The 1975 fans think they spotted a very subtle swipe at Taylor Swift during their Glastonbury headliner performance as lead singer Matty Healy made a ‘poet’ reference

Matty Healy had fans believing he took a cheeky swipe at ex Taylor Swift on stage at Glastonbury – as his fiancée Gabriette watched on.

The singer – son of Loose Women panellist Denise Welch and actor Tim Healy – headlined the Pyramid Stage with his band The 1975 to mixed reviews on Friday night.

Despite vowing never to write about his past relationships, unlike his famous ex, Matty shared what appeared to be a subtle joke about his time with the Shake It Off hitmaker.

“I’m probably the best songwriter of my generation — the best,” he told the crowd on Worthy Farm. “What do we say? A poet.” He teased in an apparent dig at Taylor’s album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Matty seemed to reference his ex Taylor Swift(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Matty hit headlines across the world in 2023 when he enjoyed a brief romantic relationship with a newly-single Taylor. Their union fizzled out within weeks but was enough to inspire the Blank Space singer to mention Healy in a number of tracks on her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Many fans thought his “poet” reference was a dig at Taylor as one said: “Has Matty just made a Tortured Poets dig?!” Another added: “why is he trying to get clout from ttpd.” Someone else commented: “Way to be relevant: Come for Taylor unprovoked. Works every time.”

On a podcast in October, Matty seemingly revealed he would not be producing a musical reply to Taylor’s swipes – saying that he is “not interested in” writing about the “casual romantic liaisons” he has “become known for”.

Taylor and Matty used to be an item(Image: GC Images)

“If I made a record about, I don’t know, all the stuff that was said about me, or my casual romantic liaisons, or my, whatever it may be, that I’ve kind of become known for, just because I was famous,” he mused.

“I think that’s an obvious thing to draw from. I’m just not interested in it. And I think that the maintenance of the status quo is something that I always fight against.

“So the idea of making a record about something that personally happened to me, that by the time I put it out is going to be like, two years old. I see people doing that as well, and it’s just not interesting.”

The 1975’s performance at Glastonbury this week has been met with divided opinions by fans. Singer Matty opened the set holding a pint of Guinness he didn’t seem to drink, with a cigarette in the other hand.

Matty performed on the Pyramid stage(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Fans took to social media to share their opinions of the gig. One wrote: “Matty Healy swaggering about with a pint he’s no intention of drinking is the most annoying thing I’ve ever seen.”

Another said: “Matty Healy trolls on stage at Glastonbury: ‘I’m probably the best songwriter of my generation — the best, what do we say? A poet.'”

“Matty Healy carrying a pint of Guinness around to appear relatable and has not drunk a single sip in 10 minutes,” another added.

However, there were plenty of viewers that loved the show. One commented: “I do understand why Matty Healy is a polarising character but I think The 1975 are a brilliant band with sharp songwriting, brilliant diversity in sound & excellent musicianship. Still my favourites!”