Fatboy Slim has played an impromptu set at an anti-fascism counter-protest rally in his hometown of Brighton.
The ‘Carnival Against Fascism’ was held today (June 13) in the city centre, with organisers stating that they were assembling to oppose an anti-immigration demo by “racists in so-called ‘Patriots’ groups” who they said had planned “to come to our city, calling for ‘mass deportations’.”
“Not in our city,” a social media post from the group continued. “This is Brighton. Not here, not anywhere. We intend to stop them from marching. We will not stand by while they call for our friends, neighbours, colleagues and family to be ethnically cleansed from our beautiful, diverse communities.”
One of those to join in with the counter-protest was Brighton’s own Fatboy Slim, who set up outside the city’s train station and played to a group of enthusiastic marchers. “Never been more proud of my home town,” he later posted on Instagram. “More disco, less fascism…”
Watch him playing ‘Praise You’ for the crowd here:
Brighton counter-fascist protest, featuring Fatboy Slim pic.twitter.com/NAdCnGnWK9
— Philip Proudfoot (@PhilipProudfoot) June 13, 2026
What's this? It's only Fatboy Slim joining the anti-fascists against the far right in Brighton 💚 pic.twitter.com/tAD3zsM7ni
— Canary (@TheCanaryUK) June 13, 2026
The anti-immigration rally was organised by the group South East Patriots and according to the BBC, an estimated 300 people assembled for it, in contrast to around 4000 who were part of the Carnival Against Fascism counter-protest. Eight people were arrested for offences including assaulting a police officer, breach of the peace and possession of a pyrotechnic item.
In March, a massive march was held in London, organised by the Together Alliance, with reportedly half a million people taking to the streets to stand up for unity and to build public awareness about the growing threat of the far right in the UK and beyond. Billy Bragg, Self Esteem and Jessie Ware were among the musical performers.
That was in part a response to the emergence of far-right protests over the last two years. In September 2025, the Metropolitan police estimated that between 110,000 and 150,000 people attended the so-called “unite the kingdom” rally in central London, where Tommy Robinson and Elon Musk were among the speakers. An estimated 5000 anti-fascist counter-protesters faced the far-right activist-led rally that day.
Elsewhere, Fatboy Slim will be playing at the Everywhere At Once ‘Glastonbury replacement’ festival, which is being held all over the country from June 26 to 28, and has three huge shows coming on Brighton Beach on July 17, 18 and 19. He is also playing a series of ‘Forest Live’ shows around the country this summer, in association with Forestry England. See details and ticket information for those shows here.
He also spoke to NME last year about finally getting The Rolling Stones’ approval for his ‘Satisfaction Skank’ mash-up after 25 years.