Ammon News - Neil Young has announced that he will not perform at Glastonbury this year, saying he believes the BBC’s involvement in the festival means it is “now under corporate control”.

The 79-year-old Canadian musican wrote a letter on Tuesday on his website, Neil Young Archives, detailing why he and his band the Chrome Hearts were backing out of the music festival, held each year at Worthy Farm in Somerset.

“The Chrome Hearts and I were looking forward to playing Glastonbury, one of my all time favorite outdoor gigs,” Young wrote. “We were told that BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being.”

The BBC has partnered with the festival since 1997. A spokesperson for the BBC offered no comment. The Guardian has contacted the Glastonbury festival.

Young had yet to be announced as an act at this year’s Glastonbury, though a performance with the Chrome Hearts had been rumoured. Other acts thought to be performing at the 2025 festival, which will take place on 27–29 June, are Olivia Rodrigo, Rihanna, Eminem, Sam Fender and Ed Sheeran.

The Guardian