The Oasis star isn’t having it with the festival’s ‘woke’ politics on stage
Noel Gallagher has taken a swing at Glastonbury Festival, calling it “woke,” “preachy” and “virtue-signalling” in a recent episode of The Matt Morgan Podcast.
The former Oasis guitarist—never one to mince words—unloaded on artists using their stage time for political soapboxing, saying the iconic festival has started to feel more like a protest than a party.
“It’s getting a bit woke now, that place,” Noel said, describing performers waving flags and making political statements mid-set. “Just play your f**king tunes and get off.”
He didn’t stop there. In classic Gallagher fashion, he added, “What’s all the kids in a field at Glastonbury going to do about it? Everybody knows what’s going on in the world. You’ve got a phone in your pocket that tells you anyway.”
His comments have lit up X (formerly Twitter), with fans and festivalgoers divided. Some are calling him “spot on,” while others roll their eyes at the usual Noel-style grumpiness.
So, is Noel out of touch? Well, it depends who you ask.
On one hand, he’s a millionaire in his late 50s who came up during the peak of lad rock, when gigs were more about booze and bravado than banners and speeches. Glastonbury has always had political roots—from anti-nuclear protests to climate activism—but for many younger fans and artists today, music and politics are inseparable.
On the other, there’s a real feeling among some fans that gigs should be a break from the news cycle’s chaos. When stages start feeling like soapboxes, it can pull focus from the music itself. Noel’s blunt message — “donate all your money to the cause, but stop yapping about it” — taps into that wider debate: should music comfort us, confront us, or do a bit of both?
I remember this. Noel Gallagher is more known for being an elite hater than he is for Oasis. https://t.co/WF8ERp27p9
— 𝔹𝕠𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕤𝕙𝕙𝕙… 𝔻𝔸ℕℂ𝔼 (@E_Teezey1286) June 29, 2025
The timing of Noel’s comments is spicy too—Glastonbury organisers just condemned punk duo Bob Vylan for leading a “death to the IDF” chant during their West Holts set, and Irish rap trio Kneecap are under investigation for an X-rated rant about Keir Starmer.
In response, the festival issued a statement: “A performer’s presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions… We are appalled by the statements made… There is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”
Still, in typical Gallagher fashion, he’ll likely keep turning up—just don’t expect him to be waving any flags.
