'This is a dark day for America' was the sentiment echoed by many
Billie Eilish, Phoebe Bridgers and UK rock band Idles were among several
Glastonbury acts to call out the latest US abortion ruling during their performances on Friday.
Headlining the opening night of the festival, Eilish put on a typically high-energy show but took time in the middle of her set to confess, "Today is a dark day for women in
America. It's all I'm able to say about it. I can't bear to think about it."
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News of the
US Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v Wade, meaning that states will now individually decide whether or not to outlaw abortion - at least five of which have
already banned it following the ruling - hit the UK around 3pm, with many acts, including several Americans, learning of the news just before they were due to go on stage.
Phoebe Bridgers and Idles blast Roe v Wade being overturned
Another one of which was Phoebe Bridgers, who took to the John Peel stage earlier that evening and after playing a couple of songs, decided to address the situation head-on. She started by saying, "In all honesty, it’s like super surreal and fun [being at Glastonbury] but I’m having like the s***tiest day. Are there any Americans here?"
After several sections of the crowd cheered, she said, "Who wants to say f**k the Supreme Court on three?", which the crowd met with massive cheering before she yelled, "One, two, three: f**k the Supreme Court!" and the audience echoed ten-fold.
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She continued to express her horror over the decision, saying: "F**k that s**t, f**k America, like f**k you. All these irrelevant, old, motherf**kers trying to tell us what to do with our f**king bodies. She then proceeded to recommend a number of charitable abortion-based organisations like the Mariposa Fund.
Earlier this year, the 27-year-old revealed that she had decided to get an abortion whilst she was on tour in October 2021, reiterating that the abortion pill made the process easy and that "everyone deserves that kind of access".
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But it wasn't just the US acts that took the time to criticise the decision, as British and Irish post-punk band Idles frontman, Joe Talbot, also took the time in the middle of the gig to dedicate their song "Mother" to "every mother and every woman and her right to choose whether she is a mother or not".
He said the decision had sent the US "back to the Middle Ages" before declaring, “Long live the open-minded long live my mother and long live every single one of you.” and with their show on the Other Stage.
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