The Bristol-based rockers used their set to deliver a series of political statements.
IDLES are being praised online for their ‘legendary’ performance on the Other Stage at Glastonbury last night, where they conveyed pro-immigration and anti-monarchy messages and called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Their set, which was broadcast on the BBC, was full of energy from start to finish.
Idles teaching everyone at Glastonbury the new National Anthem.
— Supertanskiii (@supertanskiii) June 28, 2024
I think it’ll catch on.#Glastonbury2024 pic.twitter.com/X5yz3LoDoI
The crowd may as well have been on stage with them as lead singer Joe Talbot led them in a mass chant of ‘F**k the King’, and launched a rubber dingy carrying child migrants towards his legion of fans for a crowd surf during a pro-immigration song.
Talbot could be heard shouting ‘Viva Palestina’ during the intro for the band’s third song in their set, and closed their 76 minute performance with a song they described as an ‘anti-fascist song, an anti-Farage song’.
Migrant lifeboat crowdsurfing at Glastonbury #Idles pic.twitter.com/XSLmr1zmlN
— cello (@MrCarb1) June 28, 2024
Throughout the majority of their time on stage, the words ‘Ceasefire Now’ were displayed in large, white capital letters on a screen behind them.
While all of this was visible on the BBC’s live television coverage of the show, many of the stunts appear to have been deleted from iPlayer coverage, with the broadcaster being held to strict impartiality rules.
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The politically-loaded performance was lauded by droves of viewers, who took to social media to describe the band as ‘f**king legends’, and the performance as a “masterclass in conveying messages that are burning in the hearts of this nation and beyond.”
One Twitter user wrote: “The Daily Mail is gonna have an aneurysm about this Idles set, they got the crowd to shout “f**k the king” called Farage a fascist, had a prop of kids in a small boat crowdsurfing during a pro immigration song and ended by shouting ceasefire now. F**king legends.”
Another commented: “This’ll upset the right people. On the BBC. God I love IDLES.”
“IDLES the band that you are,” admired another as they praised the group for “making tens of thousands of people in the crowd chant ‘f*ck the king’ and ‘ceasefire now’ as it was broadcasted on the BBC.”
One other person added: “Finally, musicians are saying en masse what they should have said months ago. Idles making the message loud and clear tonight. Hats off to them for doing so.”
Idles’ Glastonbury set was something else. A masterclass in conveying messages that are burning in the hearts of this nation and beyond.
— Jack Lowe (@MrJackLowe) June 28, 2024
Everybody else…this is how it’s done. pic.twitter.com/nmcUz1SAKo
Idles win Glastonbury, cancel the rest, nothing will top this.
— Sheena (@sarky_sheena) June 28, 2024
