What could be a better political statement than Stormzy appearing onstage in a bold stab-proof vest painted with a black and white Union Flag to begin his historic headline set at Glastonbury on Friday night? Well, Stormzy appearing onstage in a bold, Banksy-designed stab-proof vest, of course.
As it happens, the stab vest that made an appearance during the show did turn out to be designed by the ever-elusive graffiti artist. Does this mean that Stormzy’s met Banksy himself? Well, that will almost definitely remain unconfirmed, but it does mean that the vest/artwork, a comment on UK knife crime, has been in the hands of two of the UK’s most important political artists. Which is something.
Banksy was the one to reveal that he designed the vest, posting on Instagram with a picture of Stormzy and the accompanying caption: “I made a customised stab-proof vest and thought - who could possibly wear this? Stormzy at Glastonbury.”
Stormzy then added his thoughts on Twitter, writing, “Absolutely fucking speechless,” over a screenshot of Banksy’s post.
Stormzy has also given a shoutout to all the people he worked with for the show (who also got props on the night) in another Instagram post, namechecking Jay-Z – his “hero and ultimate inspiration and the greatest rapper to ever grace planet Earth” – Chris Martin, Raleigh Ritchie, Dave and Fredo, among others.