The Politics of Performance
Bobby Vylan of British duo Bob Vylan performing at Glastonbury Festival 2025
From Bob Dylan’s anti-war ballads to Stormzy’s political bars, music has long been a megaphone for protest and truth-telling. This year at Glastonbury Festival, that tradition continued, loudly and controversially. Kneecap and Bob Vylan used their performances to speak out against the war in Gaza and to criticise British government policy. Their words sparked a storm of media outrage, parliamentary debate, and even a formal police investigation. Government ministers, including the Culture Secretary and the Prime Minister, condemned the remarks as crossing into hate speech.
This moment exposed the increasingly volatile line between artistic freedom and political expression. As Britain grapples with global conflict, rising polarisation, and a fragmented media landscape, Glastonbury became more than a music festival, it became a flashpoint in a national identity crisis.
A Double Standard in Protest?
It’s worth asking: would the reaction have been the same if the message had aligned with government rhetoric? In 2019, Stormzy’s anti-Boris Johnson message was confrontational, yet widely celebrated. This year’s messages, by contrast, were met with condemnation and division. The difference may lie not just in the content, but in the context, particularly the emotional weight of the Gaza conflict and the sensitivities surrounding antisemitism, Islamophobia, and nationalism.
This disparity raises uncomfortable questions about whose voices are protected and whose are policed. Are we witnessing a selective tolerance for political speech, where only certain narratives are deemed acceptable?
The involvement of Avon and Somerset Police and the public rebuke from government officials signal a worrying trend: the shrinking space for dissent. If the BBC and other institutions begin limiting platforms for artists deemed “too political,” we risk silencing the very voices that challenge power and provoke necessary conversations.
The Responsibility of the Stage
Artists have every right to speak out against war, injustice, or state violence. Their voices can inspire empathy, awareness, and change. Of course, this can't be a free-for-all; there is a line between provocative art and inflammatory rhetoric. But who draws that line, and based on what criteria? When slogans escalate into violent language, does it cease to be art? These are not easy questions, but they are essential ones. The most persuasive artists are always those who use their platforms thoughtfully, balancing the urgency to speak with the impact their words may have on public discourse and community safety.
A Mirror to a Divided Nation
This controversy didn’t begin at Glastonbury, it was merely given a stage. The backlash, the headlines, the political posturing, these are symptoms of a nation struggling to find consensus on war, identity, and freedom of expression. We are in the midst of a cultural reckoning, and music is one of the few spaces where people still speak plainly, emotionally, and publicly about what matters to them.
There are no easy answers. But one thing is clear: freedom of expression is worth defending, even when it makes us uncomfortable. Just as importantly, so is the responsibility that comes with it.
About the Author
Ammo Talwar MBE is the CEO of Punch Records, a Birmingham-based music and arts agency dedicated to working with diverse young talent. With over two decades of experience in cultural leadership, Ammo is a passionate advocate for equity, representation, and grassroots creativity in the UK’s creative industries.