Is music finally political again?
A silver lining to *all of this*
Coachella is finally over.
It now takes place over two weekends, where acts play the same sets to the largest number of people possible.
Groundhog Day in the desert is well-known for attracting one of the shittest crowds of any festival - throwback to Blur’s Damon Albarn shouting: “You’re never seeing us again, so you might as well fucking sing it,” to a particularly lethargic crowd back in 2024.
It’s essentially a fashion show for influencers and celebrities against the backdrop of a music fest.
But this year, things were a little different.
Aged rockers Green Day, who have always been very vocal, made their political stance clear when Billie Joe Armstrong sang an updated version of their 2004 anti-Bush banger, American Idiot, which featured the lyrics:
“I’m not a part of a MAGA agenda.”
Meanwhile, on the smaller stage, Irish rappers Kneecap continued their usual antics with a “Free Palestine” chant, bringing to attention the US government’s support of the state of Israel.
The West Belfast lads also led the audience in their favourite anti-Thatcher chant, which went down very well indeed when I saw them live here in Newcastle back in December.
“Stick to the music”
When bands and even celebrities share political messages on their social media feeds, you'll often see this comment time and time again.
But have musicians ever really just ‘stuck to the music’?
Music has always been political. Woody Guthrie sang about the dangers of capitalism, and then Joan Baez stood side by side with Martin Luther King in the Civil Rights movement.
But what about even earlier? In researching this piece, I found dozens of examples of musicians taking political stances in the 20th century, but it seems the marriage of politics and music goes way, way back.
Opera, for example, has always been highly political. Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, a comedy about class struggle and the rise of the proletariat, soundtracked the French Revolution.
Even further back, the following quote is often attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Plato, around 400 BC:
Music is a moral law. It gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything.
It is the essence of order, and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless dazzling, passionate, and eternal form.
Political or anti-establishment?
But I would say this is the first time in many years, arguably since Green Day’s American Idiot era, that the anti-establishment sentiment has been so strong.
In fact, this Roar News piece from 2024 posits that recent years have seen a significant decline in overtly political messaging in music. Angela Alberti writes:
Nevertheless, the majority of pop hits seem overwhelmingly apolitical. To find more political music, one must mostly look outside of top-charting songs and artists.
This perhaps goes to show that political music is no longer popular or well-received. However, I believe we are in desperate need of revolutionary music today.
Perhaps Alberti is right in the sense that the mainstream, more often than not, fails to take a stance. However, that doesn’t mean those fighting for political change aren’t being heard or making headlines.
Sharon Osbourne made her weekly attempts at relevancy in response to Kneecap’s pro-Palestine tirade, calling for the US government to revoke their work visas ahead of their US tour.
Sharon, who is obviously married to Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne, is also the daughter of an Irish mother and Jewish father, so perhaps her opinion is less unexpected than it may initially seem.
On the topic of Black Sabbath, Ozzy himself is no stranger to taking a political stance, having forbidden Trump from using any of his music in his presidential campaign back in 2019.
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that in times of growing conservative values, people look to musicians for solidarity in their struggles.
Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Thatcher and US President Ronald Reagan collaborated on a shared mission to promote neoliberalism, a political ideology that prioritises privatisation and minimises trade barriers—essentially, making the rich richer and the poor poorer.
The UK and US governments sought to send industry abroad to reap the benefits of cheaper labour, thus resulting in the closure of steel mills, mines, shipbuilders, and more.
At this time, musicians were angry, too.
New Jersey’s Bruce Springsteen sang about the impact of Reagan’s policies on his home state and the wider US in his 1982 album, Nebraska. Springsteen’s Johnny 99 tells the story of a lad who was laid off from his job at a car manufacturing plant under Reagan:
Well they closed down the auto plant in Mahwah late that month
Ralph went out lookin' for a job but he couldn't find none
He came home too drunk from mixin' Tanqueray and wine
He got a gun, shot a night clerk, now they call him Johnny 99
Over the pond, ska band The Specials dominated the radio with their haunting hit Ghost Town (which weirdly really sets off my brother’s greyhound, it must be the woo-woos, or perhaps he is just howling in solidarity.)
This town, is coming like a ghost town
Why must the youth fight against themselves?
Government leaving the youth on the shelf
This place, is coming like a ghost town
No job to be found in this country
Can't go on no more
The people getting angry
Don’t get me wrong, not all musicians are anti-establishment.
wrote about Gwen Stefani’s 21st-century political key change in this piece:What’s also notable is how much more public Stefani‘s apparent politics are following her marriage to Shelton. We know that typically people get more conservative as they get older.
We also have access, and feel more entitled, to know more about our favourite celebrities’ personal politics. Perhaps this is what has made Gwen feel more emboldened about putting her religious beliefs out there or maybe it’s because society demands it?
Stefani, who is problematic at the best of times, has supposedly gone full-send MAGA supporter in recent years, having spoken out in support of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on her X feed.
I can’t really write a piece about musicians and their politics without touching on Kanye West, who is also friendly with Trump, and has controversial opinions on just about everything in the political spectrum.
Whether Kanye truly believes what he preaches remains to be seen, given his tendency to shift his stance to whatever garners him the most headlines. He lacks integrity, and I don’t think that’s a hot take.
However, there are a few musicians who actively use their platforms to protect the most vulnerable in society from the consequences of politicians' decisions made behind closed doors.
And, in 2025, those voices are louder than they’ve been for years.
Why now?
You’ll never see a separation of music and politics, but the bond between the two is definitely stronger than I have seen since my teenage years.
The likes of Michael Stipe, Rage Against the Machine, and System of a Down have all been very, very angry for decades… but the last few years, I think we’ve really seen a significant return of musical artists standing up for what they believe, even if that means negative press.
This week in the UK, we saw the Supreme Court rule against the recognition of trans women as women in the Equality Act. The ruling was devastating for the trans community and its allies, and thousands of people have taken to the streets across the UK, particularly in Edinburgh, to let it be known that this is not how all of us feel.
Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer has stated that he agrees with the ruling, taking a clear political stance on the issue that is fuelled by emotions for so many of us.
Thankfully, plenty of musicians took to their social media feeds to show solidarity with trans people, including Self Esteem, Scissor Sisters, Billy Bragg and Garbage.
Non-binary poet and artist Kae Tempest’s recent track Statue In The Square arrived at the perfect time, encapsulating the absurdity of this chaotic political era, and how their legacy will succeed them:
They never wanted people like me round here
But when I'm dead, they'll put my statue in the square
They used to tell their children not to stare
But when I'm dead, they'll put my statue in the square
Yeah, they're ten a penny, we're rare
And when we're dead, they'll put our statues in the square
They can shake their heads in despair
But we been here from the start and we ain't going nowhere
In times of political unrest, when the most vulnerable people in society risk losing everything, it is music that often provides the community that keeps us going.
Well, last week’s newsletter went a little viral. So, if you’re new here, then this is the section where I share what else I’ve been up to since I last darkened your inbox.
Here are some things I've enjoyed over the last week:
📺 Hacks (Season 4 - NowTV) - So glad this excellent show is back on my screen already! Highly recommend if you are looking for something light and hilarious.
📺 Just Act Normal (BBC) - I am only a few episodes into this show, but I am definitely intrigued.
📚The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden - I am not surprised that the novel has been so widely regarded, as it was absolutely breathtaking. A must-read for my fellow fans of literary fiction.
📚Everyone I Know is Dying by Emily Slapper - One for the Moshfegh fans.
I also wrote a guest post for
about how improving digital accessibility across the board will help to reduce digital poverty rates in the North East and beyond, you can read it here:
That’s all from me,
See you next week,
Ellen x
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"Keeping politics out of it" is a luxury that only people privileged enough to not be affected by government policies can afford.
Music to the ear 💕🎶💕