Music icon Neil Young has pulled out of Glastonbury Festival 2025 after claiming it has lost its identity and is now under “corporate” control.
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter, widely considered one of the greatest and most influential to have ever lived, was due to play the festival as one of the legends named on this year’s lineup.
However, despite lots of excitement around the veteran being given the nod over others from what has largely been seen as a pop-leaning pool (at least according to the detractors) in recent years, Young has now decided to drop out of the festival.
Neil Young’s latest ‘NYA Times Contrarian’ post explains the decision to drop out of Glastonbury.Neil Young in 2023 Credit: Screenshot (via Neil Young website)/Per Ole Hagen (via Flickr)
“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all-time favourite outdoor gigs”, it reads. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in.”
For context, the BBC has been partnered with Glasto since way back in 1997 and Neil Young has already headlined the festival back in 2009, so this shouldn’t exactly come as a surprise.
“It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. Thanks for coming to us the last time!”, he continues. “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.”
The message concludes with him hoping to catch fans at other venues and a simple “LOVE Neil – Be well”, but the tenor of the somewhat abrupt update is that the ever-opinionated and long-celebrated protest song-writer clearly believes the BBC‘s influence over the festival has now grown too strong.
Known not only as ‘Shakey’ and the ‘Godfather of Grunge’ but as one of the pioneering anti-establishment figures of a generation, the Canadian was previously in the headlines for demanding Spotify remove his music after taking issue with Joe Rogan’s anti-vax messaging on his show.
All that to say, the solo artist co-founding member of supergroup, Buffalo Springfield, is no stranger to taking on big business and companies if he feels he has good reason. Meanwhile, Rod Stewart will be performing in the coveted ‘Legends’ headliner slot at teatime on Sunday, 29 June.
Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts are looking set for a European tour this summer but if he’s taking on corporations and concerts under umbrella control, it seems unlikely we’ll see him at too many festivals or the likes of Co-op Live.
The better question is: do you agree – has Glastonbury Festival become too corporate and sanitised, or do you think it still upholds the same core values it had when it first popped up on Worthy Farm in 1970?
Featured Images — Ross Belot (via Flickr)/The Manc Group
Audio
A new music showcase is taking place at a beautiful and historic Stockport venue
Danny Jones
A new live showcase is coming to Stockport town centre as part of a wider music, art and cultural celebration next month.
And by new, we mean the artists; if you went to the last edition, you’ll know it delivers some serious talent.
Teaming up with the likes of Manchester-based music magazine and promoters, The Rodeo, as well as ticketing platform Skiddle, Stockport is set to welcome the return of Mercury Climbing Festival.
This week-long celebration of music, art and culture around parts of the Greater Manchester borough’s historic old town, and there are some exciting names on board already.
As for Mercury Climbing 2025 itself, the multi-day festival spread across several locations boasts the best in native and Northern music, visual arts, and comedy.
Popping up across a total of eight different spaces, including the likes of the brand-new Stockroom, pubs, and headline music venue St Mary’s Church – quietly one of the coolest places we’ve ever seen a gig – you have plenty of reason to be excited about this one.
Speaking of St Mary’s, while artists such as local legends Badly Drawn Boy, Manc indie outfit The Covasettes and Riding The Low – fronted by actor Paddy Considine – are set to play the stunning ceremonial space, The Rodeo is also hosting its own dedicated stage at the church.
Highlighting emerging new talent on Saturday, 20 September, Manchester-based solo indie project Better Joy is set to headline, with Denver County Council (who featured on our Manc artists of the month round-up), Henry Webb-Jenkins, Katie & the Bad Sign, plus more to be announced in support.
The last time we saw a ‘Live at St Mary’s’ event, we can’t stress this enough: it was nothing short of an unforgettable experience.
You don’t get to enjoy a ‘religious’ gig experiences like this often…
Taking place from Friday, 19-26 September, the festival as a whole will transform Stockport’s historic Old Town into a vibrant cultural hub.
And it isn’t just music: there are local food and drink traders getting involved, artwork from the one and only Stanley Chow, as well as plenty of other entertainment.
Above all else, the event is not only steeped in SK and Greater Manchester’s rich heritage, but it’s a great way of supporting new art coming out of the region.
The Rodeo’s St Mary’s stage gets underway from 4pm and is scheduled to finish at 10:30pm, but the wider Mercury Climbing programme is an all-day festival that won’t end until late. You can grab your tickets right HERE.
Royel Otis add second Manchester date due to massive demand
Danny Jones
Australian indie pop group Royel Otis have announced a second Manchester date ahead of their upcoming UK tour due to a huge demand for tickets.
The Aussie duo, who have blown up in the past couple of years with tracks like ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ and two viral covers of Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Cranberries, are due to play a massive Manchester gig later this year.
Set to make their O2 Victoria Warehouse debut this winter, the ‘Sofa King’ singers saw their ticket allocation sell out quicker than you can say ‘Going Kokomo’.
As a result, there was only one thing for it:
Due to demand, @RoyelOtis have just added an extra date at Manchester @O2VicWarehouse in November! 🔥
For anyone still unaware of the rising alt-pop outfit led by frontman Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell (hence the name), they began breaking onto the scene around 2022 after having released a couple of tracks the year prior.
Although they quickly gained support back in their home country, their presence over here and indeed around the world was helped no end after their tripleJ take on ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and stripped-back version of ‘Linger’ for SiriusXM hit the internet.
They even managed to land a feature on EA FC 24 – formerly known as FIFA – and we all know how getting on that soundtrack can transform careers.
Since then, their following has grown exponentially, and the rising double act has booked major festival slots such over the past 12 months or so, playing the likes of Kendal Calling, Glastonbury, as well as Reading and Leeds, just to name a few.
Regardless, fervent fans haven’t seen their clamour disappear, and now the band have announced an extra date at Victoria Warehouse.
Now set to play the venue on Friday AND Saturday, 28-29 November 2025, they will be supported by an opening act with a cool UK connection: Still Blank.
The transatlantic outfit is made up of Jordy is from Hawaii, and Ben, from right here in Manchester; the two come together to make what Stereogum has described as “sullen folk-grunge” – yet more reason for locals to be interested in the gig.
Once again, while the first gig has sold out, you can grab your tickets for Royel Otis’ second Manchester show HERE.
Danny Jones -
2nd January 2025 
