What an iconic moment.
US pop star Olivia Rodrigo brought Lily Allen on stage at Glastonbury to dedicate the song ‘F*** You’ to members of the Supreme Court who just enabled US states to ban access to abortion.
The 19-year-old performance at the festival’s Other Stage on Saturday – the day after the Roe v Wade abortion law in the US was overturned, which will give individual states the right to ban abortion access. At least 25 states are now poised to introduce new laws, or reactivate old ones, making it illegal to access abortion. In some instances, this could include where the baby was conceived as a result of rape or incest.
Reacting to the news in what became an inspiring first performance at Glastonbury Festival, Rodrigo said: “I’m devastated and terrified. So many women and so many girls are going to die because of this. I wanted to dedicate this next song to the five members of the Supreme Court who have showed us that at the end of the day, they truly don’t give a shit about freedom. The song is for the justices: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you.”
“We hate you,” Lily Allen agreed alongside her.
The pair were met with a roar from the crowd as they started performing Allen’s 2009 hit. Thousands erupted as they chanted ‘F*** You’ in unison during the chorus.
It comes after Billie Eilish described Friday as “a dark day for women in America” during her headline set on Friday, in which the 20-year-old became the youngest artist to ever headline Glastonbury.
“I can’t bear to think about it,” she said to the crowd.
Leading the crowd to chant agains the court in her set, US star Phoebe Bridgers said: “Fuck America and all these irrelevant old motherfuckers trying to tell us what to do with our fucking bodies.”
Skunk Anise and Idles also blasted the news during their performances at Worthy Farm.
You can watch the iconic ‘F*** You’ moment at Glastonbury here (but just so you know, it contains very strong language):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fpc40dmPlVM&ab_channel=BBCMusic
