Bob Vylan with no longer support Gogol Bordello on their upcoming European tour “due to logistical complications” after their controversial Glastonbury Festival performance,
Bob Vylan have been pulled from Gogol Bordello’s European tour.
The punk rap duo have faced backlash over their controversial performance at Glastonbury Festival – during which the 34-year-old singer led the crowd in a chant of “death, death to the IDF” during their set – and they will no longer be supporting the band.
Bob Vylan wrote in a statement on Instagram: “Due to logistical complications, we have decided not to join our friends Gogol Bordello on their upcoming European tour.
“However, we will be heading to Europe in the coming months for both festivals and headline shows.”
In the caption, they teased: “Keep posted for headline EU announcements soon.”
Initially, the promoter and venues in Germany removed Bob Vylan from the lineup, which Gogol Bordello has insisted was “not our decision and beyond our control”.
They added on social media: “In the aftermath, we needed to evaluate the situation, and we decided to remove BV from the tour until we could fully comprehend the situation.
“After Bob Vylan posted a more in-depth explanation, a conversation was re-opened to explore their ability to be on other tour dates.
“Unfortunately, it is logistically impossible for BV to participate on the tour given the circumstances.
“We worked diligently with our friends Bob Vylan to find a solution but in the end it didn’t work out.
“Gogol Bordello is comprised of members from various nationalities and celebrates international understanding consequentially, we value freedom of speech from all perspectives.”
Bob Vylan appeared on the West Holts stage at Glastonbury just before Kneecap, another controversial act.
The BBC, which live-streamed the performance, has also come under scrutiny after it emerged that its director general, 57-year-old Tim Davie, was in attendance and consulted on how to handle the broadcast.
Following the initial backlash to their Glastonbury set, Bob Vylan wrote on Instagram: “We are not the first. We will not be the last.
“We are being targeted for speaking up.”
They added in a lengthier statement that they are not for the death of any “race or group of people”.
They continued: “We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story. We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.”
