LONDON: Rap-punk group Bob Vylan appear to have been dropped by their agents after sparking outrage at Glastonbury Festival over the weekend with a chant referencing the Israel Defense Forces, it was reported on Monday.
During their set on the West Holts Stage on Saturday, frontman Bobby Vylan led the crowd in chants of “Free, free Palestine” and “Death, death to the IDF.”
The performance was streamed live on BBC iPlayer but was later removed from the platform, and police are now assessing whether any offenses were committed during the performance.
Media reports said it appeared United Talent Agency, which previously represented the duo, had removed them from its roster in the wake of the backlash.
As of Monday, Bob Vylan no longer appear on UTA’s official website. The agency has not yet commented publicly on the decision.
The group, formed in Ipswich in 2017, consists of two members who go by the monikers Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, keeping their real names private.
On Sunday evening, Bobby addressed the controversy on Instagram, saying he had been “inundated” with both “support and hatred” following the performance.
“I stand by what I said,” he wrote. “And I’m calling for a change in foreign policy.”
In a statement issued after the incident, Glastonbury Festival organizers said: “Glastonbury Festival was created in 1970 as a place for people to come together and rejoice in music, the arts and the best of human endeavour. 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.”
