So here’s the question I’ve been wrestling with since Bob Vylan chanted ‘Death, death to the IDF’ at Glastonbury at the weekend. Is Bob Vylan a ‘he’ or a ‘they’? I don’t mean a they/them, although that might be the case. I mean is Bob Vylan a person or a band? I keep seeing Bob Vylan referred to as ‘him’, including by the BBC, but a cursory Google search reveals that they are in fact a punk rap duo, with neither performer actually named Bob. Is the band’s name supposed to be a play on Bob Dylan? And if they’re embracing the word ‘vylan’, presumably a synonym for ‘villain’, they can’t really complain about being prosecuted for their on-stage antics. They are self-proclaimed outlaws and to have this confirmed by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service will no doubt enhance their bad boy image, in much the same way that Kneecap, the Northern Irish republican band, are no doubt absolutely delighted that one of their members is being prosecuted under the Terrorism Act.

Is it probable that Kneecap’s fans will riot when the lead singer goes on trial? Given that their fans are mainly middle-class soy boys who would run a mile from violent disorder, that seems unlikely

Should we indulge Bob Vylan in this way? My north star here is the Brandenburg Test, which was established in the US Supreme Court........

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