Why Does Matty Healy’s Guitar Shout ‘What a Shame’? The Glastonbury Mystery You Didn’t See Coming!
Added on June 27, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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Ever wonder what it feels like to stand under the blistering sun of Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, guitar in hand, heart racing — knowing millions are watching? Well, Matty Healy nearly lost his marbles just at the thought of headlining this legendary festival. And when he strutted out Friday night wielding a guitar boldly stamped with the cryptic phrase “what a shame,” jaws dropped and eyebrows arched. To the uninitiated, it might seem like a cryptic existential statement, but for Healy fans, that phrase carries a heavy sentimental load — a relic of heartbreak, triumph, and inside jokes all tangled up in a 1965 Fender Mustang gift from the man who bet on them when no one else would. Speaking of cosmic alignments, with the Sun cruising through Cancer back then, emotions were running high—just the vibe for powerful nostalgia and vulnerability on stage. So, what’s the story behind that guitar and those three simple words? Let’s dive in and unravel this melodic mystery — because sometimes, the stars really do align in the most unexpected ways. LEARN MORE
Matty Healy once said that there’s a strong chance he’d ‘completely lose his mind’ if The 1975 headlined Glastonbury – in a good way, of course.
So when he strutted out onto the Pyramid Stage armed with a guitar emblazoned with the words ‘what a shame’ at the festival on Friday (27 June) night, it prompted a lot of curiosity from viewers.
Obviously, die-hard fans of the 36-year-old son of Denise Welch and Tim Healy will probably already be aware of what the message means.
But as such a wide array of people are tuning into the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury, there’s a lot of Brits who are just being introduced to the band for the first time.
Therefore, they will likely have no idea why Healy would display the words ‘what a shame’ on his guitar while the eyes of the world are on him – but it turns out there’s a very sentimental story behind it.
Jamie Oborne, the founder and owner of The 1975’s record label Dirty Hit, revealed the touching tale behind the detail on the singer’s prized instrument a few years back.
The music mogul – who’s firm also manages groups such as Wolf Alice and Beabadoobee – has had plenty of guitars pass through his hands throughout his time in the industry.
The 1975’s frontman has a special connection to the guitar which he whipped out at Glastonbury (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
He explained he has spent ‘hours and hours’ hunting for specific models over the years, while he has a particular affection for Fenders.
Oborne unintentionally passed this love for the US guitar giant onto Healy when he gifted him a 1965 Fender Mustang, shortly before The 1975 signed with Dirty Hit in early 2012.
Speaking to Guitar.com in 2022, the record label founder explained: “In the lead-up to [The 1975] getting signed by me, they got rejected by literally every label on the planet.
“I was going to LA on business, and Matthew was really depressed because everyone had been telling him he wasn’t good enough.
“He was so down. I was like, ‘Come with me to LA, have a change of scene and see how you feel when you get back.’
“So we went to LA, I took him to Norman’s Rare Guitars and I bought him this.”
According to Oborne, Healy used the 1965 Fender Mustang ‘exclusively on tour for the first two albums’, before he realised just how precious it was to him.
Healy scrawled the words ‘what a shame’ on his beloved instrument (BBC)
“He only stopped touring it when he realised it had become so synonymous with him,” the Dirty Hit boss continued. “He couldn’t bear the thought of it getting lost or something.”
Along the way, the instrument has ended up with some battle scars – and the words ‘what a shame’ decorating it.
According to Guitar.com, the words are a reference to an inside joke, which apparently appears frequently in the lyrics of The 1975’s songs.
Oborne said the Fender Mustang was in ‘pretty mint’ condition when he first purchased it for Healy, although he couldn’t say the same about it in 2022.
“Now it’s absolutely f***ed,” he laughed. “When he retired it, he gave it to me, and it’s been in my office ever since. It’s one of my favourites. I’m slightly embarrassed by how many Mustangs I own, actually, but they’re sick!”
It seems Healy may have brought his beloved guitar out of retirement for his band’s headline set at Glastonbury – or perhaps, he’s recreated it’s design on another instrument.
Either way, pretty cool story, right?
Well, social media users seem to think so, as one wrote: “The way Matty Healy was just on stage with the ‘what a shame’ guitar at Glastonbury…”
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