Bob Vylan doubles down on Glastonbury backlash: 'I said what I said'
Bob Vylan frontman Bobby Vylan has refused to back down after facing backlash for leading chants including 'death to the IDF' at Glastonbury.
On Saturday the English punk duo – which also includes Bobbie Vylan on drums – took to the festival's West Holts Stage ahead of Kneecap.
During their set, they led festival-goers in chants calling for the end of the Israeli Defence Force and to 'free, free Palestine'.
Soon after police said they were reviewing footage from the performance to determine whether offences have been committed.
A day on Bobby has released a statement about encouraging activism in the next generation.
'As I lay in bed this morning, my phone buzzing non-stop, inundated with messages of both support and hatred, I listen to my daughter typing out loud as she fills out a school survey asking her for feedback on the current state of her school dinners,' he began.
'She expressed that she would like healthier meals, more options and dishes inspired by other parts of the world.
'Listening to her voice her opinions on a matter that she cares about and affects her daily reminds me that we may not be doomed after all. Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place.
'As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us. Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered. Today it is a change in school dinners, tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy.'
'I said what I said,' he captioned his post.
His response comes after the band came under fire for the comments made on stage.
Earlier today a post by Avon and Somerset police on social media said: 'We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon.
'Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation.'
Meanwhile spokesperson for the BBC said: '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.' More Trending
Reacting to the furore, Bobby posted a selfie of himself holding a tub of ice cream.
'While zionists are crying on socials, I've just had a tub of (vegan) ice cream,' he shared.
Bob Vylan, who are based in London, perform under stage names to maintain their privacy in face of what they describe as a surveillance state.
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MORE: Who are Bob Vylan, the English punk duo behind Glastonbury IDF controversy?
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Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
Glastonbury Festival 2025 ends after weekend of controversy and surprises
Punk duo Bob Vylan and Irish rap trio Kneecap have seen both of their sets on Saturday being assessed by Avon and Somerset Police to decide whether any offences were committed. Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'death, death to the IDF', before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance, and led the crowd on chants of 'f*** Keir Starmer'. Sir Keir had said in the run-up to the festival that he thought Kneecap's set was not 'appropriate' at Glastonbury. On Friday, festival goers were treated to surprise performances from alternative pop star Lorde, who played her new album Virgin in full, and Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi, who played two years after a set at the festival during which he struggled to manage his Tourette syndrome symptoms. The 1975 took to the Pyramid Stage to headline that night, with a set which saw singer Matty Healy joke he was his generation's 'best songwriter', with the band playing songs such as Chocolate, Love Me and About You. Pulp were revealed to be Patchwork appearing on the Pyramid Stage on Saturday to a backdrop paying homage to their classic 1995 stand in headline set. The Jarvis Cocker-fronted band performed some of their best known songs such as Common People, Babies and Do You Remember The First Time?. Their appearance came 30 years after their breakthrough headline performance at the festival when they stood in for The Stone Roses after the Manchester band's guitarist John Squire was injured in a cycling accident. Candida Doyle, the band's keyboard player, had previously appeared to confirm the band would not perform at the festival, despite being keen to play, telling BBC Radio 6 Music last week 'they (Glastonbury) weren't interested'. Also on Saturday, Haim made a surprise appearance on the Park Stage opening with one of their best known songs in The Wire, before performing a mix of older songs such as Summer Girl, and new singles including Relationships. The day saw veteran rocker Neil Young headline, performing some of his best known songs including Cinnamon Girl, Like A Hurricane and Rockin' In The Free World, at one point in the set he performed with Hank Williams' guitar. Brat star Charli XCX headlined the Other Stage on Saturday, performing tracks from last year's summer sensation such as 360, Von Dutch and Club Classics. Performing the viral Apple dance, during the song of the same name, was US singer Gracie Abrams, who had played on the same stage a day earlier. Sir Rod Stewart performed in the Sunday legends slot, bringing out former Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood for Stay With Me, Lulu for Hot Legs and Simply Red's Mick Hucknall for a performance of his band's If You Don't Know Me By Now. He was also joined by the festival's founder, Sir Michael Eavis, who was wheeled on to the stage by his daughter, organiser Emily Eavis. Bagpipes had signalled the arrival of Sir Rod, who kicked off his afternoon performance with 1981 single, Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me). Sir Rod's set also included hits such as Maggie May, You Wear It Well and Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?. The Pyramid Stage was headlined by pop rocker Olivia Rodrigo on Sunday evening, who brought out The Cure frontman Robert Smith to sing his band's songs Just Like Heaven and Friday I'm In Love. As the 66-year-old indie-goth star arrived on stage on Sunday night, Rodrigo said: 'Glastonbury would you please welcome Robert Smith, give him a big welcome, come on.' At the end of Just Like Heaven, the pair hugged, before Rodrigo said 'give it up for Robert Smith you guys' before adding she was 'so honoured to play with him tonight'. The weekend saw many acts express their support for Palestine, with singer Ellie Rowsell of indie rockers Wolf Alice telling the crowd: 'We want to express our solidarity with the people of Palestine, and we shouldn't be afraid to do that.' Their Other Stage set saw them climax with their best known song Don't Delete The Kisses, which came after they had played snippets of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army and Black Sabbath's War Pigs. Irish country star CMAT, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, chanted 'free Palestine' during her set, which included Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, from her forthcoming third studio album Euro-Country. While frontman Dan Hoff of Irish noise rockers Gurriers said during their Woodsies set: 'Free Palestine, unlike other bands we know where we stand politically.' A number of other acts performed through the night on some of the festival's smaller stages, before a large scale clean-up operation begins in the early hours of the morning.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
BBC under pressure amid criticism of ‘death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury
Sir Keir Starmer has led criticism across the political spectrum of chants at Glastonbury for 'death' to the Israeli military as the BBC faced pressure to explain why it kept broadcasting. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. A member of Belfast rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance related to a terrorism charge. Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister said: '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.' A member of Kneecap said 'f*** Keir Starmer' during their performance after the Prime Minister called for the band not to play at the festival. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from the performances would be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said Bob Vylan's chants 'very much crossed a line'. '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,' she said in a statement. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Bob Vylan was 'inciting violence and hatred' and should be arrested and prosecuted. 'By broadcasting his vile hatred, the BBC appear to have also broken the law,' he said. 'I call on the Police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this. Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict,' he posted on X. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called it a 'pretty shameless publicity stunt' and said the BBC and Glastonbury have 'questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens', speaking to Sky News. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque'. 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,' she wrote on X. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said she was 'horrified' and that the BBC should have cut the feed. 'Given the nature of the attacks on Israel, the BBC should not have kept broadcasting that. They should have cut the coverage immediately,' she told Times Radio. Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Max Wilkinson said: 'Bob Vylan's chants at Glastonbury yesterday were appalling. Cultural events are always a place for debate, but hate speech, antisemitism and incitements to violence have no place at Glastonbury or anywhere in our society.' Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel wrote in the Daily Mail that the incident was a 'systemic failure'. 'What happened at Glastonbury was dangerous,' she said. 'Chants calling for the death of Israeli soldiers crossed a line no civilised society should ever tolerate, and it was shameful that the BBC continued with its live broadcast of this incitement to violence. 'The fact the BBC – a national institution – broadcast this hate-fuelled content will risk legitimising and normalising those views in society.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. The BBC said it showed a warning during the performance and that viewers would not be able to access it on demand. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: '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.' The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan. 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions,' a spokesperson said. Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. He is listed on Companies House as the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Kneecap 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 with O hAnnaidh exclaiming 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man' as they took to the stage. 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.' In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and Sir Keir said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During Kneecap's set, O hAnnaidh said: 'The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' Kneecap also gave a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. A BBC spokesperson said an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance was available on iPlayer. 'We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury's West Holts Stage. As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Bob Vylan singer explains where his passion for music comes from
An interview with Bobby Vylan, one half of Bob Vylan, has resurfaced following the punk duo's controversial performance at Glastonbury Festival, video of which police are examining Bobby Vylan - singer of controvesial punk duo Bob Vylan - said his passion for music came from "growing up in a boring place". The 34-year-old musician, whose real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, sparked chants of "death to the IDF" while on stage at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday afternoon. Bob Vylan's performance was streamed live on the BBC, which has since said the comments were "deeply offensive". Avon and Somerset Police are now examining video evidence and investigating if any offence had been committed. However, Bobby Vylan has since said on Instagram: "I said what I said." The defiant singer, who grew up in Ipswich, Suffolk, is no stranger to controversy as, performing a rendition of Wicked and Bad at Glastonbury in 2022, he sang 'Let's go dig up Maggie's grave and ask her where that milk went". He halted a gig in 2021 after taking umbrage at a cube of ice being thrown on to the stage of the University of East Anglia's student's union, midway through his performance. The punk and grime singer wrongly assumed Sarah Corbett was the culprit and "started abusing" her through the microphone. In an early interview, even before these controversies, Robinson-Foster said when he grew up, "people either played football, dabbled in illegal activity or rapped… and I never liked football". He was discussing where his drive for music came from in the interview which among, other things concerning Robinson-Foster, has resurfaced through search online since the IDF rant. The enthusiasm helped propel Bobby Dylan as, by his early 20s, he was performing as a grime artist named Nee-Hi, who was dubbed "The Fresh Prince of Ipswich" by the music Press "for his energetic performances and old-school style." And, despite only forming Bob Vylan with drummer Bobbie Dylan in 2017, the punk-rap duo have released five albums. They were, though, initially called "too extreme" to be signed by any record label, and so the pals devised their own - Ghost Theatre - with which to start their professional foray. Success quickly followed and they toured, supporting the Offspring and Biffy Clyro, and performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2021. But the latest stunt - broadcast by the BBC - has sparked fury. Keir Starmer described the rant as "appalling hate speech" and has demanded an explanation from bosses at the BBC. Yet Robinson-Foster, who is a dad, has since shared a lengthy statement on Instagram, in which he stated: "Tomorrow it is a change in foreign policy." He added: "Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place."
