Glastonbury 2025: Who are Bob Vylan? Punk duo spark outrage with 'death to IDF' chants during performance

The band performed on the West Holts Stage on Saturday afternoon (June 28) and sparked widespread outrage after leading chants of ‘death to the IDF’ with the packed crowd. The performance was broadcast on the BBC iPlayer as part of the BBC’s Glastonbury livestream coverage.

The actions have sparked not only criticism but also a police probe, after Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that officers were “assessing” footage taken at the performance to determine whether a crime had been committed.

The BBC, which has not added the recorded performance to its Glastonbury on-demand content, said in a statement: “Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan’s set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.”

The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) has said that it plans to lodge a formal complaint to the BBC over the broadcast of the performance. A spokesperson for the group said: “Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions.”

Glastonbury Festival organisers also slammed the statements made on stage. They said in a statement released on social media: “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.”

Who are Bob Vylan?

Bob Vylan are a punk two-piece from London. Made up of lead singer and rapper Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan, who both use stage names, the duo mix punk rock elements with grime and rap in their music, which often has a focus on with anti-racism, masculinity, homophobia and political messages.

Bob Vylan cite acts such as Dizzee Rascal, Skepta and Stormzy as influences, as well as Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols and rapper and poet Akala. The pair also surprisingly cite Whitney Houston as an influence. Despite their moniker, the band have not cited any influence from folk singer-songwriter Bob Dylan.

The band have released three studio albums. Their first album, We Live Here, was released in August 2020. Their second album, Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life, was released in April 2022 and reach number 18 in the UK Album Chart. Bob Vylan’s most recent studio album, Humble as the Sun, was released in April 2024.