Suzanne Harrington: At a recent Bob Vylan gig, fans had a surreal experience

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage, during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset

Imagine going to a gig, and having to walk between two lots of protestors being kept apart by a hi-vis line of police outside the venue.

That was me last week going to see one of my favourite live acts in London. And yes, life would probably be easier as a Celine Dion or Ed Sheeran fan, but music is like love: The heart wants what the heart wants, and my heart wants Bob Vylan (no, not like that... I’m old enough to be their mum).

The duo are playing Dublin’s Vicar Street this Wednesdaytarget="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> and already the gig has featured in multiple Irish media outlets, including this one. Some
Independent Ireland councillor had objected to the event, before dropping her legal challenge on the grounds that it was nonsense on stilts. Singer Bobby and drummer Bobbie responded elegantly: “No hard feelings though, your name will be on the guest list +1, bring Ken [O’Flynn, fellow Independent Ireland member]. You two can enjoy yourselves.”

You may remember how Bobby and Bobbie created a stir last summer when, performing directly before Kneecap at Glastonbury, they blindsided the BBC with their “death, death to the IDF” chant. 

The Beeb had been terrified Kneecap might come out with “free, free Palestine”, as they do at every gig, but had not anticipated Bob Vylan’s rather more direct approach. The backlash was instant: Outrage, vitriol, threats, gigs cancelled, visas revoked.

Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire.

Which meant that at their recent London gig, Bob Vylan fans had a surreal experience — we had to pass a staged right-wing protest across the street from the venue. A gathering of pro-Israeli ‘Tommy Robinson’ types with megaphones waved a combination of British and Israeli flags, wore Make America Great Again hats, and screamed pro Israel Defense Forces (IDF) slogans. Vanloads of police stood around, while a peaceful counter protest of pro-Palestinian groups on the other side of the road chanted “free, free Palestine”.

This is not what you’d expect on a night out. A political march, yes, but a gig? Is this where we are now?

Funnelled through lines of metal crash barriers down a side street into the foyer, the venue security was airport level... metal detectors, bag emptying, body searches. Even the security guards were non-plussed. Inside the sold-out venue, you could sense everyone’s relief as normalcy returned while we waited for the main act to come on.

However, some people ended up feeling a bit weirded out by being unexpectedly blasted by right-wing hate.

Before the sweaty, sweary catharsis of their performance, Bob Vylan gigs always start the same way: Bobby invites the crowd to join in with some breathing and light stretches, to ground and unite everyone. It’s cute, and novel.

When Manchester Evening News reported how this yogic stretching was a “Nazi salute”, the band sued the publication for making up hate about them, and won damages.

Because unless you’re the IDF, Bob Vylan are all about love. All about unity. They invite women and “non-binary folk” down to the front to “take up space”. They talk about their personal experiences of racist abuse, of being called the N-word while still small children. They don’t drink or do drugs. They sacrifice money for principles — their current tour is called ‘We Won’t Go Quietly’. They’re not.

Anyone lucky enough to have tickets for Wednesday night’s gig is guaranteed a blast. You’ll leave with ringing ears and an uplifted heart, and if you’re old — Bob Vylan audiences span generations — aching limbs from all the jumping up and down. It’s so worth it.