Glastonbury forced to shut down stage ahead of Kneecap's controversial gig
Glastonbury bosses have been forced to shut down the West Holts stage just ahead of Kneecap's performance. The Irish rap group will be taking to the stage at 4pm today amid calls for them to have been pulled from the festival.
Fans flocked to the stage to make sure to secure their spot, yet they have been turned away despite getting their early meaning no more people can enter the area. It will come as a blow for those who wanted to catch the trio perform as their set is not being shown on the BBC.
The highly controversial gig won't be streamed live but an on-demand version will be available. A BBC spokesperson said: "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.
"We don't always live stream every act from the main stages and look to make an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on our digital platforms, alongside more than 90 other sets."
Glastonbury bosses even warned fans before the performance that large crowds are to be expected. They sent out a crowd warning as they named a list of artists who they think will draw in the biggest crowds.
Bosses told festival goers: "Kneecap will draw a large audience for their 4pm West Holts show. If you're not planning to see them, please plan alternative routes around that area. If you do plan to attend, listen to stewards, and please have some other entertainment options in mind in case the field reaches capacity and we need to close it as part of our crowd planning measures."
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