Bob Vylan: What to know about the rap duo at the centre of Glastonbury controversy

Their performance is being assessed by the police and has been condemned by the BBC

Punk duo Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance has led to a police assessment and condemnation from festival organisers and the BBC.

The duo led crowds at the West Holts Stage in a chant of “death, death to the IDF” as they performed before Irish rap trio Kneecap.

In a post on social media on Saturday, Avon and Somerset Police 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.”

Glastonbury Festival organisers said they are “appalled” by the band’s conduct.

“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,” a statement read.

Meanwhile, the BBC said Bob Vylan’s language was “deeply offensive” and the performance would not be shown on demand on iPlayer.

Here is what to know about the duo at the centre of the controversy.

Bobby Vylan of Bob Vylan on the West Holts stage (Getty Images)

Who are Bob Vylan?

The band were formed in Ipswich in 2017. Both members keep their real names secret to maintain their privacy, and go only by the monikers Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan.

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.

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They have collaborated with Amyl And The Sniffers singer Amy Taylor, Soft Play guitarist Laurie Vincent and rock band Kid Kapichi.

A Bob Vylan member crowd-surfs surrounded by Palestinian flags (PA Wire)

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’.

Bob Vylan performing at Glastonbury (PA Wire)

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.

“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 spokesman told the paper after the incident that they “completely refute any wrongdoing” and that Bobby “did not want to engage”.