Bobby Vylan, frontman for rap punk band Bob Vylan, has claimed that BBC staff congratulated him on his controversial Glastonbury Festival performance soon after he left the stage.
Bob Vylan sparked fury after chanting “death to the IDF” during their West Holts stage set in June, with the BBC later apologizing for streaming the performance live on iPlayer.
Appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Bobby Vylan said he did not regret the Glastonbury chant and alleged that he was hailed by BBC employees. The BBC declined to comment on the allegation.
“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,” Vylan said. “Nobody thought anything. Nobody. Even staff at the BBC were like, ‘That was fantastic! We loved that!’.”
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The BBC has previously said it deeply regretted that “such offensive and deplorable behavior” was streamed on iPlayer. The broadcaster changed its policies to ensure that any performance deemed high risk will now not be broadcast or streamed live.
The BBC is considering disciplinary action against those who failed to cut the live feed. “Well-intentioned people made a mistake in not pulling the string,” director general Tim Davie said last month. “They are facing consequences.”
Vylan said that the backlash against the chant was “disproportionate,” and it was Israel’s actions in Gaza that really mattered.
Vylan said the chant was a “lyrical” way of saying, “End to the IDF,” but this did not scan. “We are there to entertain. We are there to play music. I am a lyricist. ‘Death, death to IDF’ rhymes. Perfect chant,” Vylan said.
At the time of the furor, Deadline reported that UTA dropped Bob Vylan soon after the set. Vylan told Theroux that the decision came from UTA’s senior leaders.
He explained: “The call came on the Sunday, we played on Saturday. On Sunday that’s when our agent called and was like, ‘Look guys, I’ve got to let you go.’ He said that it’s come from the most senior members of the company. He didn’t have any choice. It was either we go or he goes. And even if he goes, we don’t get to stay, we go too. So that was kind of like how that transpired.”