Rod Stewart says country should ‘give Farage a chance'
The 80-year-old singer backed the Reform UK leader ahead of appearing in the festival's afternoon legends slot on Sunday, 23 years after he headlined the Pyramid Stage.
'I've read about (Sir Keir) Starmer cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU. That hasn't made him popular,' he told The Times.
'We're fed up with the Tories. We've got to give Farage a chance. He's coming across well. Nigel? What options have we got?
'Starmer's all about getting us out of Brexit and I don't know how he's going to do that. Still, the country will survive. It could be worse. We could be in the Gaza Strip.'
Admitting his wealth ensures 'a lot of it doesn't really touch me', he insisted he is not out of touch and expressed his support for Ukraine – criticising US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance for their treatment of Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky on his visit to the White House – and Gaza.
'It's depressing, what's going on in the Gaza Strip,' he said. 'Netanyahu doesn't realise that this is what happened to his people under the Nazis: total annihilation. And Trump is going to turn the Gaza Strip into Miami?'
Stewart said a prolonged bout of flu, which forced him to cancel five shows in the US, nearly forced him to withdraw from a Glastonbury appearance he described to ITV as his 'World Cup final'.
'This time last week I was thinking of cancelling,' he told The Sun, crediting his wife Penny Lancaster with nursing him back to health.
'I have had Influenza A. It's been so terrible. It's the worst thing anyone could possibly have, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
'Apart from (Vladimir) Putin. I'd wish it on him.'
Stewart told The Sun he had negotiated an extra quarter of an hour on top of the allotted 75 minutes for his set.
He confirmed he will be joined at Glastonbury by former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall and Lulu, as well as performing the song Powderfinger by Saturday headliner Neil Young.
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Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Glastonbury headliners The 1975 leave fans divided over 'bland' set as they brand pint-supping frontman Matty Healy 'insufferable'
The 1975 left Glastonbury fans divided as they took to the Pyramid stage on Friday to headline the first day of the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. In their first and only gig of the year, frontman Matty Healy, 36, was in great spirits as he smoked a cigarette and drank a pint of Guinness before belting out a number of the band's biggest hits. However, their set split the opinions of those tuning in at the festival and at home, with some branding their performance 'bland', causing some to even switch off. While many took also aim at the swaggering lead singer, known for his outlandish behaviour, calling him 'insufferable' and 'about as rock & roll as Aled Jones.' Taking to X, fans made their feelings very clear on Matty and The 1975's headlining performance. They penned: 'How bad were #The1975 at #Glastonbury2025 a bloke who spent the first half hour staggering around drinking pints & smoking tabs, and the rest of the time faffing about with his hair, while being in the most boring band going, surely #Glastonbury can't get any worse, can it. 'I saw #The1975 in their very early days, was very underwhelmed then. Gave them another go this evening, awful. Songs all sound the same and a terrible front man. There were huge gaps around us near the front. #glastonbury got this one wrong sadly.' 'Matty Healy trying to play the archetypal rock & roller with the leather jacket, pint of Guinness and a cigarette while simultaneously performing some of the blandest music imaginable is quite the contradiction. About as rock & roll as Aled Jones.' 'Admittedly, I like #The1975's first record, but Matty Healy is so obsessed with trying to be edgy (he's not) that it just comes across as Liam Gallagher caricature. His band's headlining #Glastonbury yet he can't, not for one night, pretend to be anything other than insufferable.' 'Never seen #the1975 live before on TV. You have 1 chance to headline #glastonbury & the lead singer cares more about his Guinness & fags, & staggering all over the stage like an 18 Yr old on their first pint... The songs are wishy washy & bland. Is this it?!' However, in contrast, there were a number of fans who actually loved the set, hailing it as 'epic', with many going on to praise Matty as a frontman. They wrote on X: 'Just saw #The1975 they were so good.' 'Well that was bloody amazing I'm a snotty mess now!! About you was the perfect way to finish it.' 'Matt Healy a modern front man. That was excellent.' Taking to X, fans made their feelings very clear on Matty and The 1975's headlining performance 'I had heard of #the1975 but wouldn't have known any of their songs. Enjoyed the performance, the wide variety of genres they cover, and the set overall. Worthy (pun intended) headliners. I'll be looking out for them in the future.' 'If you don't know the 1975 then I get that it might have been lost on you, but for me that was a f***ing epic show. What a frontman, what a band.' Matty - the son of Loose Women's Denise Welch and Benidorm's Tim Healy - is famous for his provocative stage presence - and his Glastonbury set was no different. The English singer-songwriter was seen belting out hits while puffing away on a cigarette and sipping from a pint of Guinness. During his set, Matty claimed to be his generation's 'best songwriter' in a tongue and cheek moment. The Cheshire-formed band, backed with a saxophone, opened with Happiness from 2022's Being Funny In A Foreign Language, with Matty wearing a black leather jacket, white T-shirt and blue jeans, with a pint of stout in his hand on the Pyramid Stage. After performing Part Of The Band, sat on a stool and smoked while sipping his drink, Healy said: 'What this moment is making me realise is that I probably am the best songwriter of my generation. 'The best what they say, a poet, ladies and gentlemen, is what I am. 'Generational words, and I just wanted to remind you, over the next couple of minutes, these lyrics are poetry, I believe.' The band then launched into Chocolate from their 2013 self-titled debut, before Healy remarked, 'I was only joking about being a poet' at its conclusion. Made up of four school friends, the group, comprised of singer Matty, bassist Ross MacDonald, guitarist Adam Hann and drummer George Daniel, were headlining the festival for the first time. Midway through the set, Matty told festival goers: 'Use your platform, that's what they say, right?' He continued: 'People who are watching this may, I don't know, they might be disappointed at the lack of politics in this show and our forthcoming shows, and probably a few shows, because I always know it's a conscious decision, and we honestly don't want our legacy to be one of politics. 'We want it to be that of love and friendship, because we and I'm not trying to be too earnest, but you can go out into the world, and there's loads of politics everywhere. And I think we don't need more politics, we need more love and friendship. 'And I know that's really basic, but if you are a young kid and you are inspired by like about this band or something like that, don't aspire to like play a stage or be a certain size, aspire for like this level of friendship and love in what you do and you'll never fail and I love you, thank you so much.' Love Me, the lead single from 2016's I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, prompts the first sing-a-long from the crowd, with Healy pushing guitarist Hann to the front, announcing: 'Ladies and gentleman, in 2025 with zero irony, a guitar solo.' Their stage set-up included a car, which Matty got into to sing Somebody Else while smoking a cigarette, before getting out during the song and walking on a travelator. While performing She's American, Matty dipped into The Backstreet Boys I Want It That Way, before returning to his own 2016 song. Before Paris, the singer declared 'this is my favourite 1975 song', and prior to playing Robbers from the band's debut album, he said: 'For the first time in my life I don't know what to say.' The band ended their set with About You from Being Funny In A Foreign Language. Before the song, Matty said: 'Ladies and gentlemen it's very cool to be mysterious but I think it's cooler to be honest and we're not going anywhere, we're not going anywhere, everything's going to be fine.' Earlier in the day, festivalgoers were treated to surprise performances from alternative pop star Lorde, who played her new album Virgin in full, and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, who played two years after a performance at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms. Matty was seen wearing a black leather jacket, white t-shirt and blue jeans, with a pint of stout in his hand on the Pyramid Stage Among the celebrities spotted at the event so far included Barbie star Margot Robbie, 34, with her producer husband Tom Ackerley, eight months after giving birth to their first child. Yesterday, moustachioed Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch, 48, read out letters from around the world in the Greenpeace area in a feature called 'Letters Live'. Meanwhile, thousands of unsuspecting fans were treated to surprise performances from Lewis Capaldi and Lorde yesterday. Lewis choked back tears as he declared 'I'm back baby' during an emotional return to Glastonbury's iconic Pyramid Stage. The Scottish singer, 28, was greeted with cheers from the huge Worthy Farm crowd, two years after his battle with Tourettes left him unable to finish his performance at the festival and led to a career hiatus. Delighted to back in front of an audience he tearfully said: 'Two years ago I wasn't sure if I'd ever do this again, but I'm back baby!''. Lewis sung a number of his famous hits, before once chocking back tears as he performed brand new single Survive, which highlights the difficult period in his career following his last Glastonbury gig. Fans in the crowd could be seen crying and calling out his name before joining him in a rendition of megahit Someone You Loved. In his emotional speech, Lewis said: ' Glastonbury it's good to be back. Won't say too much up here today as if I do I might start crying, but I can't thank you enough for coming here and being with here'. 'Second times a charm hey! It's a short set today but just wanted to come and finish what I couldn't last time, also this was like the worst kept f*****g secret ever'. Following his set Lewis took to Instagram with footage of his performance alongside a post which read: 'Glastonbury it's so incredible to be back, thank you so much for having me x' Fans and famous friends rushed to the comments to welcome the talented musician back into the public eye. Sam Fender said: 'Return of The King', while Alan Shearer said: 'Love It': Paddy McGuinness gushed: 'Governor' and Jade Thirlwall shared a slew of loving emojis. Following his emotional set at Worthy Farm in June 2023, the singer took time off to focus on his mental health and to 'adjust to the impact' of his Tourette's diagnosis. Also performing on Glastonbury's first day was CMAT, Lola Young, Alanis Morissette, as well Lorde with her own secret set. Meanwhile Rizzle Kicks also made a return to the stage after their own 11 year hiatus and were joined by a surprise guest. Harley 'Sylvester' Alexander-Sule and Jordan Stephens performed the biggest hits, with the later introducing his mum on stage during their track Mama Do the Hump.
Belfast Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
DUP MP hits out over latest twist to Supreme Court gender ruling as Windsor Framework causes NI uncertainty
The DUP MP spoke out after the commission said the ruling, which determined the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex, would have applied in Northern Ireland if it was not for the Windsor Framework. Instead, the matter will brought before the High Court in Belfast, which will likely take more than a year. The Supreme Court judgement has implications for transgender people's access to single-sex spaces. As the ruling relates to an interpretation of the Equality Act 2010, which does not apply in Northern Ireland, the Equality Commission has to assess how it may be interpreted here. It believes the judgment will be 'highly persuasive' in Northern Ireland courts, but the situation is 'much more nuanced and complicated, and there is significant uncertainty due to our unique legal landscape,' chief commissioner Geraldine McGahey said. Specifically, the Supreme Court did not consider Article 2 commitments under the Windsor Framework agreed between the UK and EU in 2023. Article 2 underlines the Government's commitment to ensure that people in Northern Ireland do not lose equality and human rights contained in the Good Friday Agreement. The agreement is underpinned by EU law, and under the Windsor Framework, aspects of EU law continue to apply to Northern Ireland. Ms McGahey said much local equality legislation used words such as 'sex', 'men' and 'women' without providing 'comprehensive definitions'. But Ms Lockhart said the Supreme Court judgment was a 'victory for the rights of women and girls', and it was 'deeply regrettable' that the commission's response 'appears to cast doubt on the implementation of this landmark decision'. She continued: 'The suggestion that EU law should continue to dictate matters of such importance to women's rights in Northern Ireland is entirely unacceptable. 'Whether it be immigration policy, equality protections or indeed any other area, the Windsor Framework should not be seized upon to place the rights of local people in limbo. Article 2 is about 'no diminution of rights', yet the Equality Commission does not seem able to set out in plain terms which right was in place and has now supposedly been lost. 'The Government must act swiftly and decisively to make it absolutely clear that EU law is not binding in respect of the Supreme Court judgement and cannot stymie efforts to reassert and protect the hard-won rights of women and girls in our society.' Scott Cuthbertson, of the Rainbow Project, said: 'We have worked hard to understand the ruling and communicate our view, and welcome that the Equality Commission has accepted that Article 2 of the Windsor Framework could have implications for how this judgment is read in Northern Ireland. 'We're working through the commission's paper, including its interim guidance for employees and service providers, and considering its implications for trans people as well as our next steps to defend their rights.' Hundreds of trans rights activists descend on City Hall to protest Supreme Court ruling The commission said it would ask the High Court in Belfast to issue a declaration to clarify key questions. Given the unique legal landscape, the commission said it was possible 'sex' could be interpreted differently in Northern Ireland to how it was interpreted by the Supreme Court. Ms McGahey said if it wasn't for Article 2 of the Windsor Framework, 'we would actually be saying very clearly that the Supreme Court judgment applies here in Northern Ireland'. She added: 'That is why we're saying it's highly persuasive for our courts and tribunals here in Northern Ireland. 'Article 2 is about ensuring there's no diminution of rights that are protected or safeguarded within the Good Friday Agreement.' Ms McGahey said there was a debate as to which rights were being referred to, civil rights or rights relating to gender discrimination. Until the High Court process is completed, the commission can only issue 'interim guidance' to employers and service users. One suggestion is for employers to consider universal shower and toilet facilities, consisting of self-contained lockable rooms that can be used by one person at a time, regardless of their gender. The intention of this would be for these universal facilities to be designed 'so no one could infer a person's gender or sex simply because they were selected', thus avoiding risking 'outing' transgender people.
North Wales Chronicle
34 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Glastonbury 2025 lyrics quiz for Olivia Rodrigo and more
The 2025 festival has the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, The 1975, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, Charli xcx and Biffy Clyro on its line-up. While you may be a fan of Glastonbury, how clued up are you on the acts themselves? To put that to the test, can you guess the lyrics to some of these musicians' most famous songs? The quiz is scored out of 10, and you'll need to spot the correct lyric from specific songs out of a possible four options. Take the quiz below How did you score? Let us know in the comments. Fans will be able to stream performances from Glastonbury on the BBC iPlayer over the weekend. Coverage will be from the five main stages - Pyramid, Other, West Holts, Woodsies and The Park - allowing viewers to switch between them. The Glastonbury Channel will also be returning for 2025, which is an online iPlayer section running from 12pm to late, Friday to Sunday. Recommended reading: I drank the cheapest pint at Glastonbury 2025 - here's what I thought Rumours rife for Oasis, Robbie Williams, and Lorde at Glastonbury Glastonbury 2025 artist arrives at the festival after 650-mile bike ride The BBC Media page adds: "Hosts Clara Amfo, Huw Stephens, Jack Saunders, Jamz Supernova, Jo Whiley and Lauren Laverne will guide viewers through the biggest sets and festival surprises as they happen, the standout moments from BBC One and BBC Two as they are broadcast, and special guests." Aside from that, there will be a number of scheduled programmes on live TV around the festival. The main headliners for Glastonbury 2025 will be shown on BBC One each day, with other big names getting their own slots on BBC Two and BBC Four.
