Over 60 artists, speakers, and activists gathered at the Ovo Arena Wembley for a four-hour fundraiser for Gaza, curated by Brian Eno. The event featured performances from Damon Albarn, Bastille, PinkPantheress, Hot Chip, and many others, alongside appearances by Benedict Cumberbatch, Florence Pugh, Guy Pearce, and Ramy Youssef. The concert raised approximately £500,000 from ticket sales, with additional online donations and merchandise sales.
The artistic director was exiled Palestinian artist Malak Mattar, who left Gaza on 6 October 2023 to study at Central St Martin's. Palestinian musicians including oud player Adnan Joubran, rapper El Far3i, and singer Nai Barghouti performed, representing different aspects of Palestinian musical identity. Palestinian journalist Yara Eid spoke passionately about the 270 journalists killed in Gaza, drawing huge cheers.
Outside the arena, a small group of protesters with Israeli flags were kept apart from Palestinian flag-waving attendees by police. Inside, the mood was largely supportive, with the only dissent coming when Louis Theroux referred to Israeli violence and was heckled with cries of “It’s genocide!” Benedict Cumberbatch omitted a line from a Mahmoud Darwish poem about the dead ascending to heaven “with a smile.” Richard Gere abandoned his scripted speech to talk about his “caravan of love and compassion and dancing.”
Highlights included Neneh Cherry joining Greentea Peng to perform “Seven Seconds,” and pianist Faraj Suleiman playing to 12,500 people with a jazz-prog power trio. After four hours, some audience members left early, but many departed wearing Together for Palestine T-shirts and carrying tote bags.
