Bob Vylan have announced some UK headline dates for 2025, and hit back at the BBC director-general for condemning their Glastonbury set to MPs.
The punk rap duo will hit the road for their ‘We Won’t Go Quietly’ tour this November, following a summer of controversy surrounding their slot at Worthy Farm in June.
“After all the attempts to silence us, we’re about to be louder than ever. We won’t go quietly!” the band wrote when confirming the upcoming shows this morning (September 9).
Kicking off at the O2 Academy in Leeds on November 4, the trek also includes stops in Manchester, Glasgow, London, Bristol and Birmingham.
Tickets go on general sale at 10am BST this Friday (September 12) – you’ll be able to buy yours here. An O2 Priority pre-sale will begin at the same time tomorrow (Wednesday September 10).
Check out the announcement post below, along with the full schedule.
Bob Vylan’s 2025 ‘We Won’t Go Quietly’ UK tour dates are:
NOVEMBER
04 – O2 Academy, Leeds
05 – Academy, Manchester
06 – O2 Academy, Glasgow
11 – O2 Kentish Town Forum, London
20 – The Prospect Building, Bristol
DECEMBER
04 – O2 Academy, Birmingham
Bob Vylan have also called out Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, after he called the corporation’s decision to broadcast the duo’s Glastonbury 2025 set live “a very significant mistake” (via The Independent).
When facing questions from MPs on the Culture, Media and Sport Committee today, Davie branded Bob Vylan’s slot at the event “anti-Semitic” and “deeply disturbing”.
“I don’t think I misread it, I just got there [to Glastonbury] when I heard about it [at] about five o’clock,” Davie recalled. “The performance was well done by then, and at that point, I knew absolutely that it was an anti-Semitic broadcast.
“So, my decision was to get that off on demand, simple as that. I mean, it wasn’t too complicated in my mind […] I do think it was deeply disturbing.”
Bob Vylan at the BandLab NME Awards 2022. Credit: Zoe McConnell for NME
In response, the band labelled Davie a “spineless puppet” and denied any wrongdoing once again: “There was nothing anti-Semitic or criminal about anything I said at Glastonbury. Why do you think @metpoliceuk @ASPolice are taking so long?
As well as being dropped by their agency, Bob Vylan have had their US visas revoked and are currently under criminal investigation over the performance. The gig saw the duo voice their support for Palestine, criticise Israel, and lead the crowd in chants of “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]”.
In July, it was reported that police were still investigating Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set. However, it was confirmed at the time that they had dropped their inquiry into Kneecap’s performance at the festival.
“Tim Davie is doing his best to continue throwing others under the bus and cling on to power at the BBC but we see him and the institution for what they are,” Bob Vylan wrote this afternoon.
“Bought and paid for, complicit in the Gaza genocide and a leading force in the silencing of those speaking up against it.”
They went on to claim that “the reason [their Glastonbury set] wasn’t cut immediately is not because of some oversight at the BBC as they keep making out, but because there was nothing anti-Semitic about the performance”.
Davie said today that “the BBC made a very significant mistake, very significant, in broadcasting” the show. “The fact that those words were broadcast to that broad audience […] frankly, it was disturbing.”
Bob Vylan responded: “As a matter of fact I know there were staff at the BBC that loved the performance and saw nothing wrong with it until they were told there was something wrong with it. I also know some other bits and pieces but let me just 🤐.”
Following the broadcast, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “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.”
Lorna Clarke, a Black woman, was so quickly dismissed from her duties after Glastonbury. Why? Someone had to fall and who easier to take it than a Black woman. But now he’s getting grilled and is showing just how incompetent and bought HE is.
— Bob Vylan (@BobbyVylan) September 9, 2025
They continued: “The BBC respects freedom of expression but stands firmly against incitement to violence,” adding: “The anti-Semitic sentiments expressed by Bob Vylan were utterly unacceptable and have no place on our airwaves.”
Bob Vylan have also addressed Lorna Clarke stepping down from her role as the BBC’s director of music following the backlash.
“Lorna Clarke, a Black woman, was so quickly dismissed from her duties after Glastonbury,” they wrote. “Why? Someone had to fall and who easier to take it than a Black woman. But now he’s getting grilled and is showing just how incompetent and bought HE [Davie] is.”
Bob Vylan have spoken out to defend their Glastonbury 2025 performance numerous times now. They claimed it was vital to “teach our children to speak up for the change they want”, and reiterated that they were wanting the “dismantling of a violent military machine” – not calling for “the death of Jews or Arabs or any other race or group”.
In a statement, Glastonbury organisers said they were “appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan”.
Shortly after the festival, the BBC said it would no longer broadcast performances it deemed “high risk”. Around the same time, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy accused the BBC of having a “problem of leadership”.
You can view the original article HERE.
