Brian May says Queen will never play Glastonbury because Michael Eavis ‘frequently insults’ him

There’s no love lost between the guitarist and festival co-organiser

Brian May has said that Queen will never play Glastonbury because Michael Eavis has “frequently insulted” him over the years.

Festival co-organiser Eavis, 84, is a supporter of the badger cull, which aims to stop cattle from becoming infected with bovine tuberculosis.

May, though, believes that the cull is an “unnecessary crime” and shut down rumours that his band would headline Glastonbury’s 50th anniversary in 2020.

Speaking to Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2, May – who tours with Adam Lambert – said: “We won’t [play Glastonbury] and there are a lot of reasons for that.

“One of them is that Michael Eavis has frequently insulted me, and I don’t particularly enjoy that.

“What bothers me more is that he’s in favour of the badger cull, which I regard as a tragedy and an unnecessary crime against wildlife.”

He added that he wouldn’t consider playing “unless things changed radically”.

The favourites to headline next year’s Glastonbury include Paul McCartney and Taylor Swift. Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin were recently ruled out.

Diana Ross has been confirmed to play the coveted Legends slot, which takes place on the Sunday.