I live-streamed Kneecap’s Glastonbury set when the BBC wouldn’t — here’s why

Helen Wilson has been going to Glastonbury for 26 years, but she never thought she would go viral on social media for being at the festival.

The music fan, who lives in Wales, has been hailed as a ‘legend’ not only online, but by Irish rap trio Kneecap, after live-streaming their West Holts stage performance on TikTok to two million viewers.

In the scorching heat, Helen even burned her fingers after holding up her phone for an hour to show her support for the group, whose performance wasn’t being shown by the BBC.

Our music reporter Danni Scott walked the length of Worthy Farm to find Helen. She asked her about the decision to stream the performance, and the reaction since.

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Speaking exclusively to Metro, Helen said: ‘I am a [Kneecap] fan, and so I’ve been aware of their plight.

‘I’m also aware of what’s happening in Palestine, and the controversy surrounding the band and the discussion from the BBC’s point of view that they weren’t going to air the set.

‘So, that was something that a lot of people were talking about even before the festival started.’

Helen, who is working at a bar at Glastonbury, wasn’t supposed to be at the set, but was given an hour off to watch the performance.

Speaking of her decision to go live to millions of viewers, she said: ‘I’d thought about it before because I knew that the BBC had said that they weren’t going to be showing the set, and I really believe in free speech.’

‘I also think that as lovers of music, we have to do things to support the artists that we believe in, and when there’s censorship coming from large media institutions such as the BBC I think it’s up to people like me to step in.

‘To do something that thousands of people across the UK and beyond can actually see what’s happening, because if you watch over TikTok, you’ll see the volume of love and support that was there, and actually that’s what I wanted everyone outside these fields to see.’

The BBC released a statement confirming it has put Kneecap’s Glastonbury set on iPlayer, but with some edits. The corporation did not broadcast the set live.

‘We have made an on-demand version of Kneecap’s performance available on iPlayer, as part of our online collection of more than 90 other sets,’ the BBC says in a new statement this morning.

‘We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury’s West Holts stage.

‘As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings.’

Helen added in a statement shared with Metro: ‘Glastonbury stands for freedom. Streaming Kneecap’s set was my way of honouring that legacy and sharing it far beyond the fields of Worthy Farm.’

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