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The owner of the record label controversial group Kneecap is signed to has confirmed he is close friends with the husband of Glastonbury's organiser, Emily Eavis, amid fury at their performance. The comments reveal new links between the radical pro-Palestinian band and Glastonbury, after the festival refused to drop their slot following one member calling on fans to "kill your local MP".

Speaking to this paper in the wake of the outrage generated by this year's festival, a Glastonbury insider said: "I think that some people at the BBC and certainly at Glastonbury that are very, very closely associated with kneecap."

The husband of Glastonbury's co-organiser Emily Eavis, Nick Dewey, has close links with Kneecap's record label Heavenly Recordings. Mr Dewey helped set up Heavenly Social Club with Heavenly's founder Jeff Barret in 1994, a club in central London.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Barrett admitted that Mr Dewey is "one of my dearest and oldest friends", but denied using nepotism to boost Kneecap's prominence at the Somerset gig.

He added: "I wouldn't dream of putting pressure [on him]... I wouldn't need to do that.

"The group are making their own success, partly helped along by [the press]."

A spokesman for Glastonbury festival said: "We categorically deny that Nick Dewey had any involvement in giving Kneecap a platform at Glastonbury 2025, 'overly prominent' or otherwise.

"Nick is responsible for booking the Pyramid Stage. Kneecap appeared on The West Holts Stage, which is booked independently by an entirely separate team.

"We also emphatically refute any suggestion that Kneecap - a band with significant prominence who recently headlined London's Wide Awake Festival and who have an upcoming show at Wembley Arena - were given a slot in any way out of keeping with their current success and stature. They appeared during the mid-afternoon slot on Glastonbury's third largest stage."

On Sunday The Met Police said they will not be pressing charges on Kneecap over the comments about murdering MPs, due to the statutory prosecution time elapsing since the incident in November 2023.