It would have been Tony Blair’s dream come true, wouldn’t it? The one time peacocking frontman of Oxford student band, Ugly Rumours, slinging on a black Stratocaster and giving his best version of D:Ream’s Things Can Only Get Better to thousands of screaming fans. And yet, while Blair’s current role as a speaker for hire does see him playing highly lucrative gigs around the world (albeit to adoring despots), it is current Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who will be appearing at Glasto this summer; set to speak at the festival following an invite from Billy Bragg. Joined by shadow chancellor John McDonnell, their appearance on the Left Field stage is expected to focus on the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament as opposed to an imminent album release, and continues in the rich, left-leaning tradition of the festival.
“The election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader has galvanised a new generation of activists, and this year at Left Field we aim to give them a platform to discuss issues around social justice, the economy, gender and the possibilities for genuine change under a Corbyn government,” said Bragg in a statement on the Glastonbury website. Perhaps David Cameron will bag himself a slot at pal Alex James’ annual cheese festival in the Cotswolds too?
Credits
Text Matthew Whitehouse
Photography via Wikicommons