Banksy has reportedly been revealed as the mind behind the blow-up boat filled with migrant dummies that appeared in the crowd at Glastonbury on Friday night . The stunt, which took place during Idles’ late-night set at the Somerset-based festival, saw an inflatable life raft filled with models wearing lifejackets – representing migrants – suddenly launched into the audience. People initially presumed it was part of the Bristol rock band’s performance as it appeared during a song with lyrics that plead for empathy for the plight of immigrants and criticise the government .
However, a representative for the group confirmed on Saturday that the boat had been created by anonymous street and performance artist Banksy . Furthermore, Idles were unaware of the stunt until after the conclusion of their headline set on the Other Stage, according to The Guardian. As Idles’ launched into Danny Nedelko, and the boat was released, frontman Joe Talbot began singing: ‘My blood brother is an immigrant, a beautiful immigrant.
My blood brother’s Freddie Mercury, a Nigerian mother of three. He’s made of bones, he’s made of blood. He’s made of flesh, he’s made of love.
‘He’s made of you, he’s made of me. Unity. Fear leads to panic, panic leads to pain.
Pain leads to anger, anger leads to hate.’ In an impassioned set, which had already seen the band call for a ceasefire in Palestine and included Talbot leading the crowd in a chant of ‘f**k the King’, Danny Nedelk.