Bob Vylan frontman makes a bombshell revelation about his controversial 'Death to IDF' Glastonbury chant performance
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GLASTONBURY, ENGLAND - JUNE 28: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Bob Vylan performs on the West Holts stage during day four of Glastonbury Festival 2025 at Worthy Farm, Pilton on June 28, 2025 in Glastonbury, England. Avon and Somerset Police have announced that they have launched a criminal investigation into the performances of Bob Vylan and also of the Irish-language rap band Kneecap who are known for making pro-Palestinian and political comments during their live performances and have attracted controversy in the past. Established by Michael Eavis in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into the UK's largest music festival, drawing over 200,000 fans to enjoy performances across more than 100 stages. In 2026, the festival will take a fallow year, a planned pause to allow the Worthy Farm site time to rest and recover. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)British rapper Bobby Vylan, still the outspoken frontman of the punk‑hip‑hop duo Bob Vylan, has sparked controversy after opening up about his Glastonbury gig. In a chat on Louis Theroux's podcast, Vylan said that within hours of delivering the track "Death to the IDF, " a couple of BBC executives stopped him to gush that the set was "fantastic" and that they "loved it."
In an exchange, Theroux delivered a startling admission that left him visibly on edge, and the ripple effect has reignited a fierce conversation about how political expression is handled and who bears responsibility at mainstream music festivals.
Bobby Vylan defends Glastonbury chant amid BBC backlash
Last June saw the legendary Glastonbury Festival become the setting for a flashpoint that instantly lit up headlines worldwide. London's own Bob Vylan, a duo famed for fusing punk's bite with the swagger of hip‑hop and grime, seized the West Holts stage. They delivered a set that crackled with unfiltered kinetic energy.
What started as a blistering high‑octane performance quickly shifted when they rallied the crowd to chant against the IDF and call for freedom, a moment captured live by the BBC that thrust the festival into a global controversy.
Bobby Vylan has pushed back against the backlash over his Glastonbury set, saying he doesn't regret the chant and pointing out that some BBC staff actually praised the performance. On The Louis Theroux Podcast, he described the reaction as fairly muted. In his words (via Deadline):
"It wasn't like we came off stage, and everybody was like [he gasps]. It’s just normal. We come off stage. It's normal. Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like, 'That was fantastic! We loved that!'..."
According to Deadline, The BBC, meanwhile, has already denounced the episode as offensive and deplorable, tightening its rules to keep high‑risk shows from being streamed, weighing disciplinary action against the employees who let the feed run.
Vylan described the backlash as disproportionate, contending that the chant was essentially a critique of Israel's actions in Gaza. He went on to reveal that his agency, UTA, dropped him and his band after the festival, apparently following a directive from leadership.
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TOPICS: Bob Vylan