Sir Rod Stewart fans have rushed to the legendary rocker's defence after he bizarrely found himself in the firing line of Irish rap trio Kneecap during their Glastonbury set on Saturday afternoon.
Kneecap delivered a politically charged performance at the festival, leading thousands in chants of "F*** Keir Starmer" from the West Holts stage and drawing massive crowds that forced organisers to close access to the area due to safety concerns.
During their set, band member Mo Chara took aim at Rod Stewart, who is scheduled to perform in the so-called Legend's Slot on Sunday afternoon.
"Anybody going to see Rod Stewart tomorrow?" he asked, prompting a few cheers but a majority of boos from the Palestine flag-waving crowd.
Rod Stewart faced booing from the Glastonbury crowd ahead of his Legend's Slot performance
GETTY
"Oh, why the f*** - did I miss something?" Chara sarcastically responded to the boos. " I mean, the man is older than Israel!”
As laughter emerged from the Kneecap crowd, audience members were urged to "Google it" before the group delivered a parting jibe: "Rod the Prod."
The jibe appeared to reference Stewart's recent endorsement of Nigel Farage and Reform UK. Stewart's comments to The Times had sparked controversy ahead of his Sunday teatime slot.
The 80-year-old singer declared Britain should "give Farage a chance" and criticised Prime Minister Starmer's approach to Brexit.
BBC Glastonbury: Kneecap ridiculed Rod Stewart during their set
GETTY"We're fed up with the Tories. We've got to give Farage a chance. He's coming across well," Stewart told the newspaper.
He claimed Starmer was "all about getting us out of Brexit" and criticised the Labour leader for "cutting off the fishing in Scotland and giving it back to the EU."
The London-born performer, who previously headlined Glastonbury in 2002, acknowledged his wealth meant politics "doesn't really touch me" but insisted he wasn't out of touch.
His endorsement of Reform UK also put him at odds with the festival's typically liberal crowd.
But while crowd members watching Kneecap perform may have found their digs at Sir Rod funny, plenty of music fans at home were far from impressed and flocked to social media to slam the band's jibes.
"F*** off Kneecap, what Rod Stewart said is true. I’m voting Reform, Nigel Farage needs to be the next Prime minister," one particularly perturbed music lover typed on X.
"The same hypocrites who are upset that rod stewart has right leaning views, were the same ones who were saying that kneecap had the right to speak about their political beliefs, you can’t have it both ways lads," a second pointed out.
Elsewhere, a third fumed: "All these people on this platform losing their minds over Rod Stewart supporting Reform and calling for people not to watch him. All the while moaning that the BBC won’t televise Kneecap. Hypocrisy at its finest."
Kneecap's Rod Stewart comments drew quite the response from viewers at home
X
"Still made his name and wealth from his talent and not by being an edgy left wing terrorist sympathiser," a fourth critiqued before a fifth claimed: "So for all their ‘championing of the oppressed’ Kneecap have no problem with ageism."
And another simply hit back at the Irish rap trio: "And had a career that they will never even come close to having."
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However, there was still some support for Kneecap's Stewart putdowns, with one person arguing: "'Rod Stewart is older than Israel' is an all time classic by Kneecap. Not one f*** given by the lads."
Others simply showed their opposition to Stewart by sharing laughing emojis in response to clips of their jibes on social media.
The BBC opted not to livestream Kneecap's set despite providing wall-to-wall coverage of the festival.
Band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18 charged with allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November.
Rod Stewart has urged the public to give Farage 'a chance'
PAPrime Minister Keir Starmer had called the band's inclusion "not appropriate" when asked by The Sun about their festival appearance.
UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the band "thrive on the oxygen of publicity" and stated: "Personally, I don't want to see that on TV screens."
The BBC confirmed the performance would be available on demand later, stating its plans ensure programming meets editorial guidelines.
Kneecap responded on Instagram, calling the broadcaster "the propaganda wing of the regime."
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