Kate Nash says she would love to collaborate with Kneecap
It came after police said on Saturday that they are assessing videos of comments made by the Belfast rap trio, as well as punk duo Bob Vylan, during their performances at the Glastonbury Festival.
The group are known for their provocative lyrics and merchandise, as well as their championing of the Irish language and support for Palestine.
'I love Kneecap. I'd love to collaborate. I love collaboration, actually,' Nash told the PA news agency.
'I really, really think collaboration is such an amazing and important part of being an artist, because you just learn every time you collaborate with someone different.
'So I just did a duet with Sprints, because they covered Foundations, and that was really fun.'
Nash, 37, added: 'Kneecap would be amazing to collaborate with. My mum's from Dublin and I think that the way they use their political platform is really important.'
She continued: 'I don't think English people really understand their (Ireland's) history at all, they just don't know it.
'So I think there's an opportunity to educate people about England and Ireland's history, and sort of being half-English, half-Irish myself I have quite a good understanding of that, but I didn't learn it at school.
'There's so many amazing musicians to collaborate with. I love Amyl And The Sniffers.'
Before their performance on the West Holts Stage, several politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from the line-up and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said their performance would not be 'appropriate'.
During their set, member Naoise O Caireallain said: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.'
In reference to his bandmate's upcoming court date the rapper, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.'
Bobby Vylan, of rap duo Bob Vylan, had earlier led crowds in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'.
According to reports, Bobby Vylan is called Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, from Ipswich. Robinson-Foster is listed on Companies House as being the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan.
Sir Keir said the latter chant was 'appalling hate speech' and urged the BBC to explain how the scenes were broadcast.
Speaking on the politics of Glastonbury, Nash said: 'What's the history of Glastonbury? It's about anti-corporation, Greenpeace.
'It is ultimately a political festival, and people come here to find togetherness, community, a sense of hope and to watch people play amazing shows, and to have their lives changed, to be inspired.
'I think that we're seeing a lot of really scary things in the world right now, and people want to feel like they can see what they feel on stage being voiced, and I think that politicians need to get a grip.'
Asked about artists who say they do not want to be political, she said: 'Certain people, you can't escape the politics of existing in the world.
'If you are a woman and you're like, 'I'm not political', I'm like, 'You are, you are. Everything about your life is political, whether you want it to be or not'.
'I think if you're a very privileged, white, rich man, sure you don't want to be political, or you don't have to be.
'But also, do you even have to comment that you don't want to be? I'm not really sure it helps.
'I think just don't be, then, in a way, if you just want to be a pop band, just be a pop band.
'That's not how I was raised. So it's really difficult for me to understand somebody saying, 'I don't want to be political'.'
It came after The 1975 frontman Matty Healy said the band did not want their legacy to be 'one of politics' during their Friday night headline slot.
'I think we don't need more politics, we need more love and friendship,' he said.
Nash headlined Glastonbury's Left Field stage on Saturday evening and performed a secret set on the BBC Introducing stage on Sunday.
She has released several studio albums and is known for songs including Mouthwash and Foundations, the latter of which peaked at number two in the UK singles chart.
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Rhyl Journal
9 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Glastonbury Festival 2025 ends after weekend of controversy and surprises
Punk duo Bob Vylan and Irish rap trio Kneecap have seen both of their sets on Saturday being assessed by Avon and Somerset Police to decide whether any offences were committed. Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance, and led the crowd on chants of 'f*** Keir Starmer'. Sir Keir had said in the run-up to the festival that he thought Kneecap's set was not 'appropriate' at Glastonbury. On Friday, festival goers 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 set at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms. The 1975 took to the Pyramid Stage to headline that night, with a set which saw singer Matty Healy joke he was his generation's 'best songwriter', with the band playing songs such as Chocolate, Love Me and About You. Pulp were revealed to be Patchwork appearing on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday to a backdrop paying homage to their classic 1995 stand in headline set. The Jarvis Cocker-fronted band performed some of their best known songs such as Common People, Babies and Do You Remember The First Time?. Their appearance came 30 years after their breakthrough headline performance at the festival when they stood in for The Stone Roses after the Manchester band's guitarist John Squire was injured in a cycling accident. Candida Doyle, the band's keyboard player, had previously appeared to confirm the band would not perform at the festival, despite being keen to play, telling BBC Radio 6 Music last week 'they (Glastonbury) weren't interested'. Also on Saturday, Haim made a surprise appearance on the Park Stage opening with one of their best known songs in The Wire, before performing a mix of older songs such as Summer Girl, and new singles including Relationships. The day saw veteran rocker Neil Young headline, performing some of his best known songs including Cinnamon Girl, Like A Hurricane and Rockin' In The Free World, at one point in the set he performed with Hank Williams' guitar. Brat star Charli XCX headlined the Other Stage on Saturday, performing tracks from last year's summer sensation such as 360, Von Dutch and Club Classics. Performing the viral Apple dance, during the song of the same name, was US singer Gracie Abrams, who had played on the same stage a day earlier. Sir Rod Stewart performed in the Sunday legends slot, bringing out former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for Stay With Me, Lulu for Hot Legs and Simply Red's Mick Hucknall for a performance of his band's If You Don't Know Me By Now. He was also joined by the festival's founder, Sir Michael Eavis, who was wheeled on to the stage by his daughter, organiser Emily Eavis. Bagpipes had signalled the arrival of Sir Rod, who kicked off his afternoon performance with 1981 single, Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me). Sir Rod's set also included hits such as Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?. The Pyramid Stage was headlined by pop rocker Olivia Rodrigo on Sunday evening, who brought out The Cure frontman Robert Smith to sing his band's songs Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love. As the 66-year-old indie-goth star arrived on stage on Sunday night, Rodrigo said: 'Glastonbury would you please welcome Robert Smith, give him a big welcome, come on.' At the end of Just Like Heaven, the pair hugged, before Rodrigo said 'give it up for Robert Smith you guys' before adding she was 'so honoured to play with him tonight'. The weekend saw many acts express their support for Palestine, with singer Ellie Rowsell of indie rockers Wolf Alice telling the crowd: 'We want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine, and we shouldn't be afraid to do that.' Their Other Stage set saw them climax with their best known song Don't Delete The Kisses, which came after they had played snippets of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army and Black Sabbath's War Pigs. Irish country star CMAT, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, chanted 'free Palestine' during her set, which included Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, from her forthcoming third studio album Euro-Country. While frontman Dan Hoff of Irish noise rockers Gurriers said during their Woodsies set: 'Free Palestine, unlike other bands we know where we stand politically.' A number of other acts performed through the night on some of the festival's smaller stages, before a large scale clean-up operation begins in the early hours of the morning.
The Guardian
26 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Glastonbury 2025: Sunday with Olivia Rodrigo's headline set plus the Prodigy, Rod Stewart and more
Update: Date: 2025-06-30T00:28:15.000Z Title: Woodsies', ' Content: The festival reached its final day with standout sets from Wolf Alice, Turnstile, Joy Crookes and more Ben Beaumont-Thomas (now); Shaad D'Souza and Elle Hunt (earlier) Mon 30 Jun 2025 01.04 BST First published on Sun 29 Jun 2025 12.13 BST 1.04am BST 01:04 Ben Beaumont-Thomas Alexis was rightly and totally blown away by Olivia Rodrigo, calling her set the best big one of the festival. Here's his five-star rave: That is everything for tonight, and indeed this year – thanks so much for following all of our nonsense here. Devastated to report that it's a fallow year next year, so we'll see you in 2027? Updated at 1.28am BST 11.58pm BST 23:58 Gwilym Mumford This is the Prodigy's fourth appearance at Glastonbury, but as Maxim says in a brief respite from the pummelling blast beats of Voodoo People, it should be their fifth. On the eve of their 2019 booking Keith Flint was found dead at his home in Essex. 'Six years ago we lost our brother. This is his night,' Maxim declares. Flint looms large at this year's festival – head over to Joe Rush's Carhenge and you'll see his menacing grin adorning the bonnet of an upturned muscle car. But in tonight's set he is positioned as a very visible absence: a silhouette, instantly recognisable by the two devilish points above the temples, is pinned to the giant screens by green lasers. On a reimagined Firestarter his vocals are winnowed down to a single repeated 'I'm a firestarter', Flint haunting the track rather than dominating it as he once did. And on Breathe his vocals in the chorus are omitted, with the crowd stepping in instead. Flint's absence is counterbalanced by a whole lot more Maxim, here playing the role of MC, compere and chief cajoler, shepherding crowds through the different eras of the band's 35 year career, from the saucer-eyed hardcore techno of Jilted Generation to the rocky EDM of Invaders Must Die. A word for the Other stage. It has received a glow up this year, with giant hi-def screens added, as well as a new lighting rig. It now is probably the best place to watch music at Glastonbury: every performance I've seen here has felt immersive and massive. That's particularly true for the Prodigy and their retina-singing light show, with meandering lasers and walls of glitching graphics. The spectacle seems to filter down to the audiences too, who have seemed up for it – bordering on unhinged – all weekend. There's a sprit of the bacchanal tonight. Weed fug and pyro smoke hovers above the crowd of, as Maxim calls them 'Prodigy warriors': loud, unruly, boozy (and the rest). As the crowd skanks and sways to the boinging central refrain from Out of Space, Maxim surveys the scene and declares: 'I think Mr Flint would have have been proud of you.' Updated at 1.12am BST 11.44pm BST 23:44 David Levene going full Andreas Gursky with this shot of the boomer hordes for Rod Stewart. Bravo! 11.33pm BST 23:33 Jason Okundaye WoodsiesJorja Smith is welcomed on with an orchestral flourish – rhythmic percussion and escalating strings as the visuals conjure a stage on fire. Last month, the singer began her first UK tour since 2018. Back then she was 21, and riding high off her debut album's Brit awards gong, Mercury nomination and Grammy nomination for best new artist. But she has switched down the gears towards a slower pace of life, moving from London back to her birthplace Walsall in 2023. Here, at one of the last sets of Glastonbury, she can flex how she's developed and progressed away from the flashing lights. Smith has won fans for a smoky, honeyed voice that has remained agile, elegant and restrained – though sometimes that restraint is to a fault. On the opening number, Try Me, she is drowned out by her band and, with a vocal style that is often legato, it can be hard to hear what she's saying. There is a fine line, after all, between vocal elegance and repression. Yet this issue quickly melts away, particularly when the familiar hits come out – Blue Lights and Addicted are such phenomenal tracks, sexy and subtle and bringing out gorgeous moments of vocal layering with her backing singer which provide more lyrical clarity and a fitting sense of ensemble. Her male backing singer comes out for a duet on Feelings – Smith is so adoring of him and they sound fantastic together, but it also feels like a humble and mature embrace of how introducing different, distinct vocal tones can accentuate a performance. Initially, you do wonder if this set might become dull, and how she can maintain the audience for an hour and 15 minutes of slower, mellow tones that might not be the vibe for a Sunday late-night billing. Yet Smith is adaptable. Go Go Go reaches for Afropop, while Popcaan collaboration Come Over embraces dancehall. This scope is complemented by her band who are truly fantastic – her bassist can provide mellow moments of cool R&B, but equally they can ascend into rollicking crescendos and grundy indie rock type segments. This set really reaches its peak during the more fun, funky and decidedly unrelaxed segments. She brings out AJ Tracey for both a cover of his hit Ladbroke Grove and their recent collaboration, Crush. I have to say, Tracey performs much better here than he had just two hours ago on the same stage. Perhaps this is because there is no backing track to rely on, and there is a wonderful, almost sibling-like fondness between the two artists. But it's when the basslines and syncopated rhythms of UK garage emerge that you really see Smith as a national darling, one equally capable of jumping on new sounds while resurrecting past genres with finesse; of course, funky electronic garage track Little Things, which reintroduced Smith to the world in 2023, plays that part. But there is also The Way I Love You and Preditah collaboration On My Mind, which feel more befitting of the dark Woodsies stage and the late-night billing. You could imagine it going off at Glastonbury's various nightlife venues; hopefully I'll hear some of this set, the pitch faders mixing up the arrangement at Block9 later. Updated at 11.45pm BST 11.15pm BST 23:15 Safi Bugel At one point, the Maccabees had a generation of people in a chokehold. The London indie band were so prolific they can't even remember exactly how many times they've played at Glastonbury before. But after 14 years and four albums, they announced their hiatus in 2016, with a farewell tour the following year. Back in October, they teased their comeback; tonight's show is one of their first public performances in eight years. It's a high-energy, emotion-heavy experience on both sides of the barrier as they shuttle back through time via all of their best hits. At one point, the band acknowledge that they – and likely most of tonight's audience – are now a decade older, so they ask them to jump along, but only if they want to. Of course, they do. The boisterous excitement from the crowd of thirtysomethings doesn't waver, through the urgent, full-bodied end of their discography (Latchmere, X-Ray, Marks to Prove It, etc) to the more quaint moments, like the sweetheart ditty Toothpaste Kisses, which is met with a rapturous singalong. As with any reunion, it's a shamelessly indulgent trip down memory lane – to the band's heyday, yes, but also to a significant time in British indie music more generally. Special guest Florence Welch joins them on stage for Love You Better and a rowdy performance of Dog Days Are Over. After closing with the punchy fan favourite Pelican, the band hug one another on stage. When they say that this show means the world to them, you can tell they mean it. Updated at 11.33pm BST 11.03pm BST 23:03 Ben Beaumont-Thomas To court us a little more, Olivia's cracked out her Union Jack pants for – paradoxically – All-American Bitch. She's also done the Flaming Lips thing of chucking out loads of massive white balls into the audience. Then it's into the second-best Olivia song: Good 4 U. This song features such a good actorly performance: the proper bunny boiler pressing her face against the double glazing to tell her ex about how she's really totally fine about their breakup. It's cartoonishly heightened and silly – but also there's real venom, and this is a definitely a story with two sides: what's this guy done? Then it's Get Him Back! and a ton of fireworks crackling over a wonderfully overwrought guitar solo. 'This is a dream come true,' she tells this jubilant crowd. 'Goodnight!' But it's not goodnight from us just yet – stick around for a load more reviews, pics and more. Updated at 11.13pm BST 11.00pm BST 23:00 Our photographer Alicia Canter has been down in the pit for Olivia Rodrigo and come back with some killer shots. 10.55pm BST 22:55 Ben Beaumont-Thomas Ooh, it's my fave Olivia song, Deja Vu. It sits right in the heart of the Venn diagram of her songwriting – bit of bruised heartbreak, bit of guitar bite, bit of dream-pop – and it's about such a specific horrifying situation: seeing your ex playing through the same cute things you did together, this time with a new partner. Which has the effect of retroactively cancelling them out for you and making you think: wait, who had they already done them with before me? And it's a dilemma that you might not have come across pre social media, but now romances are played out in public, these new weird horrors seep into culture. It's an example of how Rodrigo, not even out of her teens when she recorded this, is so perceptive about affairs of the heart. Updated at 10.56pm BST 10.47pm BST 22:47 Ben Beaumont-Thomas Jorja Smith is raving up a storm and doing some oo-a oo-a's, while Overmono have hit a relatively lower tempo zone, running through some tech-y reggaeton. And the Prodigy are keeping everything 100. 'We are the noise makers,' Maxim promises. 'Anyone brings as much noise as this? I'll retire … We're waking up the whole of England!' They build up Smack My Bitch Up from its constituent parts, adding gigantic cock-rock riffs on the way to that gleefully obnoxious vocal hook – demurely covered over for the BBC but with the crowd emphatically filling in. More pics from our Jonny here: Updated at 10.49pm BST 10.41pm BST 22:41 Ben Beaumont-Thomas Like Noah Kahan before her, Olivia is doing some shameless courting of us Brits. 'I love England so fucking much,' she says. 'It's bands like the Cure that first got me acquainted with England … I have so many things I love about England, I love pop culture, I love how nobody judges you for having a pint at noon, it's the best. I love English sweets, all the sweets from M&S, Colin the Caterpillar specifically.' Invoking Colin genuinely makes English people giddy. Pray continue. 'True story: I have had three sticky toffee puddings since coming to Glastonbury. And as luck would have it, I love English boys.' It's all teeing up So American, made from the inside jokes she had with an English lover. Updated at 10.45pm BST 10.29pm BST 22:29 Ben Beaumont-Thomas The special guests are coming out. With the Maccabees up on the Park – which I'm basically ignoring because life is too short – it's Florence Welch. AJ Tracey has come back out to join Jorja Smith. And with Olivia Rodrigo, it's Robert Smith from the Cure. 'He is perhaps the best songwriter to come out of England, he is a Glastonbury legend and a personal hero of mine,' she says. They launch into a sweet-natured and extra-melancholy duet of Friday I'm in Love, trading lines back and forth. Then they join together in a wonderful pairing for the climactic chorus, their voices so totally different and yet chiming together. 'The dads chaperoning 13 year old daughters properly doing their nut near us hahahaha', Alexis Petridis texts to me. Robert sticks around for another one: Just Like Heaven, in which he takes the lead on verse one, with Olivia taking verse two – she's more doleful and wary than the more romantic and caution-throwing Robert. The way they bring out new and different shades to these songs is one of the greatest treats of this year's festival. Updated at 10.37pm BST 10.28pm BST 22:28 Ben Beaumont-Thomas Olivia Rodrigo is just 22 years old, by the way – which puts her way up the league table of youngest headliners. Billie Eilish was just 20 when she did her own set in 2022, though as Ash reminded us during their set this weekend, actually it was them who were the very youngest when they were drafted in to replace Steve Winwood in 1997. Updated at 10.48pm BST
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Streeting condemns anti-IDF chants at Glastonbury but says ‘Israel should get its own house in order'
Chants of death to the Israeli military at Glastonbury were 'appalling' and the BBC and the festival have questions to answer, Wes Streeting has said, while adding that Israel needs to 'get its own house in order'. The health secretary said the chanting should not have been broadcast to those watching at home, highlighting that Israelis at a similar music festival were kidnapped, murdered and raped. 'I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens,' he told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News. 'But I also think it's a pretty shameless publicity stunt, which I don't really want to give too much indulgence to for that reason.' He also had strong words for Israel, which has condemned the chanting. Streeting said what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe in the territory and the fact that Israeli settlers attacked a Christian village in the West Bank this week. 'All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a state in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team,' he said. Asked about the Israel embassy's response to the chants at Glastonbury, he said: 'Well, I'd say sort of two things in response to those words from the Israeli embassy. Firstly, I do think that if I take the equivalent of the war in Ukraine, I'm unequivocal about which side of that war I'm on. I want Ukraine to win. Would I be celebrating or chanting for the death of Russian soldiers? No, I want to see an end to the war, and I want to see an end to the conflict. 'I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank. So, you know, I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy I take seriously. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously.' Police are examining videos of comments made by the acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury as the festival enters its third day. On Saturday the rapper Bobby Vylan, of the rap punk duo Bob Vylan, led crowds at the festival's West Holts stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]'. Describing himself as a 'violent punk', he said: 'Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that's the only language some people speak, unfortunately.' Glastonbury organisers said on Sunday that the act had crossed a line. 'With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs,' the festival said in a statement. 'However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' Bob Vylan performed before the Irish rap trio Kneecap, who called on fans to show up at Westminster magistrates to support the band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, who was charged with a terrorism offence for holding a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Ó hAnnaidh told the crowd on Saturday: 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man!' He added: 'If anybody falls down, you've got to pick them up. We've got to keep each other safe.' He thanked the Eavis family, the festival's organisers, for 'holding strong' and allowing their performance to go ahead. Avon and Somerset police said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury festival this afternoon. Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.' The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury festival'. A statement on X said: 'Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy. But when speech crosses into incitement, hatred, and advocacy of ethnic cleansing, it must be called out – especially when amplified by public figures on prominent platforms. 'Chants such as 'Death to the IDF,' and 'From the river to the sea' are slogans that advocate for the dismantling of the state of Israel and implicitly call for the elimination of Jewish self-determination. When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence. 'We call on Glastonbury festival organisers, artists, and public leaders in the UK to denounce this rhetoric and reject of all forms of hatred.' Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative party leader, called the scenes 'grotesque', and said: 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The west is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked.' Asked about the controversy ahead of Kneecap's performance on Wednesday, Emily Eavis said: 'There have been a lot of really heated topics this year, but we remain a platform for many, many artists from all over the world and, you know, everyone is welcome here.'
