The police investigation into Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set and the punk duo’s on-stage statements against Israel is ongoing, it’s been confirmed, with officers telling the Jewish News that they are “considering all appropriate legislation”, including laws “relating to hate crimes”, before making any recommendations to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The update comes as the live industry continues to navigate a politically charged festival season. Promoters that booked Bob Vylan earlier in the year face significant criticism if they cancel the booking following the controversy that surrounded the duo’s televised Glastonbury set, but also if they let the band's performance go ahead.
Meanwhile organisers of this weekend’s Boardmasters event are still facing a boycott from one pro-Palestine band, despite keeping Bob Vylan on the line-up and issuing a strong statement in support of the Palestinians.
In a statement on social media The Menstrual Cramps, another punk band, acknowledge that “many artists are happy with Boardmasters’ most recent statement”, but say “we believe it avoids some key issues that mean we are not able to take part”.
The band have been particularly outspoken on how the music industry should respond to the conflict in Gaza, advocating for a full cultural boycott of Israel, as defined by the Palestinian Campaign For The Academic And Cultural Boycott.
In their Instagram post, the band claim that Israeli surfers are taking part in the sporting side of Boardmasters, which would mean the event is not fully embracing that boycott.
It’s actually CMU’s understanding that no Israeli surfers are due to compete at Boardmasters this weekend. But either way, the strong position taken by The Menstrual Cramps does prompt a debate over how far a festival needs to go when artists express concerns about its connections with Israel.
And also, what issues artists themselves should be focused on in the context of Israel and Palestine, and when it is realistic for artists who decide to boycott an event to expect other performers to follow their lead.
A number of artists now use their live shows to criticise Israel’s conduct in Gaza and to express support for the Palestinian people, though Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s on-stage criticism of Israel has got the most mainstream media coverage, of course.
Kneecap after their controversial set at Coachella which prompted angry criticism from Sharon Osbourne, and Bob Vylan since they led the crowd in a chant of “death, death to the IDF” - referencing the Israeli Defense Forces - during their BBC broadcast Glastonbury set.
Both Kneecap and Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performances were reported to Avon And Somerset Police. Its investigation into Kneecap’s set was closed last month without any action being taken. However, the police are still reviewing whether anything said by Bob Vylan onstage constitutes a crime.
In its update to the Jewish News, the police force said the band’s set was originally logged as “a public order incident”, but “our investigation team is considering all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes”, with “a senior detective” overseeing that work.
They added that “it’s important we have a full understanding of any legal precedents, which is a complex process, and we are working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service for early legal advice, and with other UK police forces”.
“We recognise the strength of public feeling around what took place”, they went on, “and we hope the ongoing enquiries provide reassurance and show the seriousness with which we are treating this investigation”.
Some have commended the likes of Kneecap and Bob Vylan for speaking out on Gaza on stage, while others have criticised their strongly worded anti-Israel statements. Even some supporters of the bands would caution against particular incendiary statements, which would obviously include the line “death, death to the IDF”.
Critics have accused both bands of outright antisemitism, or at least of fuelling the recent rise in antisemitism in the UK. The Community Security Trust, a charity that seeks to protect Jewish people from antisemitism, this week said that reports of antisemitic incidents in the UK spiked the day after Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury performance.
According to The Guardian, the charity says “there were 26 incidents reported on 29 Jun”, the day after Bob Vylan’s set, which was “the highest daily total of incidents in the first half of 2025”.
As well as facing criticism from some quarters for booking bands who include anti-Israel statements in their sets, festivals have also obviously faced criticism from the other side for having connections with Israel, whether via their owners, sponsors or bookings.
Last year, Live Nation-owned festivals faced artist boycotts because of a sponsorship deal with Barclays, which has been criticised for its investments in Israel. This year attention has turned to events owned by festivals group Superstruct, which was last year acquired by private equity outfit KKR, which has also been criticised for having investments in Israel.
Despite artists publicly criticising KKR, festivals in the Superstruct group have been free to issue statements expressing support for those artists and for pro-Palestine causes more generally.
In its most recent statement, Boardmasters wrote, “We completely distance ourselves from the wider investment choices of our external investors”, adding, “we are literally distant from them and cannot influence, nor do we align with the funding decisions made at that level”.
In went on “we don’t support or align with investments or actions that contradict our core values”, adding, “a live example of our independence is our decision for Bob Vylan to remain on the main stage line-up this year, and following constructive conversations with the band and members of our Safety Advisory Group”.
Honing in on the conflict in Gaza specifically, it said, “The ongoing genocide and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is an atrocity, with innocent Palestinians being killed, displaced and subjected to unimaginable suffering. Entire communities have been obliterated”.
“As a festival built on community, empathy and human connection”, it went on, “we feel a moral responsibility to speak out and stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. In response, the Boardmasters Foundation will be donating to Medical Campaign x Sameer Project, to support those whose lives have been shattered by these inhuman actions”.
As The Menstrual Cramps’ social media post notes, even though they have decided to withdraw from the Boardmasters line-up, most artists have been placated by that statement. The band also say that they “appreciate” that the Boardmasters team met with them to discuss their ongoing concerns, adding, “we hope” said team “change their stance in the future”.
Artists, as well as festivals, are also having to navigate all these issues of course and - if they want to publicly support the Palestinian cause - decide what is feasible and impactful.
Concerns have been expressed within the music community that, in some cases, artists have been pressured or even bullied into boycotting an event, often by other artists, even when they would have preferred to play. Either because they question the actual impact of the boycott, and/or because of the commercial and career hit they will have to take by pulling out of an event.
And while, of course, in the context of the conflict of Gaza, those are modest concerns, in the context of the debate around mental health in the music community, it is something worth discussing, despite the nervousness of many to get involved in this conversation in public.