Bob Vylan are an English punk duo based in London who play a style merging elements of

grime Grime may refer to: * Dirt, in the form of black, ingrained dust Music * Grime music, a genre of music * ''Grime'' (album), a 2001 album by Iniquity * "Grime", a 2023 song by Macklemore from ''Ben'' * "Grime", a 2024 song by Kittie from ''Fire ...

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

History

The band was formed in 2017 by singer/guitarist Bobby Vylan and drummer Bobbie Vylan in Ipswich. Their first concert followed just two weeks later. In the first year of the band's history, Bob Vylan released four singles and two EPs, ''Dread'' and ''Vylan'', via the band's own label, Ghost Theatre. Following the DIY principle, the musicians personally delivered their albums to various record stores and booked their own shows. On 7 August 2020, the band released their debut album, ''We Live Here''. Bob Vylan then toured supporting

the Offspring The Offspring is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Garden Grove, California, in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band currently consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Dexter Holland, Bryan "Dexter" Holland, ...

and

Biffy Clyro Biffy Clyro are a Scottish Rock music, rock band that formed in Kilmarnock, composed of Simon Neil (lead vocals, guitar) and twin brothers James Johnston (Scottish musician), James (bass, backing vocals) and Ben Johnston (Scottish musician), Be ...

and performed at the

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...

in 2021. On 22 April 2022, the band released their second studio album, '' Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life'', which entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

at number 18. On 27 October 2023, the band released two singles from their third studio album, '' Humble as the Sun''. The album was released on 5 April 2024.

Members

Bobby Vylan serves as the singer and guitarist, while Bobbie Vylan is the drummer of the band. Both members use stage names to maintain their privacy and collectively refer to themselves as "the Bobs." The band does not cite

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

as a musical influence. Bob Vylan Full Force 2022 01

Musical style

Bob Vylan combines grime rap with punk rock. Singer Bobby Vylan grew up listening to rap, grime, punk and indie rock. After learning the guitar, he wanted to incorporate all of his influences into his music. Their music is also influenced by Jamaican genres as a tribute to Bobby's Jamaican heritage; songs "Wicked and Bad" and "Health is Wealth" on their album ''The Price Of Life'' contain elements of dancehall and reggae. Their music also contains elements of spoken-word poetry, like "Intro" on ''We Live Here'' and "Interlude" on ''Price of Life''.

Johnny Rotten John Joseph Lydon ( ; born 31 January 1956), also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a British-born singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was ...

of the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...

, and Akala, are cited as two of their musical influences. Rappers

Dizzee Rascal Dylan Kwabena Mills (born 18 September 1984), known professionally as Dizzee Rascal, is a British rapper and MC. He is often credited as a pioneer of British hip hop and grime music and was ranked by ''Complex'' as one of the greatest British ...

Stormzy Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr. (born 26 July 1993), known professionally as Stormzy, is an English-Ghanaian rapper, singer, and songwriter. In 2014, he gained attention on the UK underground music scene through his ''Wicked Skengman'' ...

, and

Skepta Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr. (born 19 September 1982), known professionally as Skepta, is a British grime MC, rapper, record producer and DJ. Alongside his younger brother Jme, he briefly joined Roll Deep before they became founding members of ...

are cited as influences by Bobby Vylan in particular. The American magazine ''Alternative Press'' recommended Bob Vylan for fans of

Idles Idles are an English post-punk band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Adam Devonshire (bass), Joe Talbot (singer), Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), and Jon Beavis (drums). After spending eight yea ...

Fever 333 Fever 333 (or the Fever 333) is an American rock band formed in Inglewood, California, in July 2017. The band was founded by former Letlive vocalist Jason Aalon Butler, former the Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer A ...

and

Turnstile A turnstile (also called a gateline, baffle gate, automated gate, turn gate in some regions) is a form of gate which allows one person to pass at a time. A turnstile can be configured to enforce One-way traffic#One-way traffic of people, one-way ...

. Ian Winwood from UK magazine ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' called Bob Vylan the most exciting and important punk band in the United Kingdom in 2022.

Musical themes and influences

Common ideas found in the lyrics include social and political issues such as racism, police violence, unequal income distribution, access to healthy food, gentrification, mental health, fatherhood, late-stage capitalism, homophobia, toxic masculinity, Britain's political hypocrisy, and the pharmaceutical industry. The theme of the struggles of being a Black man in Europe are recurring in every album, and include the mental health struggles of Black men, institutional racism that contributes to poverty in Black communities, the threat of police, and the struggles of being a Black parent in a world that threatens your children. In a 2024 interview with DIY Magazine, lead singer Bobby attributed a lot of his lyrical influence to the late Whitney Houston, with drummer Bobbie adding "Whitney was everything to me when I was a kid". Fatherhood is another significant theme in their music. The first album was titled by Bobby Vylan's daughter and contains a track by her. Their most recent single, "Dream Big", includes a picture of her on the cover and includes her and her cousins on the track. While the members' spouses and children are kept anonymous just like the band members to protect their privacy, they still have a presence on the albums.

Walter Rodney Walter Anthony Rodney (23 March 1942 – 13 June 1980) was a Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. His notable works include '' How Europe Underdeveloped Africa'', first published in 1972. He was assassinated in Georgetown, ...

, a Guyanese academic and anti-colonial activist, is featured on "Walter Speaks" and "Health is Wealth".

Discography

Albums

* ''Vylan'' (Self released, 2017) * ''Dread'' (Self released, 2019) * ''We Live Here'' (Venn Records, 2020) * '' Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life'' (Ghost Theatre, 2022) * '' Humble as the Sun'' (Ghost Theatre, 2024)

Awards

, - ! scope="row" , 2022 , Best Alternative Music Act , ''

MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Ba ...

'' , , This is the first year the MOBO Awards has had Best Alternative Music Act as a category , , - ! scope="row" , 2022 , Best Album , ''

Kerrang! Awards The ''Kerrang!'' Awards was an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''Kerrang!'' and focusing primarily on rock music. The annual awards featured performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards ...

'' , , For the album '' Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life'' ,

References

External links

* * Charts
UK
{{Commons category Black British musical groups English rap rock groups English punk rock groups English hip-hop groups Grime music groups English male musical duos 2017 establishments in England Musical groups established in 2017 Punk rock groups from London Black British rock musicians