Helen From Wales: Kneecap respond to fan who streamed their entire Glastonbury set amid BBC ban
Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap have responded to a fan who streamed their Glastonbury Festival set live on TikTok after the BBC confirmed last minute that they would not show the performance live.
In a statement, shared with Far Out, the BBC 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.”
Kneecap hit out at the BBC for this. After news that their set would only be available on demand, they described the broadcaster as “the propaganda wing of the regime”. This version will be condensed and scrubbed of most political messaging.
The BBC’s decision comes after mounting pressure from high-ranking politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called upon Glastonbury to remove Kneecap from its lineup, claiming they were “not appropriate”.
Despite the BBC’s best efforts, they appeared to have one blind spot: Helen Wilson from Wales. The festival attendee was near the front of the crowd and filmed the whole set live on TikTok. The stream amassed more than two million views from those watching at home. Wilson even sustained minor burn injuries on her fingers from holding up the device in the heat.
In a reply to a clip shared on her TikTok, the band expressed gratitude for her efforts, writing: “Helen, you’re a legend! Tickets to any show—just give me a shout! Grma.”
Wilson replied, “I cannot believe this. Thank you so much for everything you do and stand for.”
Only several hours after the set, it was announced that a police probe would be launched into the show, as well as the preceding slot performed by punk duo Bob Vylan. During the punk band’s performance, they slammed the BBC with statements displayed on the screen behind the frontman, such as “The United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a conflict.”
The frontman also led the crowd through chants such as “Free Palestine” and “Death to the IDF.”
Friday night at Glastonbury saw The 1975 headline the Pyramid Stage and Loyle Carner headline the Other Stage. On Saturday night, Charli XCX, Neil Young, Scissor Sisters and Doechii headlined each of the main stages. On Sunday, Olivia Rodrigo will close the weekend.
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