Who are Bob Vylan and what did they do at Glastonbury Festival?
The duo, made up of Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, led crowds at the West Holts Stage in a chant of 'death, death to the IDF' as they performed before Irish rap trio Kneecap.
Who are Bob Vylan?
Formed in Ipswich in 2017, both members of Bob Vylan keep their real names secret to maintain their privacy.
The band's musical style is an innovative mix of grime, punk and hard rock, and they have released four albums, Dread (2019), We Live Here (2020), Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life (2022), and Humble as the Sun (2024).
READ MORE: Home Office staff concerned over 'absurb' ban on Palestine Action, reports say
They won best alternative music act at the Mobo Awards in 2022, and best album at the Kerrang awards in 2022 for Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life.
They have collaborated with Amyl And The Sniffers singer Amy Taylor, Soft Play guitarist Laurie Vincent and rock band Kid Kapichi.
What are their performances like?
Bob Vylan perform a high energy set of sampled guitar tracks mixed with live drumming from Bobbie, and the band often see their audiences pogoing and moshing, but they make an effort to ensure the crowd acts safely.
The band's songs often speak out against racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity and far right politics, and the track Pretty Songs is often introduced by Bobby saying that 'violence is the only language that some people understand'.
In their early days Bobby would sometimes wield a baseball bat, thrashing it in the direction of the crowd, and carry out other provocative actions such as wearing the football shirt of the rivals of the town or city in which they were playing.
Recently, the band has become less confrontational, and Bobbie regularly performs a drum solo to the late Roy Ayers' chilled out Everybody Loves The Sunshine.
During their Glastonbury set, Bobby brought out his daughter to sing with him on Dream Bigger.
Have they been in the news before?
In 2021, the Norwich Evening News reported that one fan was on the end of a tirade from Bobby, after he was hit by an ice cube while performing in an Ipswich Town shirt, and the gig was said to have been halted while the singer ranted.
Bobby is also said to have wielded a baseball bat at the gig, and the news article was headlined 'the frost and the fury'.
Sarah Corbett, from Norwich, who was on the receiving end of the alleged tirade, told the newspaper: 'We were all having fun on the dance floor. I'd put an ice cube down my friend's top for a laugh.
'Another girl then threw it at her friend, but it missed and landed at his feet.
'At that point he stopped the gig and demanded to know who had thrown it.
(Image: Jane Evans Photography)
'Seeing the girl's face drop, I decided to take the flak and announced it was me. He started abusing me through the microphone.
'As I tried to leave, one of his fans tried to grab me by the throat.'
A band spokesperson told the paper after the incident that they 'completely refute any wrongdoing' and that Bobby 'did not want to engage'.
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Glastonbury ‘appalled' by Bob Vylan's anti-IDF remarks during performance
The organisers of Glastonbury have said they are 'appalled' by comments made by Bob Vylan after the punk duo appeared to incite violence, something the festival said went against its ethos of 'hope, unity, peace and love'. At the West Holts stage on Saturday afternoon, the London group led a chant of 'death, death to the IDF', referring to the Israel Defense Forces. Describing himself as a 'violent punk', the frontman of the duo, Bobby Vylan, said: 'Sometimes we have to get our message across with violence because that's the only language some people speak, unfortunately.' Their set, which was before that of the Irish rap trio Kneecap, was broadcast live on the BBC but has since been removed from its streaming services. A BBC spokesperson previously said some of Bob Vylan's comments were 'deeply offensive'. A decision had been made before the Kneecap performance not to screen it live, due to fears it would breach 'editorial guidelines' on impartiality. Meanwhile, Avon and Somerset police said the force was investigating both performances to see if any offences had been committed. Emily Eavis, the organiser of Glastonbury, issued a joint statement condemning Bob Vylan's words, writing: 'As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. We will always believe in – and actively campaign for – hope, unity, peace and love. 'With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs. 'However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, told the Telegraph: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' During the festival, artists from the full cross-section of the music scene showed their support for the Palestinian cause. Cmat and the Libertines shouted 'Free Palestine' during their sets – as did Gary Lineker at the end of his talk – while Joy Crookes, TV on the Radio, Sorry and Paloma Faith all had Palestinian flags or keffiyeh scarves on stage. During her set early Sunday afternoon, the musician Nadine Shah performed in front of a backdrop showing the destruction in Gaza. She told the crowd, many of whom were waving Palestinian flags: 'I just don't like seeing people being killed.' Shah read an open letter from Artists for Palestine UK in support of the activist group Palestine Action, whom the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has planned to proscribe as a terror organisation, if a Commons vote goes her way next week. It read: 'Palestine Action is intervening to stop a genocide. It is acting to save life. We deplore the government's decision to proscribe it. Labelling non-violent direct action as terrorism is an abuse of language and an attack on democracy. 'The real threat to the life of the nation comes not from Palestine Action, but from the home secretary's efforts to ban it. We call on the government to withdraw its proscription of Palestine action and to stop arming Israel.' Shah added: 'And if I read this out after 4 July, I can potentially be prosecuted for that.'
Western Telegraph
an hour ago
- Western Telegraph
Sir Rod Stewart joined by trio of veteran superstars for rousing Glastonbury set
The tea-time legends slot saw him perform alongside his former Faces bandmember Ronnie Wood, Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, and Scottish singer Lulu. He was also joined by the festival's founder, Sir Michael Eavis, who was wheeled onto the stage by his daughter, organiser Emily Eavis. Rod Stewart performing on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Yui Mok/PA) The first music star welcomed to the stage was Hucknall, 65, for a rendition of Simply Red hit If You Don't Know Me By Now. Rolling back the years, Sir Rod then performed Faces 1971 hit Stay With Me while The Rolling Stones star Wood, 78, played guitar. After this Lulu made her entrance, wearing an all white ensemble, to sing Hot Legs alongside Sir Rod. Bagpipes had signalled the arrival of Sir Rod, who kicked off his afternoon performance with his 1981 single, Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me). Crowds during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset (Ben Birchall/PA) 'I'm here, enjoy yourselves ladies and gentleman please, music brings us together, we need music', he told the large crowd who had gathered to see him. The 80-year-old, who recently cancelled a slew of shows while recovering from the flu, wore flared trousers, a white shirt and a black jacket, before changing into a green suit. Across his set he played songs including Some Guys Have All The Luck, Forever Young, The First Cut Is The Deepest, and Maggie May, which he performed from a runway that jutted out into the crowd. Before he launched into a cover, Ukrainian flags were shown on a screen behind Sir Rod, who said: 'There's been a lot about the Middle East recently, quite rightly so, but I want to draw your attention to Ukraine in the next song, it's called the Love Train.' Men dressed as Rod Stewart wait for his performance at the Glastonbury Festival (Yui Mok/PA) Earlier on Sunday, organisers said chants by punk duo Bob Vylan 'crossed a line' after the performer, Bobby Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Death, death to the IDF'. A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis said: 'As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism.' It added: 'We are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' People during the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset (Ben Birchall/PA) Health Secretary Wes Streeting told Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that chants of 'death' to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) at Glastonbury were 'appalling' and that the BBC and festival have 'questions to answer'. A BBC spokesperson added: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's Saturday performance, a Government spokesperson said. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from Bob Vylan and Kneecap's performances would be assessed by officers 'to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation'. Kneecap, who hail from Belfast, have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. The group performed after Vylan's set on the West Holts Stage and in reference to his bandmate's forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine'. Irish noise rockers Gurriers asked if anyone had seen Kneecap's set during their Sunday performance, before adding: 'Well it's the Irish takeover at Glastonbury this year I think.' British soul singer Celeste opened the Pyramid Stage on Sunday before rock outfit The Libertines took to the stage. The Libertines performing on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival (Yui Mok/PA) At one point in the set frontman Pete Doherty broke into Sir Rod's Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?. Other notable performances came from British funk group Cymande, US singer Shaboozey, and Australian duo Royel Otis. Over at the Pilton Palais cinema actress Jodie Comer answered questions about her career and said she feels 'really excited' to embark on the UK and Ireland tour of Prima Facie – the play that saw her win a best actress Olivier.
Channel 4
an hour ago
- Channel 4
Glastonbury Festival organisers ‘appalled' by Bob Vylan's IDF chants
Glastonbury Festival says it is 'appalled' by comments made by punk duo Bob Vylan during their performance, where the lead singer led the crowd in chanting 'death to the IDF.' The Israeli Embassy has said it's deeply disturbed by the incident and now Avon and Somerset Police are reviewing video footage to determine whether any criminal offences were committed. Warning: this report contains offensive language.
