Glastonbury 2024: Idles declare support for the “people of Palestine”
During their headline set on The Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival, Idles showed support to the Palestinian population by dedicating ‘I’m Scum’ to its citizens.
Since the Hamas attacks on October 7th, millions have been displaced from their homes in Palestine as Israel wages war on its neighbours. According to Al Jazeera, over 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in recent months as the conflict in the Middle East has escalated, leaving Gaza destroyed and its people seeking refuge.
Although Idles have been accused of staying silent on the matter, they have been vocal at live concerts, and made show to show support for Palestinians. Earlier this year, singer Joe Talbot said during a launch show for their latest album Tangk in Brixton before they played hit song ‘Mother’ from debut album Brutalism: “I know deep within my heart, that if she was alive today, she would want me to say: ‘Long live Palestine’.”
Now, at the biggest show of their career, Idles have stayed true to the political message at the heart of their early work and used their platform to highlight the ongoing terror in Palestine.
Before playing ‘Mother’ from their first album, Talbot explained the meaning behind the deeply personal song to the crowd, stating, “This song is a celebration of all the insults that I was thrown over the years, and I tried to turn it into something beautiful.”
He continued: “Just as I did when I needed to take a turn in my life to stop the drugs and the crime, I turned to my friends behind me and they carried me. We make music, and it carried us here and you in turn, saved us. This is for the people of Palestine and this is for you. Any scumbags in the audience?”
Elsewhere, during their set, Talbot shared his thoughts about the Monarchy in the United Kingdom by leading the crowd through a chant of ‘Fuck The King’, which had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hands, even if it was to the displeasure of Daily Mail readers.
Furthermore, at the end of the set, the screen behind Idles displayed a simple message, stating, ‘Ceasefire Now’, as the Bristol band called for the conflict in the Middle East to end.
Talbot isn’t the only artist to have used The Other Stage as a vessel to express support for Palestine. Earlier in the day, Blur frontman Damon Albarn joined Bombay Bicycle Club to deliver the first major political message of Glastonbury Festival.
Addressing the crowd following a performance of ‘Heaven’, the former Blur man took a moment to state: “Three things, and you have to show me how you feel about them: Palestine. Are you pro-Palestine? Do you feel that’s an unfair war? Okay,“ he said as his questions were met with resounding affirmative cheers.
He then continued: “The importance of voting next week? Now, I don’t blame you for being ambivalent about that, but it’s still really important. And thirdly, maybe it is time we stopped putting octogenarians in control of the whole world.“
Glastonbury Festival runs from June 26th until June 30th, and Far Out is on the ground at Worthy Farm to provide coverage directly. This year’s event is headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA.
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