- Music
- 01 Jul 25
Lankum and Joy Crookes respond to The 1975's "We don't need more politics" comment
"Imagine being able to choose NOT being political," commented London-based singer Joy Crookes
Indie band The 1975 have received considerable backlash for a statement during their Glastonbury set on Friday night, including responses from Dublin band Lankum and singer Joy Crookes.
It was the first time the band headlined at the UK festival. Halfway through their show, frontman Matty Healy addressed the crowd: "Use your platform; that’s what they say, right?"
"People who are watching this may, I don’t know, they might be disappointed at the lack of politics in this show and our forthcoming shows ... because I always know it’s a conscious decision, and we honestly don’t want our legacy to be one of politics," he continued.
"We want it to be that of love and friendship because we and I’m not trying to be too earnest, but you can go out into the world, and there’s loads of politics everywhere."
Healy concluded his speech with the words: "I think we don’t need more politics; we need more love and friendship."
His statement prompted heavy debate online, with multiple artists voicing their irritation.
"Imagine being able to choose NOT being political," commented London-based singer Joy Crookes under an Instagram video by Variety.
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Similarly, Dublin folk group Lankum expressed their rejection of Healy's approach to politics, commenting, "Jesus fucking christ…".
Several other users echoed the sentiment of disappointment:
"Imagine using your platform to say you have nothing to say about anything that doesn't immediately impact you. GET IN THE BIN, MATTY," wrote London comedian Jen Brister.
More commented that Healy was not aware of his "privilege not to engage in politics" and called him "a straight-talking bad boy and a troublemaker when it costs him absolutely nothing".
The 1975's choice to exclude politics from their set stands at odds with other acts of Glastonbury 2025, including Belfast rap group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan, who explicitly politicised their shows.
Avon and Somerset Police have launched a criminal investigation over both Kneecap's and Bob Vylan's performances at the festival on Saturday.
