Bob Vylan, the British genre-bending musician known for his incendiary live sets, recently caused a big uproar. This drama unfolded when he called out right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk on the air. The fallout from this incident has been huge. Indeed, he has already announced the cancellation of a likely two-week run of the act at Dutch venue 013 in Tilburg, which was to begin on September 16.
The controversy began when Bob Vylan, whose real name remains undisclosed, led chants of “death to the IDF” at a festival. This raised enough alarm to trigger an ongoing criminal investigation by Avon and Somerset police. The band’s vicious rhetoric has rightly caused many to roar in protest and demand action, ultimately forcing them to cancel their upcoming show in Holland. After a prior performance, the venue management said the band had “crossed the line” on stage. This was the case during this incident at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.
During the Paradiso gig, Bobby Vylan referred to Kirk as “a piece of shit” and “an absolute piece of shit of a human being.” He commented on “the pronouns was/were. Many people view this as an effort to bait or troll his audience. Bob Vylan defended his actions, stating, “At no point during yesterday’s show was Charlie Kirk’s death celebrated. I did call him a piece of shit. That much is true. But at no point was his death celebrated.”
Bobby Vylan made it clear that the outrage over his statement has been blown out of proportion. He attacked a journalist who had purchased a ticket only to do the kind of investigative reporting. He stated, “What did happen is one reporter…came with the sole purpose of finding something to report…It’s not a celebration… Calm down.”
Bob Vylan capped the night with a sold-out show at the Paradiso and reminded everyone about their stance as UK punk warriors. The backlash just spurred them on with more to win. Their US visas were later revoked, throwing their ability to perform in America at all in the future into uncertainty.
Boardmasters Festival-related beach incident attracted national media attention. A Reform community organizer defended the action by making an application to Cornwall Council to have the event’s license reviewed based on its promotion of hate speech and incitement to violence. A spokesperson for Boardmasters said that the festival is opposed to hate speech and calls for violence. Finally, they reaffirmed their intention to create an environment of mutual respect.
In response to the ongoing inquiries into his comments, Bobby Vylan tweeted that their show in Amsterdam was “always love,” attempting to clarify his intentions amid the controversy. He further expressed frustration with law enforcement’s response to his remarks, questioning why investigations were taking so long. “There was nothing antisemitic or criminal about anything I said at Glastonbury.”
With the process still unfolding, reactions from the public are mixed. As the above thread shows, some fans defend Bob Vylan’s right to express himself artistically, while others criticize his language and attitude.