Ever since making public their feelings about their allocated stage at 2000Trees in 2022, the big
boys behind the computers have begun to take Bob Vylan and their resonance with the British
public more seriously. Roxann Yus reviews their debut at Nottingham’s iconic music and club
venue, Rock City, which expectedly was full to the brim and totally sold out.
Independently made and produced, punk duo Bob Vylan represent the average dreamer: the
average person is not given all the things they want, they must fight for them. And even when they
start to win that fight, people may still lack respect for them, downplay their successes or excuse
their wins on something irrelevant, or worse yet, an ostensibly polite series of words charged with
discrimination. Bob Vylan are self-made in every way, including the respect, courage, and ambition
they have constructed and realised for themselves. “We are the best band in Britain,” exclaims lead
singer Bobby (not to be confused, confusingly, with drummer, Bobby).
"Bob Vylan are self-made in every way, including the respect, courage, and ambition they have constructed and realised for themselves."
There were multiple motifs transpiring from stage to audience – others being their unbreakable
affiliation with Fred Perry – “don’t disrespect the wreath!”; pro-Palestinian vocal protests as well as
ACAB. “You’re not all just trying to get on my good side, are you?” asks Bobby as everyone
belligerently cheers in unison after being posed the former question: “what do you people in
Nottingham think of the police?” Bobby goes on to explain his thoughts on how policing is carried
out in the UK, almost reflecting their 2022 album’s preamble Walter Speaks, before playing Pulled
Pork and He Sold Guns. He Sold Guns accounts the “fucking mess” that UK policing is and its refusal
to reform. It’s a constant reminder that BLM is not over and that ignorant, racist and lazy policies on
authority has led to a heart-wrenching amount of innocently murdered people worldwide.
It is important to note that a Bob Vylan show is equal parts music and protest – whereby Bobby
voices his opinions on political matters at home as well as globally. He made many references to the
Palestinian genocides and celebrates the idea of a free-Palestine, and even, to the crowd’s likening,
references a certain Nottingham-born band that embodies pacifist punk and cowardly shies away
from political conversations.
But it’s no surprise that Bob Vylan’s fans are no cowards, too. In an unexpected game of cat and
mouse (the cat being us, and the mouse being one of their speakers on stage), Kate made it up to
the stage, despite the odds of security catching them first, and tagged the speaker. The band sorted
out a free T-shirt for them to honour their bravery, however, by this early in the night, Kate had
already bought a T-shirt, so thus decided to give this free one to their parents in the crowd. Imagine
having parents cool enough to attend a Bob Vylan show?
But matter of fact, the crowd was a healthy dynamic of all people. I was wedged between a 30-year
old couple, a 60-year old man, and perhaps some 18-year olds, at a push. But Bob’s desire for
positive energy, stemming from as early as their meditation ritual at the beginning of the show,
compelled him to request a woman and non-binary only mosh pit for newest release, He’s A Man.
However, I think it ended up being like that for most of the night - “I’m really enjoying this positive
shift in energy, maybe let’s keep it that way.”
It was indeed a positive atmosphere throughout their entire set – going alone, as a woman, was not
a real thought that passed my mind. I felt very safe and connected with the people around me. I
always try to feel that way at gigs, especially when I know that the artist represents a safe space, but
oftentimes it is all a façade on my part. In a room full of thousands of people, its rare to expect a comfortable and sane environment, especially when heavy rock and punk music draws in a range of
toxic people. But I can say from the bottom of my heart (lie detector test, try me!), that this was one
of the, if not the, only time I’ve felt completely comfortable, without needing to look side-to-side
constantly.
"Bob Vylan is far from pacifist punk: they are outspoken, unshy, and confident guardians of innocent people and voices for change."
If you missed Bob Vylan this time around, don’t fret! They will be back in Nottingham in April at
Rough Trade as they celebrate the launch of their upcoming album, Humble As The Sun. Preorders
are available now! See you then.
Roxann Yus
Edited by Tabitha Smith
Featured Image courtesy of Bob Vylan via Instagram
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