The Boomtown Rats reportedly sparked a walkout after lead singer Bob Geldof told members of his audience they were wearing “wall to wall f*****g Primark”.
Geldof and his band headlined The Brentwood Festival in Essex on Sunday evening.
During their performance, the singer and activist gave an explicit-filled address to the crowd.
“We are the Boomtown Rats,” he shouted, before launching into a speech about outfit choices and 'looking rock ’n’ roll'.
“We are mega, you are Brentwood. How do we know that you are Brentwood?” he asked. “I for one am wearing a f*** off pretend snakeskin suit,” he said before pointing to his bandmates who were wearing “cowboy shirts” while another wore “a purple suit with elasticated waistband.”
“On the other hand, Brentwood you are wearing wall to wall f*****g Primark. When you come to a rock ’n’ roll festival, dress for a rock ’n’ roll festival.”
The charity campaigner also issued a political warning about the new Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit.
“You can never be too careful. That song we just did was written at the end of 1975 when Margaret Thatcher became leader of the opposition,” he said.
Responding the crowd, he continued: “What are you booing for? We’re in f****** Brexit land here guys […] It’s just as well we wrote that song because this year is about Theresa May. She’s gonna do you in,” he shouted.
Some members of the audience reportedly decided to leave the show after Geldof’s ranting.
“As he launched into another dreadful song, we, along with hoards of others, headed for the exit and I found myself in a queue to leave in the middle of a headline set,” one festival-goer told the Essex Chronicle.
Festival co-ordinator Laurie Edmonds apologised for the language and confirmed to the paper some people chose to leave as a result of the bad language.
“They’re a punk band. You expect them to be a bit controversial and he got a reaction from the crowd […] we know he’s a bit of a lightning rod and people will have strong reactions to him.
“We were disappointed there was so much swearing. We want this to be a family event and it would have been nice if it was toned down. Some people who felt it was offensive made the decision to leave. We’re truly sorry if people were offended. It wasn’t our intention in booking them.
“We have had a couple of complaints but we’ve equally had people saying they were one of the best sets all weekend."
A representative for Geldof did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
