Bob Vylan at SWG3 in Glasgow was an electrifying performance, the kind that seems to raise the venue’s temperature by sheer energy alone. Having first experienced him at TRNSMT 2023, we were primed for his brash, hybrid punk, which blends grime, hardcore, and protest music with a kind of raw defiance. He opened with “Reign,” setting an immediate tone of aggression and purpose. Next, “Get Yourself a Gun” pumped up the crowd, blending vicious riffs with biting lyrics.

The tempo shifted slightly when he dropped into a gritty, reverberating cover of Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” casting a shadow over the track’s original warmth. But it was in “We Live Here” that Bob Vylan’s ethos truly hit home—a visceral critique of life under Britain’s social and racial inequities, performed with an urgency that seemed to resonate deeply with the audience. He closed with “Hunger Games,” an explosive finale that left no doubt about his intentions to push, prod, and provoke.

Onstage, his presence is relentless, a blur of frenetic movement and razor-sharp vocals, every beat fueled by a passion for change. Driven by his own experiences of inequality, Bob Vylan’s music aims not just to entertain but to confront and challenge, grounding his anger in lived experience and a desire for social justice.

Photos: Chris Hogge

Words: Angela Canavan