Glastonbury isn’t any stranger to mixing music with politics, and with the final election simply days away and protests towards the Israel-Hamas conflict ongoing, this yr has been no exception.
Artists from Damon Albarn to Charlotte Church have been vocal about their ideas on the conflict on stage – and mirrored again at them, a notable variety of Palestinian flags are being held aloft by these within the crowds.
Nearer to dwelling, whereas the looming election means deliberate visits by Labour’s Angela Rayner and the Greens’ Caroline Lucas have been shelved, Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham did give a speech, and installations equivalent to a big black dice representing a poll field, by the Simply Vote marketing campaign, are right here to impress on folks there’s one approach to make a distinction.
Elsewhere, throughout Idles set on Friday night time, an inflatable life raft with dummy migrants was propelled into the group – a stunt the band have reportedly claimed was orchestrated by Banksy, though there isn’t a official phrase from the nameless artist on this but, which they weren’t conscious of till afterwards.
Whereas Glastonbury is about escapism, what’s happening within the wider world issues additionally clearly issues to lots of people having fun with the pageant.
Forward of their set, Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto instructed Sky Information that as an 18-year-old, voting for the primary time, nobody defined to her why it mattered a lot – and that it’s important now to encourage youthful folks particularly.
“Absolutely,” she mentioned. “The hard thing about youth is that you don’t realise how fast that 20 years goes and you’re not 20 anymore. You don’t realise you only have however many elections in the next 15, 20 years, what a big difference they make.”
She continued: “It’s about the money that’s being spent for your future… there’s so much more going on, so much deeper, that really will affect you.”
Nevertheless, Ditto mentioned youthful generations are additionally serving to to encourage change. “I also want to say that they’re going to save us all, Gen Z and Gen Alpha.”
On Saturday, Labour’s Andy Burnham instructed about 100 individuals who got here to see him communicate that Sir Keir Starmer won’t “bulldoze” native authorities if he wins the election.
“I think it will change if Labour get in, it will improve, but it won’t stop being very difficult,” Mr Burnham instructed the group.
In the meantime, a well timed efficiency of Issues Can Solely Get Higher, the D:Ream tune that grew to become the soundtrack to Tony Blair’s 1997 electoral victory and extra lately Rishi Sunak’s sodden election announcement – obtained an enormous response from the group on Friday.
D:Ream carry out Issues Can Solely Get Higher at Glastonbury
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However is there additionally apathy amongst some?
Solid your thoughts again to 2017 and also you may recall then Labour chief Jeremy Corbyn receiving a rapturous reception on the Pyramid Stage – the group echoing with folks chanting his identify.
For socialist singer Billy Bragg, the temper has not been fairly the identical this yr.
“If you go out there and offer people a vision of a better world, then people respond,” he instructed Sky Information. “And I think Corbyn is the proof of that… [Nigel] Farage as well, he promises something to his people. It might not be something I believe in or that I think it’s going to work, but you’ve got to offer something to people other than, you know, steady as she goes, managerialism.”
Charlotte Church performs at Glastonbury. Pic: Ben Birchall/PA
Charlotte Church, who joined Bragg’s Radical Spherical-up on the Left Subject Stage, sang “free Palestine” with a crowd of lots of throughout her efficiency.
The singer’s look at Worthy Farm comes months after she mentioned police needed to test on her as a result of her security and that of her household has been threatened after she took half in a pro-Palestine march in London.
The 38-year-old strongly denied claims of antisemitism on the time and voiced her help for Jewish folks.
Throughout his shock look on stage with Bombay Bicycle Membership on Friday, Blur’s Damon Albarn addressed each the final election and international points.
“Are you pro Palestine? Do you feel that’s an unfair war?” he requested the group, earlier than highlighting “the importance of voting next week” and including: “I don’t blame you for being ambivalent about that but it’s still really important.”
Whereas many reward the artists for supporting causes they imagine in, there are additionally these on social media who’ve complained concerning the combine, saying musicians ought to give attention to the music.
However prefer it or not, politics may be very a lot nonetheless part of the Glastonbury expertise.
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