Protest Song Of The Week: 'Pretty Songs' By Bob Vylan
The Glastonbury Festival made headlines as the BBC bowed to corporate and political pressure and refused to stream the set performed by anti-colonialist Irish rap group Kneecap. But BBC aired a lesser known English punk duo Bob Vylan that stood up for their “mates” in Kneecap and all musicians that have taken a stand for Palestinians.
Bob Vylan performed on the same stage as Kneecap and right before the group’s set. They had a Palestine flag on stage behind them.
Singer and guitarist Bobby Vylan led the crowd in a “Free, free Palestine” chant, and then he raised the intensity with a “Death, death to the IDF” chant.
Before the chants that sparked a police investigation, Bobby Vylan recalled working for a record label. “It’s funny because when I worked there, the boss of the record label, we would talk every so often. And he would speak very strongly about his support for Israel. Treading on that line, do you know what I mean?”
”And then this letter or this list of names came out recently of people trying to stop our mates Kneecap from performing here today. And who do I see on that fucking list of names but that baldheaded cunt I used to fucking work for.”
”So look we’ve done it all, from working in bars to working for fucking Zionists. And if we can do this, I promise you lot you can do absolutely anything that you put your mind to. I’m telling you this. Don’t give up on your dreams,” Bobby Vylan added.
Bobby Vylan also said, “From the river to the sea, Palestine must be, will be, free.” The duo directly called out the BBC, too. “Free Palestine. United Nations have called it a genocide. The BBC calls it a ‘conflict,’” appeared on a screen behind the group.
The freakout over Bob Vylan was immediate. A spokesperson for British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who had begged Glastonbury not to “platform” Kneecap, “strongly” condemned the “threatening comments made by Bob Vylan at Glastonbury.” Nandy’s office also demanded an “urgent explanation” for why Bob Vylan’s set was broadcast by the BBC.
BBC called the performance “deeply offensive” and promised it would not be available for anyone to view on demand.
Pressure to cancel Kneecap was bolstered by the fact that Mo Chara has faced a political prosecution under the United Kingdom’s Terrorism Act for waving the flag of Hezbollah, a political party and militia in Lebanon that Western countries consider a terrorist organization.
Kneecap performed to a capacity crowd, and they put together an introduction video that cheekily confronted the consternation among political and entertainment industry elites.
On stage, Kneecap declared, “Kneecap is not the story. Genocide is the story. Fuck Keir Starmer.” (Starmer, who is the prime minister, had said it was not “appropriate” for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury.)
While on stage, DJ Próvaí wore a shirt in support of Palestine Action. The government is about to proscribe the activism group as a terrorist organization and ban the group because it has engaged in constant direct action against companies involved in profiting off Israeli apartheid and genocide in Gaza.
Móglaí Bap of Kneecap told the crowd, “Palestine Action isn’t arming the genocide and Israel. That’s Keir Starmer and the British government, who should be proscribed.”
It’s unclear if the BBC will post Kneecap’s set for anyone to watch. So a woman named Helen stood in the sun for over an hour and streamed it to 1.7 million people. She burned her finger as her phone overheated.
Kneecap learned of her feat. “Helen you’re a legend! Tickets to any show just giz a shout!”
A similar uproar occurred when Kneecap played the Coachella Music Festival in April. For speaking out, the trio lost their U.S. booking agency and their U.S. work visas were revoked. They were also disinvited from several German music festivals.
This is a more lengthy protest song of the week post, primarily because it is important to fully capture what was politically expressed and the risks as artists that both Bob Vylan and Kneecap took in standing up for Palestinians and freedom of expression.
In Bob Vylan’s 12-song set, they performed “Pretty Songs,” which they dedicated to all musicians who have spoken up for Palestine. The song is on their 2022 album, “Bob Vylan Presents The Price of Life.”
“One, two, one, two, three, four. I could do this all day long, sing a song, a pretty little song,” Bobby Vylan sings. But he adds, “That’s alright, but I’d rather fight.”
It’s a blunt comment on a global music industry in the Western world that rewards artists for staying silent on matters of war and human rights.
With verse one, Bobby Vylan speaks about “white folks” who quote Martin Luther King Jr. “cause he held hands and prayed while they bombed his building. Good for him but the times have changed, and don't forget, white folks still killed him.”
Bobby Vylan is even more explicit in his antifascism in verse two:
I'm not a pacifist, I'm smashing fists
At every single racist prick I meet
I'm not having it, there's no Kum Ba Yah
To be found 'round here, no groovy beat
No liberal lefty cunt
Is gonna tell me punching Nazis ain't the way
If you wanna hold hands and sing
Go do it over there while the big boys play, okay
Very clearly, Bob Vylan proclaims that one cannot give into fascists. People have to stand their ground, and the same applies to genocidal ethnonationalists in the country of Israel and around the world, who weaponize antisemitism to further their racism and deprivation of equal human rights to Palestinians and other Arabs in the Middle East.
Listen/watch Bob Vylan’s “Pretty Songs”:
Note: Embedded clips from the BBC stream are fair use as they are included for the purpose of news commentary and criticism.
Thank You Kevin
If the Ceasefire is broken by the Kill Kill Terrorists, get others and GET to DC. Last time I saw you there Kevin it was to support Bradley/Chelsea. Remember the pink hair statement?!!!