{"id":234768,"date":"2025-07-03T13:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/234768\/"},"modified":"2025-07-03T13:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T13:06:10","slug":"i-cannot-express-clearly-enough-that-i-wanted-them-to-perform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/234768\/","title":{"rendered":"I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted them to perform"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Radar Festival has said it was forced to remove <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/bob-vylan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Vylan<\/a> from the line-up following their controversial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/glastonbury-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glastonbury 2025<\/a> performance.<\/p>\n<p>The punk-rap duo had been scheduled to headline the Manchester event this Saturday (July 5). However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/bob-vylan-speaks-out-after-being-dropped-from-manchester-festival-after-glastonbury-controversy-3875507\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">they were recently axed from the bill<\/a> after leading chants of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/glastonbury-2025-bob-vylan-lead-chants-of-death-to-the-idf-and-free-free-palestine-in-provocative-set-3873913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cdeath to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]\u201d and \u201cfree Palestine\u201d during their slot on Glasto\u2019s West Holts Stage<\/a> last Saturday (June 28).<\/p>\n<ul class=\"post-content-read-more\">\n<li><strong>READ MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/blogs\/nme-radar\/bob-vylan-we-live-here-interview-2684568\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Vylan: \u201cWe\u2019ve been screaming about these topics at the top of our lungs for years. Why has it taken this long?\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cWe are the violent punks, because sometimes you gotta get your message across with violence because that is the only language some people speak, unfortunately,\u201d frontman Bobby Vylan told the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>The band also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/glastonbury-2025-bob-vylan-lead-chants-of-death-to-the-idf-and-free-free-palestine-in-provocative-set-3873913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">called out the BBC as well as the US and UK governments, and more<\/a> while on stage.<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday (July 2), Radar shared a brief statement to confirm that Bob Vylan would no longer be performing. It simply read: \u201cBob Vylan will not be appearing at RADAR Festival this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In response, Bob Vylan wrote on social media: \u201cSilence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, during an interview on the <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/episode\/5yvh3RE3l0cO51YeOnmHYG?si=IAl1pT-rS8CxOEfXjsy2CQ&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=190fecd078a3473c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Two Promoters One Pod<\/a> podcast, Radar organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith has revealed that the festival did not want to cancel Bob Vylan\u2019s headline set.<\/p>\n<p>The event, which runs between July 4-6, is half independent and half privately owned by AMG and Live Nation.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3870388\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/NMEAR_NME-AWARDS-2022-BOB-VYLAN-WINNERS-ROOM-PORTRAIT-1-CREDIT-ZOE-MCCONNELL@2000x1270.jpg\" alt=\"Bob Vylan at the BandLab NME Awards 2022, photo by Zoe McConnell\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"  \/>Bob Vylan at the BandLab NME Awards 2022. Credit: Zoe McConnell for NME<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt started to become frustrating because there were constant conversations above our collective heads, as a venue and ourselves, about whether Bob Vylan could play,\u201d Jackson-Smith explained (via <a href=\"https:\/\/faroutmagazine.co.uk\/manchesters-radar-festival-says-it-was-forced-to-cancel-bob-vylans-set\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Far Out<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>She went to claim that she had asked to be part of the conversation, and said it was confusing\u00a0that they weren\u2019t involving Radar\u2019s organisers if there were \u201cpublic order\u201d issues.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson-Smith told the podcast that the option was \u201cput very bluntly\u201d to her, adding: \u201cWe could continue with Bob Vylan as our headliner. If we continued, we wouldn\u2019t have the festival happening on Saturday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the other acts heading to Radar on Saturday would have been in jeopardy, and cancelling the day\u2019s programme would have caused a precarious situation for organisers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was not an option for Bob Vylan to step on stage on Saturday; that became apparent at the beginning of the week,\u201d Jackson-Smith insisted. She explained that she had to speak to Bob Vylan about removing them from the line-up, despite it not being her decision.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[It was] categorically, one of the most horrendous professional discussions I have ever had,\u201d Jackson-Smith continued. \u201cI cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Elaborating on the discussion, she explained that Bob Vylan\u2019s agency \u2013 which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/bob-vylan-dropped-by-their-agent-with-us-visas-revoked-as-criminal-investigation-launched-after-glastonbury-death-to-the-idf-controversy-3875006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dropped the duo in light of the Glasto controversy<\/a> \u2013 passed on their details to her. \u201cIt was horrific as a conversation,\u201d she said. \u201cBob Vylan knew that we didn\u2019t want to pull them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson-Smith went on: \u201cThe headlines will be \u2018Radar Festival pulled Bob Vylan\u2019. There isn\u2019t room journalistically for the nuance of what is happening to be put into a headline that will go out anywhere, so it won\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt gives the impression that \u2013 not that we are part of the establishment, but I can\u2019t think of a more eloquent way of putting it. That we have joined the course for XYZ consequence, and we haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jackson-Smith claimed that Radar was instructed on how to announce that Bob Vylan would no longer be performing. She said she was only allowed to write a brief statement on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Radar Festival has not yet announced a replacement headliner for Saturday night.<\/p>\n<p>As well as being dropped by their agency, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/bob-vylan-dropped-by-their-agent-with-us-visas-revoked-as-criminal-investigation-launched-after-glastonbury-death-to-the-idf-controversy-3875006\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Vylan have had their US visas revoked and are now under criminal investigation<\/a> due to their remarks at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/glastonbury-2025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Glastonbury 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Glastonbury organisers also<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/glastonbury-appalled-by-bob-vylan-death-to-the-idf-chants-that-very-much-crossed-a-line-3874323\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> issued a statement, saying it was \u201cappalled\u201d by the band\u2019s \u201cdeath to the IDF\u201d chants<\/a>: \u201cTheir 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 anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/wes-streeting-condemns-death-to-idf-chants-at-glastonbury-but-says-israel-should-get-its-own-house-in-order-3874399\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Further backlash came from Health Secretary Wes Streeting<\/a> and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy \u2013 the latter of whom said the BBC\u2019s decision to broadcast the performance showed<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/culture-secretary-lisa-nandy-says-the-bbc-have-a-problem-of-leadership-following-bob-vylans-glastonbury-controversy-3875062\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0\u201ca problem of leadership\u201d<\/a>. Meanwhile, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau described Bob Vylan\u2019s actions as a \u201chateful tirade\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>When speaking out about their Glasto set, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/bob-vylan-issue-fresh-statement-on-glastonbury-controversy-we-are-not-for-the-death-of-jews-or-arabs-or-any-other-race-or-group-3875195\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bob Vylan reiterated that they were \u201cnot for the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group\u201d<\/a> \u2013 but wanted the \u201cdismantling of a violent military machine\u201d. They also said it was vital to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/bobby-vylan-reflects-on-controversial-glastonbury-2025-set-and-death-to-the-idf-chants-i-said-what-i-said-3874597\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u201cteach our children to speak up for the change they want\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Bob Vylan have also been dropped from the line-up for the Kave Festival in France. Elsewhere, the owners of a music venue in Cologne have taken them off the bill for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/artists\/gogol-bordello\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gogol Bordello<\/a>\u00a0show scheduled for September.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Radar Festival has said it was forced to remove Bob Vylan from the line-up following their controversial Glastonbury&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234769,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,4884,2465,2402,16902,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-234768","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-manchester","12":"tag-punk","13":"tag-rap","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114789455372292320","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234768","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234768"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234768\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234768"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234768"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234768"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}