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.
NEWS
Sabrina Carpenter has secured a restraining order against a man accused of repeatedly trying to gain access to her home.
William Applegate, 31, has been instructed to stay away from the "Espresso" singer for the next five years after allegedly attempting to enter her property on numerous occasions, reportedly more than a dozen times, according to AP. Carpenter's lawyer, Blair Berk, told the court that the pop star was "in fear for her own personal safety and the safety of members of her family" because of Applegate's repeated efforts to reach her Los Angeles residence.
Court documents filed by Carpenter state that Applegate was taken into custody after allegedly assaulting a security guard while approaching the front entrance of her home. When he returned a few days later, the singer successfully obtained a temporary restraining order on May 29.
Applegate acknowledged the incidents involving the property but insisted that Carpenter had wanted him to come to her house. He claimed that he and the singer were involved in a secret military operation that required them to "be together as soon as possible".
He further argued that their meeting was necessary for "national and global security". However, he said he would be "more than willing" to stay away from Carpenter if she personally asked him to do so, alleging that law enforcement and those representing her were preventing direct communication.
In legal papers challenging the restraining order, Applegate alleged that Carpenter attempted to send him a message during her headlining appearance at Coachella by making eye contact with him from the audience. Carpenter, however, described Applegate as "a complete stranger" in her filing and said she has never had any contact with him and has no desire to do so.
Addressing Applegate during the hearing, Judge David L. Wasserman said: "I understand that it's your belief that in order to save the world, you and the petitioner must be together. I expect you to obey the order, not what you think is right, not what you think the military commands you."
In other news, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter recently unveiled the polished music video for their collaboration "Bring Your Love". The track is set to feature on Madonna's forthcoming album, "Confessions II", which is scheduled for release on July 3.
