Bob Vylan: Punk duo announce last-minute London show amid police investigations; are there still tickets?
Punk duo Bob Vylan are set to perform a surprise gig at London’s 100 Club on Wednesday night amid police investigations into their ‘Death to the IDF’ chants.
The band, fronted by Bobby Vylan, 34, is under investigation by Avon and Somerset Police for remarks made during their Glastonbury Festival set. During the live performance, Vylan led the crowd in chanting: “Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).” The Metropolitan Police is also investigating the group over footage from a May performance at Alexandra Palace in which Vylan appears to say: “Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.”
The remarks have sparked widespread backlash. The band has since been removed from the lineup of Radar Festival in Manchester and pulled from a scheduled show in Germany. United Talent Agency (UTA) has reportedly dropped the group and removed them from its website. Additionally, their US visas have been revoked ahead of a planned tour later this year.
In a post last week, Bob Vylan said they were being “targeted for speaking up.” In a recent gig in Athens, Vylan defended their stance, telling the crowd: “We are not generally hateful people, but we do hate war, and we do hate injustice... We will continue to fly that beautiful Palestinian flag, and nobody anywhere in the world will tell us that we are not allowed to.”
Despite the ongoing controversies, the duo are still expected to perform at Boardmasters festival in Newquay, Cornwall, this August.
Meanwhile, the BBC is facing internal scrutiny after it chose to air the band’s Glastonbury performance live. According to The Times, director of music Lorna Clarke is among senior BBC staff who have stepped back from daily duties amid the fallout.
The Glastonbury performance also sparked a probe into Irish rap trio Kneecap, who followed Bob Vylan on the West Holts Stage. During their set, a member of the group joked that fans should “start a riot” and led the crowd in chants of “F*** Keir Starmer” - after the prime minister said their appearance was “not appropriate.”
Are the still tickets to Bob Vylan’s surprise gig?
The gig is set to take place at The 100 Club on Oxford Street in London. Tickets are priced at £24.93 but are currently sold out, though fans can still join the waitlist on DICE. The doors will open at 7.30pm on Wednesday (July 9).