UKš¤ Pro-Ukrainian Musician acts and Glastonbury
A potted recent history of musicians supporting Ukraine at Glastonbury
Since Glastonbury was founded more than 50 years ago, many artists have used their platform at the ever-growing event to make political statements.
Rod Stewart - 2025
Ukrainian flags were shown on a screen behind Stewart, who said: āThereās been a lot about the Middle East recently, quite rightly so, but I want to draw your attention to Ukraine in the next song, itās called the Love Train.ā
Rod Stewart is consistently clear about his support for Ukraine and Zelenskyy.
āI have supported the Ukrainian people throughout this war. From arranging for members of my family to take supplies to the country, to renting a house in the UK for a Ukrainian family, as well as employing two Ukrainians as part of my touring crewā.
*Rod Stewart also advocated for British right wing popularist Nigel Farage, which is essentially supporting a rabble rouser who considers Vladimir Putin as a greatest living politician, or something to that effect. In the polarised post-truth world, there are ever increasing polarised clans of opinion and political beliefs and the division of beliefs sows division in our societies.
With this in mind, it is important to recognise Rod Stewart as being one of the few voices at Glastonbury 2025 - advocating for Ukraine. His support for Farage must be kept distinct and a separate discussion, avoiding the temptation to label him as a Pro=Putin Vatnik, which he is evidently and explicitly - not.
Kalush Orchestra - 2022
Performed twice on the Truth Stage in 2022; placed a tip jar onstage to raise funds for Ukraine.
Previously auctioned their Eurovision trophy in 2022, netting $900,000 to support Ukrainian soldiers, see āHow Ukraine left its mark on Glastonburyā https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-61943613
Onstage at Glastonbury, they reiterated their fundraising mission and cultural message.
DhakaBrakha - 2016 & 2022
DpaLondonUkrainian folk band DakhaBrakha and Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala have performed together on Glastonburyās Pyramid Stage, sharing a message to āstop Putinā.
Played the Pyramid Stage, projecting messages like āArm Ukraine nowā and footage of war damage
Theyāve been vocal in their resistance, using music as both cultural preservation and activism.
How Ukraine left its mark on Glastonbury https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-61943613
Go_A - 2022
Opened the John Peel Stage with a traditional Horovod circle dance and statements like āWe are Go_A and weāre from Ukraineā.
Members emphasized unity and cultural identity: āLove saves the worldā.
Taras Topolia (Antytila)
Although not at Glastonbury 2025, Taras deserves mention for his activism: He served as a Territorial Defence volunteer, helped create charity FreeāUA, and continues fundraising through performances including a collaboration with Ed Sheeran and military aid in 2023.
Members said they had raised more than $2m for Ukraine armed forces over the past 18 months since completing military duties.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taras_Topolia
UK & International artists voicing Ukraine support
Sir Paul McCartney
In 2022, waved Ukrainian flags during his encore, aligning with Ukrainian artists onstage and boosting morale ā āshows you have truth on your sideā
Florence Welch (Florence + The Machine)
In March 2022, posted heartfelt support for dancers sheltering in Kyiv, filmed the video āHeaven Is Hereā in the city, and donated zine proceeds to Future for Ukraine.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Welch
Glastonburyās Ukraine solidarity ā Context & messaging
In 2022, festival headlined with a pre-recorded video message from Ukrainian President Zelensky, urging solidarity and freedom. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the Glastonbury music festival in Somerset, England in a video that was played before The Libertines' set.
That year, multiple Ukrainian acts (Go_A, DhakaBrakha, Kalush Orchestra, Jamala, DakhaBrakha) performed with explicit anti-war messaging and onāsite fundraising
In 2024, Glastonbury raised Ā£5.9āÆmillion for charities; part of fundraising aligned with urgent global crises, including Ukraine 2025 festival continued that trajectory: Ukrainian artists were front-and-centre, bringing both cultural and political resonance
šÆ Why it matters šÆ
Glastonbury has become not just a music festival but a political platformāhighlighting solidarity with Ukraine through art, donation, and cultural assertion. The presence and voices of Ukrainian acts create a powerful human narrative against war, while international artists amplify global awareness and support.
However, In 2025, a significant number of small acts made pro-Palestinian political statements, some are now subject to criminal investigations, which I wonāt cover in this thread for that reason - you can read a list of them here š
These pro Ukrainian high profile voices should be applauded. They keep Ukraine's plight in the public consciousness and this beleaguered nation needs all the support it can get.