Noel Gallagher Says Glastonbury’s Gone Woke — But Has He Missed the Point?

Noel Gallagher has once again picked up the mic — not to sing, but to slap Glastonbury with a big, fat eye-roll.

In a recent podcast appearance, the former Oasis guitarist branded the iconic festival “a bit woke now,” accusing acts of turning their sets into “virtue-signalling soapboxes” rather than just playing the hits and pissing off.

“It’s getting a bit preachy,” he said. “Little f**king idiots waving flags around and making political statements… ‘Fk the Tories, man.’ It’s like, look – play your f**king tunes and get off.”

Right. Because in Gallagher’s utopia, music should apparently exist in a vacuum. Never mind that Glasto’s been politically charged since the CND days. Never mind that punk, rock, and rave scenes have always been born from rebellion. And never mind that the guy who once penned “Don’t Look Back in Anger” can’t help but look back in exactly that.

To be fair, Gallagher’s not wrong in thinking that preaching to a field of 200,000 might not change the world overnight. But his suggestion — that musicians should “donate all your money to the cause” and “stop yapping” — lands like the ramblings of a rich man who forgot where he came from.

This year’s Glastonbury has been anything but apolitical. From Kneecap flipping the bird at Keir Starmer, to Bob Vylan leading furious chants, to Lorde unveiling songs about gender identity and body image — the spirit of protest is very much alive. And clearly making some people uncomfortable.

The question is: when artists use their biggest platform to speak out — whether it’s about Gaza, climate change, or trans rights — is that “virtue-signalling,” or just giving a damn?

Gallagher’s take might resonate with those sick of slogans and speeches. But to tell artists to “shut up and play” is to miss the point of what makes Glastonbury magic — the clash of noise, politics, joy, and righteous anger under a Somerset sky.