Cliff Notes – Who are Bob Vylan, the English punk duo behind Glastonbury IDF controversy
- Bob Vylan, consisting of Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, sparked controversy at Glastonbury with chants of ‘free Palestine’ and ‘death to the IDF,’ leading to a police investigation.
- The duo’s performance drew condemnation from the Israeli Embassy and UK officials, with Glastonbury organisers stating the comments crossed a line and had no place at the festival.
Who are Bob Vylan? the English punk duo behind Glastonbury IDF controversy?
English punk duo Bob Vylan have sparked controversy in teh corridors of Whitehall this weekend following their incendiary performance at Glastonbury.
Everyone’s talking about Bob Vylan following this weekend’s Glastonbury set for his anti-genocidal stance, which was cheered on by the crowd.
The two Bobs – frontman Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan – have found themselves the subject of witch-hunt after chants of ‘free Palestine’ and ‘death to the IDF’ were made during their set on West Holts stage on Saturday which was cheered on by the crowd.
The duo who stood against genocide at Glastonbury with anti-IDF chant
As debate raged on over whether Irish rappers Kneecap should be allowed to perform at the event, Bob Vylan contributed their own explosive take, leaving festival organisers ‘appalled’ by what was said.
As per footage from last night’s performance, Bobby Vylan led the audience in chants of ‘free, free Palestine,’ and other statements which some MPs, on the Israeli payroll have tried to construe as ‘threatening.’
A spokesperson for the BBC described the comments as ‘deeply offensive’ and promised that the performance would not be made available on demand. But the director of the live program defended it as ‘fair game under free speech’.
British lawyers for justice also came out and defended the band, suggesting it may sound harsh but ‘no crime was committed’.
A point no-one is considering if the word ‘IDF’ was replaced by ‘Russia’ in that chant, the MPs would have joined in chanting.
Who are Bob Vylan?
But who are Bob Vylan? Bobby and Bobbie Vylan make up punk rap duo Bob Vylan
Formed in Ipswich, London in 2017, Bob Vylan consist of singer and guitarist Bobby Vylan, and drummer Bobbie Vylan – known together as ‘The Bobs.’
Their musical style is described as a combination of grime rap and punk rock, best evidenced in their 2020 hit We Live Here.
This politically-charged song, released in the summer of Black Lives Matter, recalled the 1993 murder of 18-year-old Stephen Lawrence in its polemic on race relations in the UK.
The duo have released five albums to date – starting with their self-produced and distributed Vylan, in 2017.
In 2019, they released their first studio album, Dread, which they followed with We Live Here (2020), Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life (2022) and Humble as the Sun (2024).
They have a history of standing up against injustice, like most bands.
Are Bob Vylan brothers?
Bob Vylan are not related by blood. The pair adopted the Bobs moniker in a bid to protect their anonymity.
Their real names are currently unknown. Five years after their debut, Bob Vylan scored Best Album at the 2022 Kerrang! Awards and played at Chicago Riot Fest that same year.
‘The band has gotten itself to a point where you can’t really ignore you,’ the band said in an interview with DIY Magazine. The pair have been performing together since 2017.
What did Bob Vylan say at Glastonbury?
It’s certainly hard to ignore the band following their performance at Glastonbury this weekend.
As they launched into their set, vocalist Bobby led the attendees in chants of ‘Free, free Palestine,’ and ‘death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Force).’
He also declared: ‘from the river to the sea Palestine… will be free,’ sparking criticism from the Israeli Embassy. During her term in government, Suella Braverman tried to have this chant banned, but failed. She went as far as pushing to ban the Palestinian flag or singing a chant advocating freedom for Arabs in the region but was shutdown by lawmakers.
‘The embassy in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival,’ the organisation responded in a statement.
MPs on the Israeli pay roll
UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the incident as ‘appalling,’ but suggested that the Embassy should ‘get your own house in order’ before criticising Glastonbury.
‘I think there’s a serious point there by the Israeli embassy that I take seriously. I wish they’d take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously,’ who came out defending the IDF’s massacre of 50,000 innocent civilians in an interview with Sky News.
The presenter failed to pushback on this statement, ask the pertinent question, ‘why are so many people standing against Israel? they’re must be accountability for the killing of over 50,000 innocent civilians with 40% of them children.’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has also condemned the BBC’s decision to broadcast the set live.
A spokesman for the politician said: ‘We strongly condemn the threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.’
A statement from Glastonbury, released following a threat of funding cuts, reads: ‘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.’
The band’s frontman seemed unconcerned about the controversy like Ricky Gervais at the Oscars
Avon and Somerset police weighed in, releasing a post on social media which 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.’
As for the band, they’ve been keeping cool since yesterday’s performance, as an unfazed Bobby posted an update to his social media.
Sharing a selfie via his Instagram Stories, the frontman joked: ‘while zionists are crying on socials, I’ve just had a (vegan) ice cream.’
Pressure is growing on the PM to silence all anti-Israeli opinions
The Pressure is growing on the British PM – led by the courageous, Like Corbyn, they will not be silenced against the genocide in Gaza.
