
Rod Stewart branded ‘grotesque' amid support for Reform UK
'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.'
Sir Rod's comments come ahead of his Glastonbury Legends set on Sunday, June 29 and has sparked debate amongst his fans on social media.
Sir Rod Stewart branded 'grotesque' amid Farage comments
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one fan of Sir Rod wrote: 'To agree that Farage needs a chance is grotesque.'
Another comment on X read: 'Stupid thing to say' as a third wrote: 'Rod Stewart has come out for Farage? Oh mate.'
One more X user said they disagree with Sir Rod's comments but still respect the singer: 'No not giving Farage a chance, but respect what Rod Stewart has done and his career.'
In the interview with The Times, Sir Rod admitted that his wealth ensures 'a lot of it doesn't really touch me'.
Insisting that 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.
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'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'.
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 Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Rod Stewart's 'horrible' complaint about Glastonbury set as he makes 'demand'
Rod Stewart is set to play the Sunday 'legends' slot at Glastonbury this Sunday, with the Maggie May hitmaker recently opening up about his concerns ahead of the performance Iconic singer Sir Rod Stewart has candidly expressed his distaste for one particular aspect of his highly anticipated performance at Glastonbury, while also revealing a specific request he's made. In a special Glastonbury edition of the BBC Sidetracked podcast with Annie Macmanus and Nick Grimshaw, the 'Maggie May' singer discussed his upcoming gig on the festival's renowned Pyramid Stage. Having previously graced the stage in 2002 with Coldplay and Stereophonics, Rod is set to take on the Sunday 'legends' slot at Worthy Farm, following in the footsteps of music greats like Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, and Kylie Minogue. When asked about his thoughts on being labelled a "legend", Rod admitted he's comfortable with the term, saying: "I don't mind. I obviously think I deserve it. I just wish they wouldn't call it the teatime slot." Rod continued to explain why he wasn't keen on the traditional name given to his performance time, which Annie agreed sounded "old", before the musician himself branded the label "horrible". Discussing his preparation for the show, Rod revealed: "We're working on the set list, but not too hard. I wanna try and treat it like any other game, you know, although it's not; it's Glastonbury." He further disclosed his insistence on extending his stage time, explaining: "But I've only got an hour had an hour and 15, and I demanded an hour and a half because I many songs. You know, obviously, this'll be the last time I do it." Rod says he'll have a few drinks prior to his Glastonbury performance to take the edge off. He shared that, instead of trying to be perfect, he'll focus on enjoying himself on stage: "So, I want it to be memorable, but I'm just gonna go in, have a few drinks before I go on and enjoy myself like I've always done all my life." Meanwhile, Rod's wife Penny Lancaster has spoken candidly about her concerns for her husband, admitting that recent losses in his family have led him to reflect on his own life and consider how long he's got left. However, the famous singer continues to keep her on her toes. During an appearance on the 'We're Not Getting Any Younger' podcast, Penny answered a question about whether Rod still made her feel young, saying: "He does, he does." She also mused: "My thought with Rod, the way I kind of describe him, you know when you get to 80, I guess there's a lot of reflection, there's more to look back on than there is to look forward, and he's wondering to himself, he's lost his two brothers, maybe 'How long have I got?'". Alongside the preparations for his highly anticipated Glastonbury performance, Rod has also vowed to set a new 100m record for over 80-year-olds, sharing in Men's Health that he had already achieved an impressive 19 seconds and hoped to shave it down to 17 seconds, in a bid to top Kenton Brown's October 2024 record of 14.21 seconds.


Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Rod Stewart: From busking in the 1960s to starring at Glastonbury
The 80-year-old will appear at Worthy Farm in the Sunday tea time legends slot, where he is expected to reunite with Faces and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. Faces drummer Kenney Jones also hinted to the PA news agency earlier this year that he may join the pair. Ronnie Wood will join Sir Rod for the performance (Peter Byrne/PA) Faces Beginning from the ashes of the disbanded Small Faces in 1969, Sir Rod and Wood joined up with the broken-up band's keyboard player Ian McLagen, drummer Jones and bass player and singer Ronnie Lane, when Small Faces singer and guitarist Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie. Their first two albums First Step (1970), which still carried the old Small Faces name in the US upon its release, and Long Player (1971) saw limited commercial success, but A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse, also released in 1971, sent them to number two in the UK albums chart. The single Stay With Me, taken from the band's third LP, peaked at number six in the UK charts and has gone on to become one of Sir Rod's best-known songs, regularly performed at his concerts. Rod Stewart performing in 2001 (PA) Fourth album Ooh La La (1973) saw lead single Cindy Incidentally reach number two on the UK singles chart, while standalone single Pool Hall Richard also reached the top 10 in the same year. It was followed up with the single You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A Walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings), which reached number 12, but would be the last released by the band before they broke-up in 1975. Sir Rod's bandmates also backed him on his solo records released between 1969 and 1974, playing on his earliest number one singles Maggie May and You Wear It Well. Since their break-up, surviving original members Sir Rod, Wood and Jones have reunited to perform on a number of occasions, the most recent coming at the Brit Awards in 2020. The band are strongly rumoured to be releasing a new album next year. Sir Rod's career outside of the band Prior to joining the Faces, Sir Rod started out as a folk singer busking on the streets of London with Wizz Jones and went on to appear in a number of bands during the mid-1960s, before first coming to public attention as the singer in The Jeff Beck Group. The band, formed in 1967 after Beck left The Yardbirds, where he first played with Wood, released the albums Truth and Beck-Ola. While he was in the Faces, the singer sang guest vocals for the Australian group Python Lee Jackson on In A Broken Dream, initially released in 1970. Sir Rod released his first five solo albums while still a member of the Faces, continuing the rock and roll and folk sounds the band explored, before venturing into pop with 1975's Atlantic Crossing. Sir Rod Stewart and Jools Holland pose with their Official Number 1 Album Award from Official Charts for Swing Fever (Official Charts Company/PA) The album featured top 10 singles Sailing and a cover of The Isley Brothers' This Old Heart Of Mine, with the former reaching number one in the UK singles chart. The singer has gone on to release 32 solo studio LPs, producing number ones such as Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Baby Jane and the double a-side of I Don't Want To Talk About It and The First Cut Is The Deepest. He most recently released the album Swing Fever with pianist and TV presenter Jools Holland last year, a collection of classic songs from the big band era such as Frankie And Johnny, Good Rockin' Tonight and Pennies From Heaven. What has Sir Rod been doing lately? Ahead of the release of Swing Fever, Sir Rod and Holland made a surprise appearance at St Pancras International station to perform at its piano, and is slated to embark on a tour of 'intimate' venues next year in support of the record. In a statement on Instagram, Sir Rod announced he would end 'large-scale world tours' after 2025, when his US tour ends on August 15 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St Louis, Missouri, but ruled out retiring any time soon. On January 10, Sir Rod celebrated his 80th birthday with wife Penny Lancaster, who he married in 2007, and their children. He was recently awarded the lifetime achievement award at the American Music Awards (AMAs), where he was presented with the award by five of his children. What will he play? With Wood and possibly Jones in tow, fans should expect some classic Faces hits such as Stay With Me, Cindy Incidentally and Pool Hall Richard, with the possibility of a few fan favourites such as Too Bad, That's All You Need and Three Button Hand Me Down. It is almost certain that mega hits such as Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Hot Legs will get an airing, however the Faces reunion may ensure Sir Rod sticks to his pre-1975 material. Previous Glastonbury performance Sir Rod previously performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2002, where he opened with his cover of Handbags And Gladrags, before going on to delve into the Faces catalogue with Ooh La La and Stay With Me, and perform covers of songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Van Morrison and Tim Hardin. He also played some of his biggest hits, Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Baby Jane and Young Turks, before finishing with a singalong performance of Sailing.


Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Rod Stewart: From busking in the 1960s to starring at Glastonbury
From starting as a busker on the streets of London with guitarist Wizz Jones in the early 1960s and rising to fame as the lead singer of the Faces, Sir Rod Stewart arrives at Glastonbury at the latter stage of a stellar career. The 80-year-old will appear at Worthy Farm in the Sunday tea time legends slot, where he is expected to reunite with Faces and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. Faces drummer Kenney Jones also hinted to the PA news agency earlier this year that he may join the pair. Faces Beginning from the ashes of the disbanded Small Faces in 1969, Sir Rod and Wood joined up with the broken-up band's keyboard player Ian McLagen, drummer Jones and bass player and singer Ronnie Lane, when Small Faces singer and guitarist Steve Marriott formed Humble Pie. Their first two albums First Step (1970), which still carried the old Small Faces name in the US upon its release, and Long Player (1971) saw limited commercial success, but A Nod Is As Good As A Wink… To A Blind Horse, also released in 1971, sent them to number two in the UK albums chart. The single Stay With Me, taken from the band's third LP, peaked at number six in the UK charts and has gone on to become one of Sir Rod's best-known songs, regularly performed at his concerts. Fourth album Ooh La La (1973) saw lead single Cindy Incidentally reach number two on the UK singles chart, while standalone single Pool Hall Richard also reached the top 10 in the same year. It was followed up with the single You Can Make Me Dance, Sing Or Anything (Even Take The Dog For A Walk, Mend A Fuse, Fold Away The Ironing Board, Or Any Other Domestic Shortcomings), which reached number 12, but would be the last released by the band before they broke-up in 1975. Sir Rod's bandmates also backed him on his solo records released between 1969 and 1974, playing on his earliest number one singles Maggie May and You Wear It Well. Since their break-up, surviving original members Sir Rod, Wood and Jones have reunited to perform on a number of occasions, the most recent coming at the Brit Awards in 2020. The band are strongly rumoured to be releasing a new album next year. Sir Rod's career outside of the band Prior to joining the Faces, Sir Rod started out as a folk singer busking on the streets of London with Wizz Jones and went on to appear in a number of bands during the mid-1960s, before first coming to public attention as the singer in The Jeff Beck Group. The band, formed in 1967 after Beck left The Yardbirds, where he first played with Wood, released the albums Truth and Beck-Ola. While he was in the Faces, the singer sang guest vocals for the Australian group Python Lee Jackson on In A Broken Dream, initially released in 1970. Sir Rod released his first five solo albums while still a member of the Faces, continuing the rock and roll and folk sounds the band explored, before venturing into pop with 1975's Atlantic Crossing. The album featured top 10 singles Sailing and a cover of The Isley Brothers' This Old Heart Of Mine, with the former reaching number one in the UK singles chart. The singer has gone on to release 32 solo studio LPs, producing number ones such as Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Baby Jane and the double a-side of I Don't Want To Talk About It and The First Cut Is The Deepest. He most recently released the album Swing Fever with pianist and TV presenter Jools Holland last year, a collection of classic songs from the big band era such as Frankie And Johnny, Good Rockin' Tonight and Pennies From Heaven. What has Sir Rod been doing lately? Ahead of the release of Swing Fever, Sir Rod and Holland made a surprise appearance at St Pancras International station to perform at its piano, and is slated to embark on a tour of 'intimate' venues next year in support of the record. In a statement on Instagram, Sir Rod announced he would end 'large-scale world tours' after 2025, when his US tour ends on August 15 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St Louis, Missouri, but ruled out retiring any time soon. On January 10, Sir Rod celebrated his 80th birthday with wife Penny Lancaster, who he married in 2007, and their children. He was recently awarded the lifetime achievement award at the American Music Awards (AMAs), where he was presented with the award by five of his children. What will he play? With Wood and possibly Jones in tow, fans should expect some classic Faces hits such as Stay With Me, Cindy Incidentally and Pool Hall Richard, with the possibility of a few fan favourites such as Too Bad, That's All You Need and Three Button Hand Me Down. It is almost certain that mega hits such as Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Hot Legs will get an airing, however the Faces reunion may ensure Sir Rod sticks to his pre-1975 material. Previous Glastonbury performance Sir Rod previously performed on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2002, where he opened with his cover of Handbags And Gladrags, before going on to delve into the Faces catalogue with Ooh La La and Stay With Me, and perform covers of songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Van Morrison and Tim Hardin.