Despite headlining this year’s Reading and Leeds Festival, Hozier’s set is not being broadcast by the BBC, with the broadcaster now explaining why.
The Irish musician, known for hits such as Too Sweet and Take Me to Church, closed the first night of the festival in Reading last night. The evening also featured performances from Chappell Roan and The Kooks, who surprised the crowd by bringing out Rebel Wilson for an unexpected cover of Gangsta’s Paradise.
While fans can watch performances by Chappell, The Kooks, and many other artists on BBC iPlayer, Hozier’s headline set remains noticeably absent.
During his performance, Hozier called for a free Palestine and praised artists who use their platforms ‘to tell the truth in their music,’ celebrating those who exercise their right to free speech.
Addressing the ongoing crisis in Gaza, he called for ‘a meaningful political solution for the kind of violence we’ve been seeing on our TV screens over the last two years — not lip service, but a meaningful peace process.’
He went on to emphasise that people simply want to see harmony.
The musician told a cheering crowd: ’I think that people would want to see that for their neighbours. They would want to see that for members of their community.
‘I believe that people would want to see people they don’t know live with peace and safety and security. Am I right?
‘They wouldn’t want to see their neighbours live in fear of hatred or racism. They wouldn’t want to see their Jewish friends live in fear of antisemitism and Muslim brothers and sisters live in fear of Islamophobia.
‘They want to see their members of the LGBTQ community treated with respect and dignity — and peace.’
He concluded by stating that true safety and security means ‘seeing a Palestine that’s free from occupation and ‘free to move towards meaningful self-determination and statehood.’
As it stands, the BBC has yet to air any part of Hozier’s set, prompting a wave of criticism from fans online.
When contacted for comment, the BBC explained to Metro in a statement: ‘Viewers can enjoy a wide range of performances and highlights from Reading and Leeds Festival on BBC iPlayer, BBC Music’s YouTube channel, BBC One and Radio 1.
‘As mutually agreed ahead of Reading Festival, Hozier chose not to be included in the BBC’s coverage.’
Metro also understands that not all artists’ sets are filmed at Reading Festival.
Weighing in on the matter, X users shared Hozier’s speech in full, with @Saintscain writing: ‘Hozier’s beautiful speech on Palestine, LGBT+ rights and standing up for what you believe in — that was cut by the BBC.’
@gooseberrydream added: ‘Imagine having Hozier as a HEADLINER at Reading/Leeds and then choosing not to stream his set because he’s too political and you’re scared of Israel. The BBC is so embarrassing.’
@mountbellyache posted: ‘The BBC didn’t stream his headline set for fear of what Hozier might say about Palestine. The average Irish citizen has more integrity in their little finger than the entire BBC and Labour Party put together.’
Earlier this summer, the BBC was criticised for live-streaming Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set, which ended with chants including ‘death, death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Force)’ alongside various pro-Palestine slogans.
In response, the broadcaster announced it would no longer show performances it considers potentially ‘high risk.’
Gaelic hip-hop group Kneecap had their Glastonbury performance preemptively pulled from the livestream, with an edited version later uploaded to catch up.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 62,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Hamas attack on Israeli citizens on October 7, 2023.
For the first time, a UN-backed body has confirmed a famine in Gaza City. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) reports that more than 500,000 people in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic conditions defined by ‘starvation, destitution and death.’
UN Secretary-General António Guterres described the confirmed famine as a ‘failure of humanity’ and a ‘man-made disaster.’
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