Banksy has struck again. On Friday night, the renowned English street artist unleashed a work of performance art at Glastonbury 2024, launching inflatable rafts holding dummies dressed up as migrants during IDLES set.
The act occurred at the tail-end of IDLES’ set, during their song “Danny Nedelko,” a humanistic, pro-immigrant anthem of sorts, with lyrics like the opening lines, “My blood brother is an immigrant/ A beautiful immigrant.” According to reports, fans thought that the rafts were part of IDLES’ stage show, and even the band themselves were unaware of the Banksy stunt until after the set.
The artwork comes as migration is a hot topic in the UK, between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s immigration policy and an overall rise in xenophobia in Europe. Glastonbury is also taking on the issue with Terminal 1, a new area designed to give festival-goers an appreciation for the struggles immigrants face.
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Check out fan-uploaded videos of Banksy’s migrant rafts at Glastonbury below.
Elsewhere during their Glastonbury set, IDLES were joined by Danny Brown for a rendition of “POP POP POP.” Their headlining performance at the festival arrived as part of their 2024 tour, in support of their new album TANGK (named by Consequence as one of our favorite albums released in February 2024).
Up next, IDLES will finish out their European dates, and then will come to the US in September for shows in Atlanta, Chicago, Boston, and more cities. After that, they’ll return to Europe for more UK dates, followed by a jaunt hitting Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Grab tickets to their upcoming US shows here.
For more, revisit the conversation between the band’s Joe Talbot and Kyle Meredith, touching on TANGK, politics, what’s next for the band, and more.
Migrant lifeboat crowdsurfing at Glastonbury #Idles pic.twitter.com/XSLmr1zmlN
— cello (@MrCarb1) June 28, 2024
Danny Nedelko #IDLES #Glastonbury pic.twitter.com/QIWNWUoAjF
— cello (@MrCarb1) June 28, 2024