Festival headlining Bob Vylan may have licence review

A music festival featuring headliner punk duo Bob Vylan could its licence reviewed with a potential hearing three days before the gates are due to open.

Shindig Festival is due to take place at Charlton Park in Wiltshire from 21 to 24 May but its premises licence will be reconsidered on 18 May after concerns were raised about "disorder and public safety".

Bob Vylan hit the headlines last summer when frontman Bobby Vylan led a chant of "death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]" at Glastonbury Festival.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Shindig said it was working closely with "the artist and the authorities" to ensure it had a "robust plan in place to address these concerns".

Rapper and frontman Bobby Vylan led crowds in chants during the band's performance at West Holts Stage show on 28 June last year.

The comments were condemned at the time by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as "appalling hate speech" while Glastonbury Festival organisers said they had been "appalled by the statements".

An investigation was carried out by Avon and Somerset Police but the case did not "meet the criminal threshold" and the decision was made not to bring criminal charges.

Following their Glastonbury appearance, the band was dropped from a number of festivals and performances including Radar Festival, a show at a German music venue and a US tour after their visas were revoked.

However, in February Shindig organisers announced Bob Vylan as the event's headliner, saying they believed "art should challenge as well as unite".

They said the band was "one of the most vital, fearless and electrifying live acts in the UK right now" and that it had a reputation "for using music as a force for conversation and change".

A licence was granted by Wiltshire Council last year.

The authority said at the time that it did not "have any influence on the choice of artists" but would "work closely with colleagues and other organisations to ensure all relevant legislation" was complied with.

Under the Licensing Act 2003, anyone can make an application for a review of a premises licence, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Although it is not known who called for the review, Wiltshire councillor Paul Sample said the application had been made "on the grounds of theprevention of crime and disorder and public safety".

He said: "As the matter will be considered by an independent licensing sub‑committee, it would not be appropriate to comment further on the details of the application at this stage."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Shindig, said: "Safety has always come first at Shindig and under no circumstance would we allow that to change.

"We are working closely with our production team, the artist and the authorities to ensure we have a robust plan in place to address these concerns."

A public consultation will take place to decide whether the review will take place.

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