Bob Vylan dropped by their agent with US visas revoked as criminal investigation launched after Glastonbury “death to the IDF” controversy
Bob Vylan have been dropped by their agent and are now under criminal investigation following their Glastonbury 2025 performance.
The rap-punk duo have faced a number of setbacks following their incendiary performance at Worthy Farm on Saturday at the West Holts stage ahead of Kneecap’s set. During their set, Bob Vylan used their platform to voice their support for Palestine, call out the BBC, Israel, the US and UK governments and more.
Throughout the performance, political slogans were projected onto the screen behind them, including “Free Palestine – United Nations have called it a genocide – the BBC calls it a ‘conflict’”. After the crowd instigated a chant of “free, free Palestine”, frontman Bobby said, “Have you heard this one?”, before leading a chant of “death, death to the IDF”.
Two days after the controversial performance, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau took to social media to share that the State Department has “revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.” The band had announced a US tour set for October just two weeks before their Glastonbury performance.
The @StateDept has revoked the US visas for the members of the Bob Vylan band in light of their hateful tirade at Glastonbury, including leading the crowd in death chants. Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.
— Christopher Landau (@DeputySecState) June 30, 2025
Besides having their US visas revoked, Bob Vylan have also reportedly been dropped by their agent United Talent Agency (UTA) following the controversy, per The Standard. While the UTA has not acknowledged the alleged severing of ties, Bob Vylan’s pages on their artists sites have been removed.
Shortly after Bob Vylan’s set at Glastonbury, the Avon and Somerset Police announced that they were assessing footage of the duo’s performance, as well as Kneecap’s performance – on Monday, they confirmed that “a criminal investigation is now being undertaken”.
The Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage. The investigation will be evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes.”
“There is absolutely no place in society for hate. Neighbourhood policing teams are speaking with people in their local communities and key stakeholders to make sure anyone who needs us knows that we are here for them.”
Please see the statement below with an update on our investigation into comments made on stage at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday.
An accessible version of the statement can be found on our website: https://t.co/aSjbcIYSky pic.twitter.com/w1BM5Bg5b2
— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) June 30, 2025
NME has reached out to Bob Vylan’s management for comment.
Elsewhere during their Glastonbury performance, frontman Bobby said: “We are not pacifist punks here over at Bob Vylan Enterprises,” referencing lyrics from their 2023 single ‘Censored (Interlude)’. “We are the violent punks, because sometimes you gotta get your message across with violence because that is the only language some people speak, unfortunately.” See a full recap here.
Following the duo’s performance at Glastonbury 2025, the festival issued a statement saying it was “appalled” by their “death to the IDF” chants, adding: “Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.” Cabinet minister Wes Streeting has also criticised the performance, while also telling the Israeli embassy to “get its own house in order”.
On Sunday, Bobby Vylan addressed the incident, confirming he stands by what he said. Bobby continued: “Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. As we grow older and our fire possibly starts to dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us.”
This isn’t the first time that Bob Vylan have spoken out against “controversial” topics, including racism and police brutality in the UK. Speaking to NME back in 2020, the duo shared that they’ve been calling for justice on a myriad of topics for a long time: “Why did it take this long? We have not been quiet about this, we have been screaming about this. Us, as black punks, quite literally. I’ve been screaming about this at the top of my lungs.”
The BBC have said they should have pulled live coverage of the group’s Glastonbury 2025 set, while Ofcom say they’re treating it “as a matter of urgency”.
Israel has been carrying out a full-scale military campaign on occupied Gaza for almost two years, since the October 2023 attack by Hamas at the Israeli music festival Supernova where 1,195 people were killed.
The UN has found Israel’s military actions to be consistent with genocide, and at least 56,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel has continually denied that what’s going on in Palestine is considered a genocide, and has argued that it has not partaken in any war crimes.
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Surej Singh
NME
