Hundreds have called for Bob Vylan to be dropped from Boardmasters 2025 following their controversial Glastonbury comments.
The rap punk duo made headlines at the Worthy Farm festival this year for leading provocative chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” during their set. Bob Vylan have since clarified that that they “are not for the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group”.
In the wake of their Glastonbury performance, they’ve been dropped as Gogol Bordello’s support slot, along with being axed as headliners from Manchester’s Radar festival – to which the band promised: “Manchester, we will be back”. The police are also investigating their set to decide whether any offences have been made.
Now, hundreds have pressured Cornwall Council to ban the group from Boardmasters, which is soon to take place from August 8-10. According to the BBC, the council have received almost 300 complaints in what councillor Dulcie Tudor has dubbed a “concerted campaign”.
Tudor added that the London band’s appearance was “more than the most-controversial planning application”, and that many of the complaints appeared to have been made outside the county.
Following the public complaint, a licensing hearing is planned – but after the band is scheduled to appear at the festival on August 10. Boardmasters has since given a statement to the BBC, telling the festival it did not “tolerate hate speech” or “incitement to violence”.
Many artists have chimed in on Bob Vylan’s remarks, with Massive Attack urging the media to instead “redirect their considerable news resource to reporting the truth of what is happening, daily, to the people of Gaza”. Wolf Alice similarly called the media outrage at Bob Vylan “a distraction technique”.
Bands also boycotted Radar festival in solidarity with Bob Vylan, with Hero In Error claiming that the festival “have been made scapegoats for the bigger issue”.
Chuck D of Public Enemy also came out in support of the band, explaining: “When people say death to a country, they’re not saying death to a people. They’re saying death to imperialism, death to colonialism.
“Bob Vylan ain’t got no tanks,” he continued. “They’re using words to say something must end. You can’t really kill nobody with a guitar or a microphone, but you could kill somebody with a drone and a fucking tank.”
However, Blur‘s Damon Albarn called the set “one of the most spectacular misfires I’ve seen in my life,” adding: “Especially when he started to goose-step in tennis gear. I mean I’ve had my moments — not quite as catastrophic as that but you do get carried away. The old testosterone gets you going. But it’s unfortunate. Everyone’s just so hysterical.”
In response, Bob Vylan fired back at Albarn calling him an “out of touch ’90’s musician” and affirming: “Your response should probably resemble something to the affect of: ‘Over 58k Palestinians killed since Oct 7th 2023. Over 700 killed while attempting to get aid. Over 1400 medical workers killed since Oct 7th.
“‘Genocide is being live streamed for all to see and the UK is not simply allowing it to continue but facilitating it, along with the United States. Why are we talking about a punk band?’ End.”
Elsewhere, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs is pushing for the government to deny Kneecap and Bob Vylan entry to Canada.
