Bosses of Glastonbury Festival have confirmed that they are to rename the iconic John Peel Stage amid a series of sex allegations made against the late DJ.
A petition was launched last year urging organisers to give the famous tent a new name after alleged victims of the disc jockey have spoken out. He did not deny being involved with underage girls and his first marriage was to 15-year-old Shirley Anne Milburn in Texas - where it was legal at that age - in 1965 when he was 25. He maintained she lied about her age at the time.
An interview originally published in The Herald in April 2004 stated that Peel admitted to sexual contact with "an awful lot" of underage girls because he never asked for ID.
The Daily Mail reports Emily Eavis, co-organiser of the festival, as saying: “We’ve had 20 years of John Peel and it’s been an honour to use his name.” The tent will now be called Woodsies, but the Mail says organisers claim the decision was not in response to the petition or the allegations.
Glastonbury Festival renamed the stage from New Bands Tent - which has historically promoted new and up-and-coming artists - to John Peel in 2004 "in honour of the late and great DJ and Festival friend", its website states. The DJ, who died suddenly in October of the same year, often gave a platform to new bands and genres outside the typical remit of BBC Radio 1 at the time.
The petition, which gained more than 1,800 signatures, was set up by Jack Owens on Change.org and says: "The John Peel stage at Glastonbury is long overdue being renamed, considering the serious sexual abuse he has been accused of and even admitted, against women and children.
"It's a slap in the face to sexual abuse survivors, women, children and decent people to have to stand in a stage with his name on it, which has the sick words "teenage dreams so hard to beat" written on the side. Please rename it for the next year's festival. He's been put up on pedestal for too long."
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Headliners for this year's event have now been revealed, with Arctic Monkeys, Guns N’ Roses and Elton John all set to take the prime spot on the Pyramid Stage. Other acts on the bill include Lizzo and Aitch, as well as Slowthai, Royal Blood, Becky Hill, Blondie and plenty more.
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