Following Bob Vylan‘s controversial Glastonbury set on Saturday (June 28), the punk-rap duo was dropped by its booking agent, UTA, Billboard U.K. can confirm.
Deadline first reported that UTA executives decided over the weekend to part ways with the duo — composed of Bobby Vylan and Bobbie Vylan — after assessing the comments made by Bobby during the set. The band no longer appears on the agency’s website; Billboard U.K. has approached the band’s remaining representatives for further comment.
Bobby sparked outrage during the show as he led the audience in a chant of “death, death to the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces).” He also called for a “free Palestine” and said that “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The festival called the former chant “appalling” in a statement, with organisers saying the act had “crossed a line.” The chant was also condemned by the U.K.’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, who called it “appalling hate speech.”
The Ipswich-based duo performed before Kneecap on the West Holts stage. The latter’s set was one of the most anticipated of the weekend and drew a huge crowd; Kneecap member Mo Chara was recently charged with a terror offense following the emergence of a video in which he allegedly waved a Hezbollah flag. Hezbollah is proscribed terror status by the U.K. government, and it is considered an offense to display support for it.
As a result, Kneecap’s set was not broadcast live on the BBC and its iPlayer service; Bob Vylan’s, however, was shown live. On Monday morning (June 30), the BBC expressed “regret” at airing the set in full, and it has since been removed from the streaming service.
“The team were dealing with a live situation but with hindsight we should have pulled the stream during the performance. We regret this did not happen,” a spokesperson said. “The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence. The antisemitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.”
British regulator Ofcom is in touch with the BBC about the broadcast. “We are very concerned about the live stream of this performance, and the BBC clearly has questions to answer. We have been speaking to the BBC over the weekend and we are obtaining further information as a matter of urgency, including what procedures were in place to ensure compliance with its own editorial guidelines.”
Avon and Somerset Police have said that they will be investigating the performance to see if any offenses have been committed.
Posting on Instagram on Sunday evening (June 29), Bobby told his fans that he had been “inundated” with a mixture of “support and hatred” since appearing at Glastonbury, but that he stood by what he said and is calling for “a change in foreign policy.”
Glastonbury Festival concluded on Sunday with a headline set from Olivia Rodrigo, with Charli xcx, Doechii, The 1975 and Neil Young also performing over the weekend. The festival is due to take a fallow year in 2026 and will return in 2027.
