Idles did not hold back with a politically-charged Glastonbury 2024 set that saw them, among other things, criticise King Charles and get unexpected support from Banksy.
The socially-conscious post-punk rockers, led by frontman Joe Talbot, performed on the Other Stage on Friday (28 June) at the same time Dua Lipa impressed crowds with her headline set over on the Pyramid Stage – despite a sound issue with the BBC broadcast.
While Dua Lipa tore through her pop hits, IDLES performed a rowdy set that included tracks “Colossus”, “Gift Horse” and “Never Fight a Man with a Perm” and is being branded one of the best in the festival’s 52-year history.
In what has become one of the 2024 edition’s first viral moment, Talbot could be seen leading the crowd in a chant of “F*** the king” and, later, a prop appeared in the crowd depicting young refugees in a small boat.
It could be seen being passed around as audience members rocked out to the band’s pro-immigration song “Danny Nedelko”, and it’s since been revealed that the prop, featuring kids wearing life jackets, was provided by enigmatic street artist Banksy.
The morning after the set, it was confirmed that Banksy, whose works make bold political statements, used the band’s set as an opportunity to share the new piece – and that IDLES did not know it was going to happen.
Elsewhere, the band also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and, capping off a disastrous week for the Reform Party, called Nigel Farage a “fascist”.
“THAT is how you send a message,” one fan wrote, adding: “And that is how you f***ing do Glastonbury. Pretty sure that’s the best set I’ve ever seen.”
Another hailed it “legendary. Historic. Momentous. Epic”, asking: “Best set at Glastonbury ever ??????”
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Others said they couldn’t ”get over how good that gig was” while one person wrote on X/Twitter: “This IDLES set is incredible. This is a band going places. Should be headlining the main stage.”
This year’s two other headline acts are Coldplay and SZA, which will occur on Saturday (29 June) and Sunday (30 June).
Follow all the Glastonbury updates as they happen in our live coverage of the festival here.