Punk rap duo Bob Vylan will not headline the Radar Competition in Manchester days after main chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury.
The efficiency on the West Holts Stage on Saturday was livestreamed on the BBC – main the company to apologise because it described the chants referencing the Israeli navy as “antisemitic” and “unacceptable”.
Avon and Somerset Police introduced on Monday that it had opened a legal investigation after reviewing footage of performances at Glastonbury by Bob Vylan and Irish hip hop trio Kneecap.
The Metropolitan Police has now mentioned it has launched a separate investigation after Bob Vylan allegedly known as for “death to every single IDF soldier out there” at a gig one month earlier than Glastonbury.
“Officers are investigating comments allegedly made during a concert at Alexandra Palace earlier this year,” A Met spokesperson mentioned on Wednesday.
“The decision to investigate follows the emergence of footage which appears to have been filmed at the venue on 28 May 2025.”
The pair had supported Iggy Pop on the London venue.
In a submit on Instagram on Wednesday, the Radar Competition, which takes place on the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, wrote: “Bob Vylan will not be appearing at Radar Festival this weekend.”
The pageant has not defined why the duo will not seem on Saturday night time – with its line-up now studying “headliner TBC”.
In response, the group shared the pageant’s assertion on their Instagram story, including the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester we will be back.”
It comes after the band had been barred from the US, the place they had been on account of tour in autumn with performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.
US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau mentioned the duo’s visas had been revoked for his or her “hateful tirade at Glastonbury”.
The band have additionally been pulled from an upcoming efficiency at a German music venue.
Picture:
Bob Vylan with their MOBO award in London in November 2022. Pic: Reuters
In an announcement on Tuesday, the duo mentioned they had been being “targeted for speaking up” after police opened their investigation.
They wrote: “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people.
“We’re for the dismantling of a violent navy machine. A machine whose personal troopers had been informed to make use of “unnecessary lethal force” in opposition to harmless civilians ready for support.
“A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.”
The assertion added: “We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story.
“We’re a distraction from the story. And no matter sanctions we obtain can be a distraction.”
Throughout the efficiency on Saturday, Bobby Vylan, one half of the duo, additionally led his crowd in chants that included “Free, free Palestine”.
Bob Vylan carried out on the West Holts Stage slot instantly earlier than Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, often known as Mo Chara, appeared in court docket in June charged with a terror offence.
He’s accused of displaying a flag in assist of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation within the UK, at a gig final yr.
Kneecap additionally led the Glastonbury crowd in “Free Palestine” chants.
The BBC has confronted robust criticism for persevering with to livestream the Bob Vylan efficiency on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language.
It has since been revealed that BBC director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when the chants had been broadcast.
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A BBC spokesperson mentioned: “The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.”
Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy criticised the BBC over its resolution to not pull the Bob Vylan livestream through the chants on Saturday and mentioned there’s “a problem of leadership” on the company.
The group was shaped in Ipswich in 2017, and are identified for addressing political points of their albums, together with racism, masculinity and sophistication.
The group are scheduled to carry out on the Boardmasters browsing and music pageant in Newquay, Cornwall in August.
