Glastonbury stage
Speech from Labour leader
JEREMY Corbyn took to the main stage at Glastonbury yesterday — a couple of days after a secret gig by two Northumberland lads helped kicked off the huge musical party.
The Labour leader appeared at the Pyramid Stage alongside festival founder Michael Eavis.
Pledging his support to refugees, young people and the environment, Mr Corbyn said: “What was fascinating about the last seven weeks of election campaigning around Britain is that the commentariat got it wrong, the elites got it wrong.
“Politics is about the lives of all of us and the wonderful campaign that I was proud to lead brought a lot of people back into politics because they believed there was something on offer for them.
“What was even more inspiring was the number of young people who got involved for the very first time because they were fed up with being told they don’t matter and that their generation was going to pay more to get less in education, housing, health, pensions and everything else.”
After his speech the crowd exploded into a chant of “Oh, Jere- my Corbyn” as he walked off the stage arm in arm with festival founder Mr Eavis.
On Thursday, four-piece band Everything Everything, two of whom are from Northumberland, played a “secret” set at the William’s Green tent on the eve of the festival.
Lead singer Jonathan Higgs was born in the village of Gilsland, on the Northumberland-Cumbria border and drummer Michael Spearman is from Newbrough, near Hexham.
The two caught up with the BBC after their 40-minute show in which they aired new songs and threw in a couple of fan favourites.
Higgs said: “We played a song called No Reptile and in the time that elapsed the listeners had learned the words and sung them back. It was a really amazing, emotional moment.”
Spearman added: “It was quite cathartic because we had spent the whole year making the record which was quite challenging really, writing it and recording it.
“And then suddenly it was out and people were really latching on to it.”
Happily, the band don’t have any other touring commitments this weekend so are able to stick around and enjoy the festival. Lights illuminate the Glastonbury Festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset