the live stream numerous Palestinian flags could be seen in the audience. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The singer then said: 'But have you heard this one though. Death, Death to the IDF'. It is in reference to the Israeli Defence Force, the national military of Israel. It led to backlash on social media, with one figure comparing it to a 'Nazi rally'. Many other users praised them, with one writing: 'We love you from GAZA, Bob Vylan.' Sir Keir Starmer however called the chant 'appalling'. Glastonbury said the chants 'crossed a line'. Responding on Instagram, Bob Vylan's official account wrote: 'I said what I said.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad BBC breaks silence and admits 'regret' The BBC's live stream of Bob Vylan's performance was not curtailed as it aired, but has not been made available on catch-up. In contrast to Kneecap's which was not broadcast live and is not on streaming. On Monday (June 30), the BBC broke its silence and issued a statement. It read: 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive. The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence.' It continued: "The performance was part of a live stream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines. 'In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "In light of this weekend, we will look at our guidance around live events so we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air." If you love TV, check out our Screen Babble podcast to get the latest in TV and film.
The Herald Scotland
44 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
From the lute to electric guitar - 400 years of music
Various venues, Anstruther Journeys in the East Neuk Festival can be as short as a few hundred yards between venues, but encompass vast eras in time. Saturday's Shibe Trail in Anstruther was very localised, although the performance spaces had been carefully chosen to match the needs of the music. With lute, classical guitar and then an electric guitar, Sean Shibe took his audience through 400 years of music. In the Dreel Halls that exploration had very local beginnings, as some of the earliest manuscripts for lute come from the collections of country estates in Fife. They included French music as well as Scottish tunes, but little from England, speaking of the trade and political links of the time. As the musician wryly pointed out, the technical limitations of the lute present challenges for guitarists, but the day proved that Shibe is a master of those as much as of the sonic possibilities of contemporary technology. The French music he played was especially lyrical, rhythmic and romantic, and John Dowland's Frog Galliard was a more familiar song on which to end the first recital. Read More: At St Ayle, a step up from the shore, Shibe began his classical guitar set with a short French overture before playing his own arrangement of a Bach Cello Suite to preface a work composed for him by Thomas Ades. The six movements of Forgotten Dances clearly owe a debt to Bach, but the various movements range from the gently melodic through driving rhythms and Satie-esque eccentricity to a wistful, elegiac theme and variations over a ground bass. At an earlier East Neuk Festival, Shibe first unveiled his Soft/Loud project in the Dreel Halls, and it is fair to say that Anstruther's high-ceilinged Erskine Hall proved a more appropriate place for the volume of his electric guitar. This last concert was built around Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint, a work for which he is now internationally recognised, not least by the composer himself. If there is no-one playing that piece better, the compositions on either side of it were equally fascinating. Sasha Scott's Rush was also written specifically for Shibe and might remind listeners older than either the composer or the player of the solo excursions of King Crimson's Robert Fripp. Meredith Monk's Nightfall began life as wordless choral composition, and this multi-layered arrangement, incrementally assembled and then stripped down, preserved its essence while taking it in another direction. Ideally, perhaps, the sun would have been setting as it faded away, but it was yet too early in the sunny East Neuk and there was still more music to be enjoyed.
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
BBC regrets not pulling Bob Vylan Glastonbury live stream
The corporation has come under fire after rapper Bobby Vylan – of the rap punk duo – led crowds at the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'free, free Palestine' and 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. Following the performance, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer criticised the chants as 'appalling hate speech' and on Monday broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it is 'very concerned' about the live stream. In a statement, the BBC said: 'Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC's output but one performance within our livestreams included comments that were deeply offensive. The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. 'The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves. We welcome Glastonbury's condemnation of the performance. 'The performance was part of a live stream of the West Holts stage on BBC iPlayer. 'The judgment on Saturday to issue a warning on screen while streaming online was in line with our editorial guidelines. 'In addition, we took the decision not to make the performance available on demand. The team were dealing with a live situation, but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen.' The BBC said that in light of the performance, they would be looking at their guidance around live events so 'we can be sure teams are clear on when it is acceptable to keep output on air'. A post shared by Glastonbury Festival (@glastofest) Ofcom said in its statement that the BBC 'clearly has questions to answer', adding: 'We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.' Avon and Somerset Police said at the weekend that they are assessing videos of comments made by Bob Vylan and Belfast rap trio Kneecap at Glastonbury to decide whether any offences may have been committed. A member of Kneecap, who performed on the West Holts stage in the slot directly after Bob Vylan, suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance related to a terrorism charge. In addition, during their performance, a member of Kneecap also said 'f*** Keir Starmer' on stage after the Prime Minister called for the band not to play at the festival. Glastonbury Festival itself also condemned the chants by Bob Vylan, saying in a statement on Sunday they were 'appalled by the statements' made on stage. A statement on Instagram said: '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 antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. In a statement posted to Instagram, Vylan said: 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.'
