Latest news with #CatherineJacksonSmith
Telegraph
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Festival organiser gets death threats after cancelling Bob Vylan set
The boss of a music festival said she received death threats from pro-Palestinian activists after dropping controversial rap duo Bob Vylan from the line-up. Catherine Jackson-Smith, who co-founded the Radar festival in Manchester, revealed she received an anonymous phone call after dropping the act following their 'death, death to the IDF' chant at Glastonbury. Ms Jackson-Smith said the caller had made a number of 'vile' comments before ending the call by saying: 'We know who you are, we know what you look like, we know where you're going to be. Do you feel safe? Watch your back.' Bob Vylan sparked outrage last weekend after rapper Pascal Robinson-Foster led the crowd in the controversial anti-Israeli chant during an appearance at Glastonbury that was broadcast live on the BBC. The comments have been widely condemned as anti-Semitic and police have opened an investigation. Bob Vylan have claimed they are being 'targeted for speaking up'. The duo were scheduled to perform in the headline Saturday slot at Radar, an independent festival that takes place at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Trafford Park, Manchester. But in a brief Instagram post published on Wednesday, promoters said Bob Vylan would no longer be appearing. Radar's social media accounts were quickly flooded with abusive comments, including accusations that the festival was 'complicit in genocide' and 'supports the incineration of babies'. One social media user called on all other bands playing at Radar to boycott the festival in response, saying: 'If you don't pull out you support genocide.' The threats highlight the scale of abuse levelled by activists in an increasingly incendiary debate over the conflict in Gaza. It comes despite Ms Jackson-Smith insisting that she wanted Bob Vylan to perform but that she was 'forced' to pull the group after being told the festival could not go ahead if they remained on the line-up. The festival boss said that telling the duo they could not perform was 'categorically one of the most horrendous professional discussions I've ever had'. 'I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival,' she told the 2 Promoters, 1 Pod podcast, adding that she had considered booking controversial Irish hip hop trio Kneecap as a secret set instead. Radar and other festival organisers are also coming under pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups who are demanding that acts such as Bob Vylan and Kneecap be removed from line-ups. UK Lawyers for Israel have taken credit for Radar's decision to cancel the act. The charity said it had written to Academy Music Group, owners of the O2 Victoria Warehouse, warning of potential breaches of the law should the duo repeat their chants. A spokesman for the law group said: 'We are pleased to see that this kind of anti-Semitic hateful behaviour is not being tolerated by music venues. 'We hope this serves as a lesson to other performers that they cannot be racist and anti-Semitic with impunity.'
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Kneecap suggested as ‘secret set' to replace Bob Vylan at Manchester festival
Kneecap were suggested as a replacement for Bob Vylan by organisers of a festival who dropped the punk duo after Glastonbury. Bob Vylan's performance at Radar festival in Manchester was cancelled after singer Bobby Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, led crowds in chants of 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during their Saturday afternoon set at Glastonbury. Advertisement Speaking on the 2 Promoters, 1 Pod podcast, Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith said the festival was 'forced into a position' they did not want to take in dropping the band from their upcoming headline slot this Saturday. On acts that could replace Bob Vylan, Ms Jackson-Smith said her colleague Joe had suggested a Kneecap 'secret set' in order to 'make a statement'. 'You can say nothing publicly but if you go and book, and as I did mention, Joe's first response was, 'What if we did Kneecap as a secret set?' because that makes a statement, and it makes a statement without having to make a statement and that is what we wanted to do so we are going through options,' she said. Kneecap performed on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury after Bob Vylan (Yui Mok/PA) 'We might end up with somebody that has no discernible political opinion in any manner at this point because if they're free and they could play on Saturday, maybe that is the criteria that we're looking for at this stage.' Advertisement Irish rap trio Kneecap, whose member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence, performed on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury after Bob Vylan. As of Friday afternoon, Radar has not announced a replacement for Bob Vylan and the festival's website lists the Saturday line up as 'headliner TBA (to be announced)'. Of the conversation Radar organisers had with Bob Vylan, Ms Jackson-Smith said it was 'one of the most horrendous professional discussions' she has ever had. 'I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival,' she said. Advertisement 'Bob Vylan know that we wanted to book them. Why else would we have booked them?' she added. Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith said the festival did not want to pull Bob Vylan from its lineup (Yui Mok/PA) 'And Bob Vylan also know that we didn't want to pull them, because we tried our hardest not to do that… but ultimately, it still ends at the same point the headlines will be 'Radar festival pulled Bob Vylan'.' Bob Vylan issued a statement on Tuesday claiming they were being 'targeted for speaking up'. It has emerged that Bob Vylan were already under investigation by police for comments made at a performance one month before Glastonbury. Advertisement Video footage appears to show Bobby Vylan at Alexandra Palace telling crowds: 'Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.' The duo have had their US visas revoked before their tour later this year and have been pulled from an upcoming performance at a German music festival, following their appearance at Glastonbury. They are currently expected to perform at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August. The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class. Advertisement
The Independent
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kneecap suggested as ‘secret set' to replace Bob Vylan at Manchester festival
Kneecap were suggested as a replacement for Bob Vylan by organisers of a festival who dropped the punk duo after Glastonbury. Bob Vylan's performance at Radar festival in Manchester was cancelled after singer Bobby Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, led crowds in chants of 'death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)' during their Saturday afternoon set at Glastonbury. Speaking on the 2 Promoters, 1 Pod podcast, Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith said the festival was 'forced into a position' they did not want to take in dropping the band from their upcoming headline slot this Saturday. On acts that could replace Bob Vylan, Ms Jackson-Smith said her colleague Joe had suggested a Kneecap 'secret set' in order to 'make a statement'. 'You can say nothing publicly but if you go and book, and as I did mention, Joe's first response was, 'What if we did Kneecap as a secret set?' because that makes a statement, and it makes a statement without having to make a statement and that is what we wanted to do so we are going through options,' she said. 'We might end up with somebody that has no discernible political opinion in any manner at this point because if they're free and they could play on Saturday, maybe that is the criteria that we're looking for at this stage.' Irish rap trio Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence, performed on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury after Bob Vylan. As of Friday afternoon, Radar has not announced a replacement for Bob Vylan and the festival's website lists the Saturday line up as 'headliner TBA (to be announced)'. Of the conversation Radar organisers had with Bob Vylan, Ms Jackson-Smith said it was 'one of the most horrendous professional discussions' she has ever had. 'I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival,' she said. 'Bob Vylan know that we wanted to book them. Why else would we have booked them?' she added. 'And Bob Vylan also know that we didn't want to pull them, because we tried our hardest not to do that… but ultimately, it still ends at the same point the headlines will be 'Radar festival pulled Bob Vylan'.' Bob Vylan issued a statement on Tuesday claiming they were being 'targeted for speaking up'. It has emerged that Bob Vylan were already under investigation by police for comments made at a performance one month before Glastonbury. Video footage appears to show Bobby Vylan at Alexandra Palace telling crowds: 'Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.' The duo have had their US visas revoked before their tour later this year and have been pulled from an upcoming performance at a German music festival, following their appearance at Glastonbury. They are currently expected to perform at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August. The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘It Was Horrific': Radar Festival Speaks Out on Bob Vylan Cancellation
Manchester's Radar Festival says it was left with no choice but to pull Bob Vylan from its 2025 lineup, following the punk-rap duo's controversial set at Glastonbury Festival. The pair sparked headlines during their performance on Glastonbury's West Holts Stage, leading chants of 'Death to the IDF' while also calling out the BBC, the US and UK governments, and more. Frontman Bobby Vylan told the crowd, 'We are the violent punks, because sometimes you gotta get your message across with violence because that is the only language some people speak, unfortunately.' More from Billboard Robert Plant Pays Tribute to Liverpool's Diogo Jota Following Death at 28 Boldy James Finally Explains Why Amanda Seales Claims He Owes Her Money Jim Jones Says He Didn't Realize How Many People Loved Nas Until Viral Comparison: 'I'm Watching People Go Absolutely Batsh- Crazy' The backlash was swift. Glastonbury organizers issued a statement condemning the chants, saying they 'very much crossed a line' and that there is 'no place at Glastonbury for anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' Radar initially confirmed Bob Vylan's removal with a brief statement on July 2: 'Bob Vylan will not be appearing at RADAR Festival this weekend.' But in a new interview on the Two Promoters One Pod podcast, organizer Catherine Jackson-Smith shared that the festival did not want to cancel the group's headline set. 'It was categorically one of the most horrendous professional discussions I've ever had,' she said. 'I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival. But this was not our decision.' According to Jackson-Smith, Radar was caught between behind-the-scenes conversations involving the venue, its co-owners AMG and Live Nation, and local authorities. The decision to drop Bob Vylan was presented as an ultimatum: either cancel the band's appearance or risk losing the entire Saturday program. 'There was not an option for Bob Vylan to step on stage on Saturday; that became apparent at the beginning of the week,' Jackson-Smith explained. 'If we continued with Bob Vylan as our headliner, we wouldn't have the festival happening on Saturday.' The festival, which runs July 4-6 at Manchester's O2 Victoria Warehouse, is independently operated by Jackson-Smith and co-founder Joe James. Canceling the band prevented what she described as a 'precarious situation' that could have impacted 41 other acts and the viability of the event itself. Adding to the complexity, Bob Vylan's agency dropped the band in the wake of the Glastonbury controversy, forcing Jackson-Smith to have a direct conversation with the group about their removal. 'It was horrific as a conversation,' she said. 'Bob Vylan knew that we didn't want to pull them.' In response, Bob Vylan posted on social media: 'Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.' The Glastonbury performance continues to ripple across the industry. Alongside being dropped from Radar, Bob Vylan has reportedly been removed from the Kave Festival in France and a Gogol Bordello support slot in Cologne. Their US visas have also been revoked, and they are under criminal investigation in connection to the remarks. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticized the BBC for airing the performance, calling it 'a problem of leadership,' while US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described Bob Vylan's remarks as 'a hateful tirade.' In a follow-up statement, Bob Vylan said they are 'not for the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group' and called for 'the dismantling of a violent military machine.' Radar Festival has yet to announce a replacement headliner for Saturday. Jackson-Smith confirmed efforts are underway but acknowledged the difficulty of securing a last-minute act. 'We might end up with someone that has no discernible political opinion at this point because if they're free and they can play on Saturday, maybe that's the only criteria,' she said. Radar Festival told Billboard they will be making no further comment on the matter. The festival runs July 4-6 at Manchester's O2 Victoria Warehouse. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
