Noel Gallagher’s recent comments about this year’s Glastonbury festival being too “woke” have not exactly gone down well.
The former Oasis singer – who has twice headlined on Glastonbury’s iconic Pyramid Stage – recently shared his take on the music event during an interview with The Sun.
“Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love Glastonbury,” Noel told the tabloid.
“I think it’s one of the most important things. In fact it’s probably the best fucking thing about Britain apart from the Premier League.”
However, Noel went on to say that, in his view, Glastonbury is “getting a bit woke now”.
“That place [is getting] a bit kind of preachy and a bit virtue-signalling,” he shared. “I don’t like it in music — little fucking idiots waving flags around and making political statements and bands taking the stage and saying, ‘Hey guys, isn’t war terrible, yeah? Let’s all boo war. Fuck the Tories man,’ and all that.
“It’s like, look — play your fucking tunes and get off.”
As Noel’s comments became more widely spread online, people on X (formerly Twitter) began sharing their rebuttals, with many pointing out Glastonbury’s long history with protest and political statements…
Criticising Glastonbury for being a bit woke is like complaining that Man City are a bit too northern https://t.co/BSEyOhBdDy
— Jon Hillcock (@jonhillcock) July 5, 2024
Yeah because Glastonbury has never been full of idealistic young people expressing their political and ethical beliefs before, and musicians have never expressed their politics through their music. He’s probably never heard of CND. Pillock https://t.co/uH1OpMdG37
— Nooruddean (@BeardedGenius) July 6, 2024
I see pic.twitter.com/9lRqyAqPNC
— uncle Monstrous Carb (@lowerformofwit) July 6, 2024
Glastonbury famously has never had flags before
— Joe Akroyd (@joe_akroyd) July 5, 2024
the same flags waving around during his performance in 2022 pic.twitter.com/8luH7L1UK0
— rice (@befaffle) July 5, 2024
Using "woke" as a pejorative term is the style of the right-wing, the reactionary and the mentally lazy. Which of those are you, sunshine? https://t.co/kHKanKZvUx
— Mike Scott (@MickPuck) July 5, 2024
middle aged men throwing the word woke around constantly is the most jarring thing ever
— rach (@rachlovessmusic) July 5, 2024
like noel i love your music but actually shut the fuck up. https://t.co/xS5o5JRHm5
Of course he had to say something derogatory and negative about Glastonbury and its crowd. He never sez anything positive about anything or anyone except himself (and U2, oddly?)
— Keir (@Keirgray) July 5, 2024
Can’t stop laughing at Noel Gallagher only now realising that Glastonbury is politically left wing. https://t.co/CFouGYAnAJ
— Harriet Warnock She/Her (@HarrietWarnock) July 6, 2024
Noel Gallagher is either terminally thick or trying to get attention, because Glastonbury has always been ‘woke’. I went for the first time in 2004 when Oasis played. It’s not subtle about what politics you can expect there. Why is he mad about it now?
— Lotte (@kankurette) July 7, 2024
I love you but please turn off your phone and give me a dall. I cannot support hate. Please stop this. I know this isn’t your heart. https://t.co/BCEUhBrVen
— adam/matty ???? (@mysillywayz) July 5, 2024
The Lee Anderson of rock
— Sean (@shornKOOMINS) July 5, 2024
Says he criticises musicians who go political. Sir you spent the 90’s jumping on the back of the Tony Blair bandwagon https://t.co/FDbwSJsb7G
— jimbo (@cricketjim1) July 6, 2024
There’s something blatantly hypocritical when a man who waved the union flag around via his guitar and schmoozed with the PM at No10 says keep politics out of music. https://t.co/GgOE8k8dh8
— ЯoЬ J૯ωɿէէ ❄️????✊ (@rob_jewitt) July 5, 2024
Back when I was a kid Glastonbury was headlined by Roy Chubby Brown, Jethro and Ben Shapiro. Now it's all Coldplay, Paul McCartney and Shania Twain. https://t.co/8UaAR6l5MN
— Sooz Kempner is doing Edinburgh and then a tour (@SoozUK) July 6, 2024
Glastonbury was headlined by Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA this year, with Shania Twain in the Sunday afternoon “Legends” slot.
This year’s event featured numerous political statements, perhaps most notably during Idles’ set, when the artist and activist Banksy put together a stunt which saw an inflatable boat filled with dummies intended to represent migrants was passed around the crowd.
