Bob Geldof claps back at Ed Sheeran’s Band Aid comments

Bob Geldof reacted to Ed Sheeran’s recent comments on Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?

The former Boomtown Rats frontman, who is preparing to release a 40th-anniversary edition of the holiday charity song, told The Sunday Times that it has “kept millions of people alive”.

The 1984 charity single, which has been remade numerous times, was originally co-written by Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure to raise money for the Ethiopian famine. 

Geldof is coming with an ‘Ultimate Mix’ of the song with producer Trevor Horn.

“This little pop song has kept millions of people alive,” he told the outlet. “Why would Band Aid scrap feeding thousands of children dependent on us for a meal? Why not keep doing that? Because of an abstract wealthy-world argument, regardless of its legitimacy?”

It’s worth mentioning that Sheeran lent his vocals to the 2014 version of the charity single.

Taking to his official Instagram account on Tuesday, November 19, the Shape of You hitmaker revealed that despite being included in the latest version, he had not been asked for his permission adding that if he had been, he would have respectfully declined.

“A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x,” Sheeran wrote.