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Jul 03, 2025 By Luciana Cacciatore Photography by Luciana Cacciatore Web Exclusive

Where Sound Meets Statement: Glastonbury’s Unforgettable Weekend

The BBC iPlayer has been on my living‑room TV since I got back on Monday evening. It is my way of coping with the post‑Glasto blues and with the fact that it’ll be over 700 days before I get to return. But I do wonder: how long will the BBC keep streaming Glastonbury live? I’m glad I saw Bob Vylan’s set in person (and shot it from the pit) because it is nowhere to be found on iPlayer now.

Politics has always had a place at Glastonbury. After all, Left Field has hosted debate since 2000, and in recent years the festival has welcomed Jeremy Corbyn, Greta Thunberg and an Extinction Rebellion procession. Only three years ago the weekend opened with a video from Volodymyr Zelensky.

So it was no surprise that this year, in the shadow of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, political statements came thick and fast. But the backlash from media and institutions seems to reflect not just the sensitivity of the current moment, but how much more scrutinised political speech has become.

“Free Palestine” chants were heard across Worthy Farm all weekend, led by CMAT, Black Country, New Road, Turnstile, The Libertines, Bob Vylan, Kneecap and more. Palestinian flags flew at every stage, at every show, even more than last year, just as I’d expected.

Kneecap had been at the centre of controversy since their Coachella set, where they displayed a pro-Palestine message that led several politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, to call for Glastonbury to drop them from the lineup. Instead, the Irish trio doubled down. During their West Holts set on Saturday afternoon (so busy that access was closed half an hour before it started) they asked the crowd to chant “Fuck Keir Starmer” multiple times.

The performance was explosive, bouncing, sweaty, relentless and brutally political. Liam O’Hanna, who appeared in court the week before on terrorism-related charges, addressed the audience: “The situation can be quite fucking stressful for us at times, but the stress that we’re feeling is minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are going through every fucking day.” Later in the set they added: “The Palestinians have nowhere to fucking go, literally. Not only are they being bombed from the fucking skies, they’re now being starved to death. Kids being starved to fucking death in this day and age. I don’t have to lecture you people. We’re all watching it. We all have a phone. Israel are war criminals. It’s a fucking genocide.”

Looking out at the sea of Palestinian flags, they shouted: “I can see the amount of Palestinian flags here, and it’s fucking insane. The BBC editor is going to have some job.” Although their set wasn’t broadcast live, it was later made available on demand after passing through the BBC’s editorial filter.

Before Kneecap took over West Holts, London duo Bob Vylan delivered one of the most charged performances of the weekend. Raw, loud, fast, and fearless, with Bob’s teenage daughter joining onstage to sing with him. In my Glastonbury preview, I said I expected them to speak out politically. I wasn’t wrong. Their chorus, “Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defense Forces)” quickly became the most controversial moment of the festival. Glastonbury organisers responded with a statement saying they were “appalled” by the comments. The backlash didn’t end there: a police investigation was launched, their set was pulled from the BBC iPlayer, their agent dropped them, their U.S. visas were revoked (forcing them to cancel their tour), and they were removed from festival lineups in Manchester and France.

A different brand of outrage came from Australia. Amyl & The Sniffers delivered a high-energy, punk-charged set, but also took a moment to speak to the crowd on the Other Stage. Frontwoman Amy Taylor called it “such a fucking crazy time to be alive,” criticising politicians on both the left and right who, in her words, “believe in nothing.” She spoke about Palestine, calling out governments, both in Australia and the UK, for “doing jack shit.” She went on to question the failures of the education and media systems, saying we aren’t taught the truth about colonisation or given proper sex education. Her message connected global struggles, suggesting that thinking about Palestine also forces Australians to reckon with their own history: “Us whities… we’re the fucking colonisers, and that’s so disgusting… but that’s the truth.”

Away from the flashpoints, pure musical joy arrived with CA7RIEL y Paco Amoroso who delivered a double bill on Friday. Their West Holts slot was a perfect fit for their genre-blending sound, while their late-night set at the reinvented Shangri-La brought their irreverent lyrics and dancing tunes to the party crowd. Two best friends, schoolmates, and now Latin America’s most exciting live act taking over the world on their own terms.

Nostalgia ruled other parts of the farm. Supergrass kicked off the Pyramid Stage with a full-circle celebration of I Should Coco’s 30th anniversary. Alanis Morissette’s emotional set had every ’90s kid shouting along. Rod Stewart took over the Sunday legendary slot with three costume changes, a flawless backing band, and surprise guests Lulu and Ronnie Wood. Even Rod got political, dedicating Love Train to Ukraine: “There’s been a lot about the Middle East recently, quite rightly so, but I want to draw your attention to Ukraine in the next song.”

Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos told me outside the press tent that it was his first time back at Glastonbury since 2015 with FFS. “It’s good to be back. I love Glastonbury. It’s unlike any other festival. It’s a very particular, unique atmosphere.” His first Glasto? “When I was 18, I drove down from Aberdeen and had a great time.”

The message of solidarity continued with Nadine Shah, who closed her set with voice notes from Palestinian children and an open letter calling on the UK government to stop arming Israel. “The real threat to the life of the nation comes not from Palestine Action,” she read, “but from the Home Secretary’s efforts to ban it.”

Elsewhere, the Terminal 1 installation, now in its second year, offered a harsh, theatrical experience of modern border politics. Visitors entered through a replica airport terminal built from salvaged Heathrow T1 parts, confronted by an intimidating “immigration officer” and security checks meant to reflect the lived experience of migrants. Its message was blunt: “No human is illegal.”

It wouldn’t be Glastonbury without the BIG names appearing as TBAs, and of course the “band” listed as “Patchwork” for Saturday on the Pyramid stage came as no surprise to be Pulp. Jarvis Cocker said on stage how special it was to play Glastonbury again, and later wrote on Instagram how it was where it all started, referring to their 1995 headline set. With just 10 days’ notice, they filled in for The Stone Roses, only three weeks after Common People was released and entered the charts at number two. “It was our first show as a ‘famous’ band. To play again on the Pyramid Stage, 30 years & 4 days later, was an incredible experience. We came back to the source. & we rocked it.”

Other surprise acts included Lorde, who debuted her new album Friday morning at Woodsies; Lewis Capaldi, returning to the farm after two years; and HAIM, who brought down The Park on Saturday night.

The Prodigy closed the Other Stage on Sunday evening with a high-energy set dedicated to “our brother” Keith Flint. The sound was so powerful, I’m pretty sure I ended the night with permanent earring damage.

I’ll admit it: I was sceptical about Olivia Rodrigo headlining. But she proved me wrong. With a high-energy, all-female band behind her, Olivia ran, jumped, kicked, played guitar and piano, and headbanged her hair through a magnetic set. At 21:45 on Sunday, she hit the Pyramid Stage and owned it for 90 minutes. Olivia had the real best kept secret of Glasto this year: Robert Smith. Together they performed two The Cure classics, Friday I’m In Love and Just Like Heaven, both playing guitar side by side. Rodrigo then continued with a few more songs before fireworks exploded over the Pyramid Stage to close Glastonbury 2025.

Luciana Cacciatore

https://www.instagram.com/luciana.herenow/