Glastonbury 2025: Kneecap slam Rod Stewart as pop singer backs Reform UK

Posted On June 29, 2025June 29, 2025

Rod Stewart suddenly found himself in the middle of the heated Kneecap controversy yesterday, as the Irish band slammed the performer during their Glastonbury Festival set.

On Saturday, Kneecap played on the West Holts stage to a packed-out audience at 4pm. The BBC had revealed earlier that day that they would now show it loud, sharing with Far Out that, “As the broadcast partner, the BBC is bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers. Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans ensure that our programming meets our editorial guidelines.”

However, a live stream from a festivalgoer, Helen Wilson, ensured that over two million people online could watch the set and therefore bypass the BBC ban. The band have since thanked the fan for her efforts, deeming her a “legend”.

During the set, Kneecap slammed the UK Prime Minister with comments such as, “The Prime Minister of your country – not ours – said he didn’t want us to play. So fuck Keir Starmer.” However, they also took aim at Rod Stewart, despite having no previous issues with the pop singer.

Stewart was the curious subject of the band’s comment, with Mo Chara saying: “Anybody going to Rod Stewart tomorrow?” Some cheers, but mostly boos, littered the crowd. He laughed, “Wait, did I miss something? The man is older than Israel!”

The band are likely referring to Stewart’s most recent political comments. The 80-year-old began his political rumination with The Times by commenting, “It’s hard for me because I’m extremely wealthy, and I deserve to be, so a lot of it doesn’t really touch me. But that doesn’t mean I’m out of touch.”

Stewart then revealed that far-right group Reform UK now have his support. He added, “We’re fed up with the Tories,” he said. “We’ve got to give Farage a chance. He’s coming across well. What options have we got? I know some of his family, I know his brother, and I quite like him.”

Friday night at Glastonbury saw The 1975 headline the Pyramid Stage and Loyle Carner headline the Other Stage. On Saturday night, Charli XCX, Neil Young, Scissor Sisters and Doechii headlined each of the main stages. On Sunday, Olivia Rodrigo will close the weekend.

Rod Stewart will perform on the Pyramid Stage at 15:45. Watch his set live on BBC iPlayer.

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