Latest news with #HumbleastheSun
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Bob Vylan take a victory lap after their album re-enters UK charts despite their 'Death to IDF' controversy at Glastonbury
Bob Vylan took a victory lap this weekend after their 2024 album 'Humble as the Sun' re-entered the UK charts. The musical punk duo, headed up by Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, made global headlines during the 2025 Glastonbury Festival for their inflammatory speech concerning the ongoing war in Gaza. Bob Vylan weren't the only artists at the festival who spoke out in favor of Palestinian human rights and condemned Israel for what the nation's critics claim is a genocidal pogrom against the residents of the Gaza strip. However, Bobby Vylan did take their rhetoric further than most by saying:"Alright, but have you heard this one, though? Death, death to the IDF!" Bob Vylan received backlash for their Glastonbury comments Silence is not an option. The duo were harshly condemned for their "Death to the IDF" chants by many of the United Kingdom's politicians, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis, along with the BBC, promptly distanced themselves from the duo. Bob Vylan refused to apologize for their comments and denied that they were antisemitic, saying:"We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use 'unnecessary lethal force' against innocent civilians waiting for aid. A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza." Bob Vylan celebrate after their music re-enters the charts Ban Bob Vylan? The people said 'Nah'. We need artists that speak up. Our album 'Humble As The Sun' is back in the charts and, as an independent band releasing music on our own label, it shows the power of the people. You can't get dropped if you own the label. Thank you all! Although there were calls for Bob Vylan to be investigated for hate crimes following their Glastonbury comments, the duo didn't face any legal repercussions for their speech. However, their invitations to the Radar Festival and Kave Fest were revoked, and the United States Department of State barred their entry by revoking their visas. Bob Vylan have claimed victory, however, with their album, 'Humble Like the Sun', re-entering the UK charts this past weekend. The duo revealed that the album had now reached the top spot in the UK's hip-hop and R&B chart, and No. 8 on the album downloads Vylan credited their own independence as a major reason why their music had returned to the charts so quickly, saying 'You can't get dropped if you own the label.'
The National
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Who are Bob Vylan and what did they do at Glastonbury Festival?
The duo, made up of Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan, led crowds at the West Holts Stage in a chant of 'death, death to the IDF' as they performed before Irish rap trio Kneecap. Who are Bob Vylan? Formed in Ipswich in 2017, both members of Bob Vylan keep their real names secret to maintain their privacy. The band's musical style is an innovative mix of grime, punk and hard rock, and they have released four albums, Dread (2019), We Live Here (2020), Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life (2022), and Humble as the Sun (2024). READ MORE: Home Office staff concerned over 'absurb' ban on Palestine Action, reports say They won best alternative music act at the Mobo Awards in 2022, and best album at the Kerrang awards in 2022 for Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life. They have collaborated with Amyl And The Sniffers singer Amy Taylor, Soft Play guitarist Laurie Vincent and rock band Kid Kapichi. What are their performances like? Bob Vylan perform a high energy set of sampled guitar tracks mixed with live drumming from Bobbie, and the band often see their audiences pogoing and moshing, but they make an effort to ensure the crowd acts safely. The band's songs often speak out against racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity and far right politics, and the track Pretty Songs is often introduced by Bobby saying that 'violence is the only language that some people understand'. In their early days Bobby would sometimes wield a baseball bat, thrashing it in the direction of the crowd, and carry out other provocative actions such as wearing the football shirt of the rivals of the town or city in which they were playing. Recently, the band has become less confrontational, and Bobbie regularly performs a drum solo to the late Roy Ayers' chilled out Everybody Loves The Sunshine. During their Glastonbury set, Bobby brought out his daughter to sing with him on Dream Bigger. Have they been in the news before? In 2021, the Norwich Evening News reported that one fan was on the end of a tirade from Bobby, after he was hit by an ice cube while performing in an Ipswich Town shirt, and the gig was said to have been halted while the singer ranted. Bobby is also said to have wielded a baseball bat at the gig, and the news article was headlined 'the frost and the fury'. Sarah Corbett, from Norwich, who was on the receiving end of the alleged tirade, told the newspaper: 'We were all having fun on the dance floor. I'd put an ice cube down my friend's top for a laugh. 'Another girl then threw it at her friend, but it missed and landed at his feet. 'At that point he stopped the gig and demanded to know who had thrown it. (Image: Jane Evans Photography) 'Seeing the girl's face drop, I decided to take the flak and announced it was me. He started abusing me through the microphone. 'As I tried to leave, one of his fans tried to grab me by the throat.' A band spokesperson told the paper after the incident that they 'completely refute any wrongdoing' and that Bobby 'did not want to engage'.
