Wet Leg singer says Bob Vylan and Kneecap Glastonbury reaction is ‘messed up’

By Casey Cooper-Fiske, PA Entertainment Reporter

Wet Leg singer Rhian Teasdale has told the PA news agency she feels the post-Glastonbury Festival reaction to sets by Bob Vylan and Kneecap is “messed up”.

The 32-year-old indie rocker’s band played on Friday afternoon at the festival, where Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s Saturday sets are being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police to decide whether any offences were committed.

Bobby Vylan, of Bob Vylan, whose real name is reportedly Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, led crowds on the festival’s West Holts Stage in chants of “death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)”, before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap joked that fans should “start a riot” outside his bandmate’s upcoming court appearance, and led the crowd on chants of “f*** Keir Starmer”.

Teasdale said she was concerned by the fallout from their sets, and added she feels it is “powerful” for artists to speak up.

The singer told PA: “It shouldn’t have to be considered brave to call out a genocide — that should be the absolute bare minimum.

“But the fact that people are being punished, silenced, or villainised for doing so shows just how messed up things are. I don’t think it’s brave to speak out — I think it’s necessary.

“What’s scary is how dangerous or controversial that’s being made to seem. The media has focused so much on bands like Bob Vylan and Kneecap, but they weren’t the only ones speaking out. Every other artist showed support for Palestine across the weekend.

“So why are these two being singled out? It feels like a deliberate attempt to create scapegoats, to distract from the actual message – which is simply calling out a genocide.

“Coming out of the Glastonbury bubble and seeing how much of that pro-Palestine messaging was cut from the BBC footage was honestly chilling. It shows how reality can be edited, distorted.

“That level of control over public perception feels dystopian, and it’s exactly why speaking out, even imperfectly, is so important right now.”

Bob Vylan’s set at the festival, which was livestreamed at the time, is not available on iPlayer, and after the festival the BBC said it would no longer livestream acts it deems “high risk”.

Other acts to show their support for Palestine across the weekend included Wolf Alice, CMAT, Gurriers, and Black Country, New Road.

The star, who grew up on the Isle Of Wight, says she herself wants to “do better” at speaking up about important issues, having been inspired by Australian hard rockers Amyl And The Sniffers.

She told PA: “I think what these artists are doing is powerful. I saw Amyl And The Sniffers that weekend, and I really admired how she (Amyl And The Sniffers lead singer Amy Taylor) used her set to speak about Palestine.

“At one point she said, ‘I was going to say something more poetic, and it’s not perfect, but I think it’s better to say something than say nothing at all’. That really stuck with me.

“It was honest and human — not polished, but true, and it reminded me that saying something imperfect is still far more meaningful than staying silent.

“That really resonated with me because speaking about Palestine on stage isn’t something I take lightly. It’s not about me — and I never want to make it about me — but I do feel a huge responsibility to get it right.

“I don’t want to dilute the message or speak over the people whose voices actually need to be heard. That tension can make it hard to know exactly what to say, but the alternative — saying nothing — isn’t acceptable either.”

Made up of singer and guitarist Teasdale, guitarist Hester Chambers, drummer Henry Holmes, multi-instrumentalist Josh Mobaraki, and bass player Ellis Durand, Wet Leg rose to fame with their viral single Chaise Longue.

The band will release their second LP Moisturizer on July 11, having performed songs from it such as Davina McColl, Catch These Fists and CPR during their Glastonbury appearance.

Punk duo Bob Vylan issued a statement on Tuesday claiming they were being “targeted for speaking up”.

The pair have also had their US visas revoked before their tour later this year, were pulled from their Saturday headline slot at Radar festival in Manchester, and from an upcoming performance at a German music venue.

Bob Vylan are expected to perform at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall, in August.

It has also emerged that Bob Vylan were already under investigation by police for comments made at a performance one month before Glastonbury.

Video footage appears to show Bobby Vylan at Alexandra Palace telling crowds: “Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.”

The BBC has been contacted for comment.