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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who are Bob Vylan - the duo who 'very much crossed the line' at Glastonbury with anti-IDF chant?
Musicians, especially punk acts, making headlines for their politics is nothing new. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Rage Against The Machine - in 2025, it's Kneecap and now Bob Vylan riling politicians. But in the case of chants made by Bob Vylan on stage at Glastonbury, it is not just MPs. Festival organiser Emily Eavis has also condemned the comments despite the festival's advocacy for free speech, saying they "very much crossed a line". Police are investigating footage of the performance, which has since been removed by the BBC, to see if any offences were committed. So who are Bob Vylan? The duo are Bobby Vylan, the frontman, and drummer Bobbie Vylan. They have not revealed their real names to protect their privacy. They formed in Ipswich in 2017 and their musical style is a mix of punk, rap, and hard rock. They have released three albums - We Live Here (2020), Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life (2022), and last year's Humble As The Sun - and their music has won them awards including best alternative act at the MOBOs in 2022, and best album at the Kerrang Awards in the same year. Their songs confront issues including 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". Gigs often include some crowd-surfing from the frontman, and they have collaborated with artists including Amyl And The Sniffers singer Amy Taylor, Soft Play guitarist Laurie Vincent, and rock band Kid Kapichi. In an interview with The Guardian last year, Bobby Vylan told how he attended his first pro-Palestine protest at the age of 15, escorted by a friend's mother. The duo have been outspoken on the war in Gaza and called out other acts seen as left-wing who haven't been showing the same amount of public solidarity. The Glastonbury set Before their appearance at the festival, the duo highlighted it to fans watching at home, posting on Facebook: "Turns out we're finally at a point where the BBC trust us on live tv! Watch us live either in the field or in the comfort of your own home!" On stage, they performed in front of a screen bearing several statements, including one which claimed Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide". Afterwards, as controversy over the set grew, they appeared to double down with statements shared on social media. Their comments have drawn criticism from the Israeli embassy and MPs - and now Glastonbury and Emily Eavis, too. Read more Bob Vylan performed on stage ahead of Kneecap, kept on the bill despite calls for them to be axed. Michael Eavis, the festival's founder, said before the event that people who did not like the politics could "go somewhere else". However, Bob Vylan's comments pushed things too far, a statement posted by the festival and Emily Eavis said on Sunday morning. "As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism," the statement said. "We will always believe in - and actively campaign for - hope, unity, peace and love." With almost 4,000 performances over the weekend, there will be artists and speakers appearing "whose views we do not share", they continued, "and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs". But they described the statements by Bob Vylan as "appalling". "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."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who are the duo Bob Vylan, in the spotlight after Glastonbury set?
DESPITE it being the final day of the festival, one set at Glastonbury 2025 is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons - but who exactly is Bob Vylan? Footage of punk duo Bob Vylan's Glastonbury Festival performance is being assessed by Avon and Somerset Police to see whether any offences may have been committed. READ MORE: Celebrities rumoured to perform with Rod Stewart at Glastonbury READ MORE: Glastonbury Festival 2025 Live: Sunday news and updates 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, which had to be closed off by the festival just under an hour before they performed. But 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). 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. Bob Vylan crowdsurfing at Glastonbury Festival 2025. (Image: Yui Mok) What do their performances entail? 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. A spokesperson from Avon and Somerset Police spoke yesterday (June 28), "We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon (Saturday 28 June). "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation." The Glastonbury Festival organisers aren't happy, including Emily Eavis, who has posted a statement via social media. A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis reads: '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.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Who are Bob Vylan? The punk duo behind Glastonbury's controversial pro-Palestine chants
Glastonbury is no stranger to political statements, and this year a punk duo grabbed headlines after leading pro-Palestine chants on stage. Here's what you need to know about the breakthrough act shaking up the Left Field stage this weekend. Who are Bob Vylan? Bob Vylan (pronounced villain) are known for their unconventional blend of punk and hip-hop. Formed in London in 2017, the pair have built a cult following with their fiercely political lyrics and incendiary live performances. To protect their identities in what they describe as a surveillance state, they go by Bobby and Bobbie. Their songs contain scathing indictments of the British establishment, racism and inequality, blending punk, grime and hardcore into a sound all their own. They quickly broke through the industry's glass ceiling, winning Best Album at the 2022 Kerrang! Awards and landing in the UK Top 20 — an impressive feat for such a divisive sound. 'The band has gotten itself to a point where you can't really ignore us,' the vocalist told DIY magazine. What happened at Glastonbury? The duo performed on Saturday afternoon on the Left Field stage, a venue associated with radical politics. During their set, Bobby Vylan launched into a powerful polemic against political leaders for 'complicity in genocide', leading a chant of 'Free Palestine' and 'Death to the IDF.' The moment quickly spread across social media, with pro-Israel voices branding the duo as 'anti-Semitic.' As a proud Zionist, I wouldn't feel welcome at Glastonbury this year. This is the state of Britain's biggest music festival. A platform for extremists — Bella Wallersteiner 🇺🇦 (@BellaWallerstei) June 27, 2025 Others believe that the performance is making 'the right people' uncomfortable, responding: 'You wouldn't be welcome, and you, as a Zionist, are in fact the extremist. ' This comes following the legal trouble facing Irish rave-rap group Kneecap, who face terrorism charges after their controversial anti-Israel comments at Coachella. The controversy surrounding Kneecap led the BBC to decide not to air their performance, instead opting for Bob Vylan, which turned out to be equally inflammatory. Following the performance, news broke that police are assessing videos of both Kneecap and Bob Vylan. Some pundits have branded the reaction as 'utter hysteria' and serving as pure distraction from the suffering taking place in Gaza. This is utter hysteria. To state the obvious: Almost 60,000 people are recorded to have been killed by Israel in Gaza (the true number will be many times higher) and 17,000 of them are children. But Kneecap, Bob Vylan, hurty words. It would be funny if it wasn't so shameful. — Barry Malone (@malonebarry) June 28, 2025 What else do they stand for? Bob Vylan's entire identity is rooted in protest. Their lyrics cover all manner of topics, from police brutality and the legacy of colonialism to gentrification and mental health challenges. In their song Britain Makes Me Violent, Bobby insists there's 'nothing great' about Great Britain. On Reign, the vocalist advocates for repatriation: 'Got a message for the thieves in the palace, we want the jewels back.' On GYAG, the singer takes a shock approach to the London housing crisis, saying 'Landlord just raised your rent / Mate, get yourself a gun', stemming from his own experience with a newborn under a cruel landlord. The provocative lyrics, they explain, are simply a reaction to a state that enables systematic mistreatment. He told The Guardian: 'I'm not saying it for the purpose of purely being provocative. It's just what I feel.' Following the provocative Glastonbury show, Bobby Vylan appeared relaxed eating an ice cream, while he said: 'Zionists are crying on socials.' Bob Vylan just posted this on his Instagram😂 — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) June 28, 2025
