Bob Vylan, the incendiary punk-rap duo known for their confrontational lyrics and uncompromising social commentary, are once again at the center of a national debate as they announce a major UK tour, months after a performance at Glastonbury Festival triggered a criminal investigation and widespread controversy. The band, formed in Ipswich in 2017 and consisting of members Bob and Bobbie Vylan, revealed that they will be performing at Glasgow’s O2 Academy in November 2025 as part of a six-date headline tour across the United Kingdom. Other stops include Leeds, Manchester, London, Bristol, and Birmingham, with tickets for the Glasgow show going on sale September 12.
The announcement comes in the wake of a turbulent summer that saw Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set in June 2025 spark outrage and official scrutiny. During the performance, rapper Bobby Vylan led chants of “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces),” a moment that quickly reverberated far beyond the festival grounds. According to STV News, Avon and Somerset Police launched a criminal investigation after receiving “a large amount of contact from people across the world” in response to the performance. The incident placed Bob Vylan in the eye of a media storm, with debates raging over artistic freedom, hate speech, and the boundaries of protest in music.
The fallout was swift and multifaceted. Not only did the police begin looking into the Glastonbury performance, but Bob Vylan were also targeted by a campaign seeking to have them removed from the lineup of the Boardmasters festival in Cornwall. Despite the controversy, Boardmasters organizers decided the band would be allowed to perform, emphasizing their commitment to providing a “respectful and safe environment” for all attendees. The band’s appearance at other festivals was not so fortunate; as reported by Kerrang!, Bob Vylan confirmed they would not be appearing at the RADAR Festival the weekend following September 9, 2025, despite being scheduled to headline.
In a message to their fans, Bob and Bobbie Vylan struck a defiant tone: “After all the attempts to silence us, we’re about to be louder than ever. We won’t go quietly!” This message, echoed across their social media and press statements, has become something of a rallying cry for supporters who see the duo as champions of free expression and resistance against censorship. The band’s four albums have tackled issues such as racism, masculinity, and class, building a devoted following among listeners who feel marginalized or unheard by mainstream culture.
Yet the controversy has not been limited to the music world. The BBC, which broadcast Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set live, has faced its own reckoning. On September 9, 2025, BBC director-general Tim Davie appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in Parliament to answer pointed questions about the corporation’s editorial decisions. According to the Press Association, Davie described the decision to air the set as “a very significant mistake,” characterizing the performance as “antisemitic” and “deeply disturbing.”
“I don’t think I misread it, I just got there (to Glastonbury) when I heard about it (at) about five o’clock … the performance was well done by then, and at that point I knew absolutely that it was an antisemitic broadcast,” Davie told MPs. “So, my decision was to get that off on demand, simple as that, I mean, it wasn’t too complicated in my mind, and to your point, I do think it was deeply disturbing, deeply disturbing. I mean, personally, I’ve talked to many people about this, I thought it was deeply disturbing what happened, I mean the BBC made a very significant mistake, very significant, in broadcasting that.”
Davie emphasized that upon seeing the footage, he ordered its removal from on-demand services, acknowledging the distress caused by broadcasting such words to a wide audience. The BBC’s actions have drawn both criticism and support, with some arguing that the corporation failed to exercise proper editorial judgment, while others contend that pulling the footage constitutes an overreach that stifles legitimate protest and artistic expression.
The parliamentary session also touched on broader issues of transparency and impartiality at the BBC. Davie and BBC chairman Samir Shah addressed other recent controversies, including the removal of the Gaza documentary “How To Survive A Warzone” from BBC iPlayer after it was revealed that the child narrator’s father held a senior position in the Hamas-run government. Shah admitted, “It was a real mistake. What (the report) found was that we were not open and transparent about the relationship of the narrator to a Hamas official, really does go straight to heart of the BBC’s reputational risk in terms of being impartial and trustworthy. It was a sin of omission, which is just as serious as a sin of commission.”
Amid this climate of heightened scrutiny, Bob Vylan’s decision to press forward with their UK tour has taken on added significance. Their statement, “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” posted to Instagram after Glastonbury, underscores their commitment to activism and the belief that music can be a vehicle for social change. “As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
The band’s supporters argue that Bob Vylan’s outspoken stance is a vital counterweight to what they see as a stifling culture of conformity and silence around controversial political issues. Critics, however, maintain that there are lines that should not be crossed, especially when it comes to language that could incite hatred or violence. The debate has spilled over onto social media, with hashtags both supporting and condemning the band trending in the weeks following Glastonbury.
Bob Vylan’s six-date UK tour will begin in Leeds on November 4, followed by stops in Manchester (November 5), Glasgow (November 6), London (November 11), Bristol (November 20), and culminating in Birmingham on December 4. The Glasgow show, in particular, is expected to draw significant attention, given both the recent controversies and the city’s vibrant music scene. Whether the tour will proceed without further incident remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: Bob Vylan are not backing down.
As the dust settles, the questions raised by this summer’s events—about free speech, protest, and the responsibilities of both artists and broadcasters—are far from resolved. For now, Bob Vylan’s voice remains undimmed, echoing through the venues of the UK and the halls of public debate alike.
