As the thousands of fans heading to this year’s Glastonbury Festival debate which bands they want to see most, the BBC is facing a dilemma of its own.
That centers around Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap, who were catapulted to indie darling stardom with the release of their BAFTA-winning semi-autobiographical movie last year but have been generating different kinds of headlines in the newspapers over the past few weeks.
Glastonbury, and longstanding broadcasting partner the BBC, have been feeling the heat over whether they should be platforming the trio, one of whom is currently bailed on a terror charge after displaying a flag at a London gig in support of Hezbollah – a proscribed terrorist group in the UK. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who goes by the name Mo Chara, was supported outside court last week by bandmates and hundreds of fans. This came a few months after counter-terrorism police said they were assessing videos of a bandmember allegedly telling fans at a gig: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.” The alleged remarks are particularly charged given that two UK MPs have been killed in their constituencies over the past decade.
Kneecap have become known for delivering a vehemently anti-authority, pro-Palestine message during live performances. As it stands, they remain on the bill for their Glastonbury slot at 4 p.m. GMT (8 a.m. PT) on the West Holts stage, one of the smaller stages at the annual festival in the South West of England, which is by a distance the UK’s biggest music fest and one of biggest in the world.
As its broadcast partner, the BBC brings audiences wall-to-wall coverage of the fest, with stars shown on linear TV and hundreds of performances available to watch on-demand via iPlayer or heard on the radio.
Coming at an incredibly sensitive time and with some employees revolting over its coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the last thing the corporation’s bosses need is to be accused of platforming bands accused of terrorist sympathy. At this stage, all options appear to remain open.
“Whilst the BBC doesn’t ban artists, our plans will ensure that our programming will meet our editorial guidelines,” said a spokeswoman. “Decisions about our output will be made in the lead up to the festival.”
Those conversations, we understand, are ongoing. Deadline is told that not all Glastonbury performances made available on demand over the years have been streamed live, opening the door to the BBC being able to monitor Kneecap’s performance for anything untoward before uploading their performance to iPlayer, in a similar vein to how the BAFTA awards are shown ‘as live’.
Observers have already been searching for clues as to what might be to come. One person pointed out on X that Kneecap is not mentioned in the BBC’s extensive guide to its Glastonbury coverage across TV and radio.
“As the broadcast partner, the BBC will be bringing audiences extensive music coverage from Glastonbury, with artists booked by the festival organisers,” the spokeswoman added.
“Everyone is welcome here”
Kneecap
IFTA
Deadline understands police and local authorities have been primed to expect right-wing counter protests, a higher risk of terrorist activity and possible violence at the enormous Worthy Farm venue this weekend.
The fest’s decision to keep Kneecap on the bill has been further thrust into the spotlight after criticism from the very top, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the performance is not “appropriate.” We have contacted the Culture, Media and Sport department for comment over whether they feel it is “appropriate” for the BBC to platform Kneecap, and are awaiting response. The department made its displeasure known several weeks back when Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy ordered a review of a government-backed programme supporting emerging musicians after it awarded £15,000 ($20,000) to Kneecap.
Emily Eavis, who organizes Glastonbury and whose dad is the festival’s iconic, bearded founder Michael Eavis, told the BBC this afternoon she is yet to respond to Starmer’s remark directly but “everyone is welcome here.”
“There have been a lot of very heated topics this year but we remain just a platform for many, many artists from all over the world,” she said.
And this isn’t the first time Kneecap has attracted attention around a headline-grabbing festival.
At April’s Coachella, the band’s anti-Israel message was condemned by figures ranging from the Simon Wiesenthal Center to Sharon Osbourne, the latter of whom called for the trio to have their U.S. working visas revoked.
Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, for Kneecap, American viewers will have no platform from which to watch their Glastonbury performance, as the fest is not available to view in the States.
