NEWS
Rod Stewart has urged people to give Nigel Farage “a chance” ahead of his ‘Legends Slot’ at Glastonbury 2025.
The veteran rocker is set to perform on the Pyramid Stage this Sunday (June 29) in the so-called “tea time slot” he previously derided as sounding a bit “pipe and slippers”.
Speaking to The Times ahead of the performance, the ‘Maggie May’ singer asked about the UK’s current political climate, and proposed more people support Reform UK leader Farage.
“It’s hard for me because I’m extremely wealthy, and I deserve to be, so a lot of it doesn’t really touch me. But that doesn’t mean I’m out of touch,” he said. “For instance, I’ve read about [Sir Keir] Starmer cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU. That hasn’t made him popular.”
Revealing a personal connection to Farage, the singer said he wasn’t convinced about the options available to voters, saying: “We’re fed up with the Tories. We’ve got to give Farage a chance. He’s coming across well. What options have we got? I know some of his family, I know his brother, and I quite like him.”
When asked about Farage’s stance on Brexit, Stewart continued: “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.”
As noted by The Independent, his comments appear to contradict those he made back in 2024, when he criticised the politician for claiming the West had provoked Russia into starting the war in Ukraine. He has been an ardent supporter of Ukraine since the conflict began in 2022, even renting out a home for a family of Ukrainian refugees.
As for his upcoming Worthy Farm slot, he previously shared that he was able to persuade festival organisers to extend his set from the usual 75 minutes up to an hour and a half.
While the singer is expected to break out hits like ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?’, he will also be using the Glasto set to reunite with his former Faces bandmate and Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. He confirmed the news last month, and the collaboration will mark their first since they regrouped at the 2020 BRIT Awards to play ‘Stay With Me’.
It also comes as the group have recently recorded “about 11 tracks” for a new album – which will be their first full-length effort in over 50 years when it comes out.
Speaking about his set when it was first announced last year, Stewart shared that while it was “a great honour” to be taking on the slot, “it’s going to cost me a fortune to do it – $300,000 [£222,071].”
“I’ve got to bring all my band back from America, of course Glastonbury don’t pay for that,” he explained. “But I don’t care if it cost me $1million (£789,440), I would have done it.”
So far, Glastonbury has seen a surprise set from Lorde – who performed her new album ‘Virgin’ in full (and scored a five star review in the process), a spunky set from Wet Leg, Lewis Capaldi’s triumphant return for a secret set at the Pyramid Stage, a surprise appearance by Peter Capaldi at Franz Ferdinand’s set and more.
The weekend continues with Charli XCX, Deftones, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, The Prodigy, Rod Stewart and many more. Check out the full line-up and schedule here.
Check back at NME here for the latest news, reviews, interviews, photos and more from Glastonbury 2025.
Not for the first time, Moby is speaking out against Donald Trump’s administration with clear frustration.
“The U.S. is collapsing under a deeply corrupt and shockingly ineffective administration,” the longtime electronic musician shared on social media. “These are unbelievably dark times.”
Moby went deeper into his thoughts through a video message, where he explained that people outside the United States keep asking Americans what is actually happening in the country.
“So many of my friends outside the United States keep asking me, ‘what the hell is happening over there?’ And honestly, we don’t even know,” he said. “The country is being controlled by one of the most corrupt, dangerous and incompetent administrations imaginable. Nobody fully understands what’s happening right now. These are very dark times in America.”
Moby joins a growing list of artists publicly criticizing Trump and MAGA politics, including Bruce Springsteen, Jack White, Eminem and Billie Eilish.
Earlier this year, Moby uploaded another statement to social media where he addressed how people should respond following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE agents in Minneapolis. “The real question isn’t whether people should feel horrified or outraged by what’s happening in the United States,” Moby explained in the Jan. 26 clip. “The question is what are we actually going to do about it?”
The musician and activist also encouraged people to protest, saying demonstrations are a constitutional right and something he believes Trump’s administration is attempting to weaken.
In the end, he urged people to vote regularly, “not only during the upcoming midterms, even though those matter, but also in every special election throughout the year.” He also encouraged supporters to “stop giving money to the scumbag corporations backing Trump and ICE. We all know who they are. Boycott them.”
His newest remarks arrive as the U.S. Justice Department unveils a nearly $1.8 billion compensation fund for Trump allies who claim they were unfairly investigated. At the same time, the Strait of Hormuz remains shut down following military action launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran in late February without approval from Congress, leading to rising gas prices across the globe.
Throughout his independent music career, Moby has earned 10 entries on the Billboard 200 along with two songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and an enormous catalog of sync placements. Overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom, he is viewed as one of the defining artists of his era. He scored two No. 1 albums there with Play from 1999 and 18 from 2002, alongside 18 top 40 singles and two nominations for Best International Male at the BRIT Awards.
Check out Moby’s newest social media post below.
