The Top 10 Live Music Controversies of 2025
From Kneecap to Bob Vylan to Primal Scream, this has been a year of politics, incidents, and artistic expression clashing, with the live music environment often acting as a tinderbox. Let’s explore.
Political expression, broadcast responsibilities, festival management, national security concerns, and fan safety all emerged as flashpoints this year in culture, with the live music stage becoming a direct site of interaction between artist, fan, and organizer, at crucial moments of creative expression. Indeed, this was one of the most charged years in recent decades for live performances colliding with world politics and public opinion.
Here’s a look back at the year in live music controversy.
1. Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury Set, Cancelled Performances, and Defamation Lawsuit
Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan became one of the most controversial live acts of 2025. Their Glastonbury set featured chants including “Death, death to the IDF,” igniting allegations of antisemitism, broadcaster apologies, and a police probe. In December, they filed a defamation suit against Irish broadcaster RTÉ over coverage of the performance — a rare legal escalation tied directly to a live concert’s media fallout. Singer Pascal Robinson-Foster’s appearance on Louis Theroux’s popular podcast led to some advertisers pulling their support of his media company.
Bob Vylan faced another live controversy when a September show in the Netherlands was cancelled by the venue following Robinson-Foster’s statements about the death of US political commentator Charlie Kirk, adding to the band’s contentious live reputation.
2. Mass Shooting Occurs at Amazura Nightclub in Queens, NY
A horrific mass shooting occurred outside the Amazura nightclub in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, NYC, late on New Year’s Day, January 1, of this year, which left 10 people injured. The victims were primarily young adults and teenagers, all of whom sustained non-life-threatening injuries. No arrests have since been made, and the search for the gunmen is ongoing.
3. Primal Scream Displaying Provacative Imagery During London Show
Earlier this month, Scottish rock icons Primal Scream sparked international uproar after displaying visuals at their London concert combining the Star of David with a swastika-like symbol and political figures’ faces, leading to accusations of antisemitism and public condemnation — even as the band defended it as artistic expression.
4. Kneecap’s Political Provocation and Festival Bans
Northern Irish rap-punk trio Kneecap drew fire in 2025 for their highly politicized live sets, especially at Glastonbury where their chants, frequent political rhetoric condemning both the Israeli and UK governments, and flying the Palestinian flag, have put them at the center of political debates which have grown far beyond the influence of the band itself. Their cause has turned into shorthand for discussions over censorship in the UK. 40+ artists have come out to defend Kneecap’s freedom of expression, including Massive Attack and Damien Dempsey, who called them “three young peaceful warrior poets”
5. Two Concert Incidents on Lady Gaga‘s Australia Tour
On December 9, at Lady Gaga’s show at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, organizational failures — late gate openings and dangerously crowded lines — sparked widespread fan outcry and social media criticism about safety and live-event management at a high-profile pop show. And a notorious concert disrupter was apprehended by security.
Then, just a few days later, at her concert at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, Lady Gaga had to pause her concert when a dancer slid and fell off the stage and was injured. Later that evening, two women were killed in a car crash early on Sunday morning as they made their way home from Lady Gaga’s sold-out Sydney concert.
6. Radiohead Boycotts Called Over Middle East Politics
While not necessarily involving a single concert misstep in 2025, Radiohead’s planned tour drew public boycott calls from pro-Palestinian groups because of the band’s “complicit silence” amid past performances past in Tel Aviv and perceived neutrality on global issues — making their return to the live stage unexpectedly political.
7. Zac Brown Band’s “Demon Ritual” at the Sphere in Las Vegas
At a Las Vegas run, Zac Brown Band, a major country act in the US, startled parts of their audience by incorporating imagery and costumes which some described as a “demon ritual” into their show — provoking fan shock and a small cultural backlash online. Although the montage footage and the metal-inspired approach was reportedly attempting to showcase the “demons” Zac has had to overcome throughout his life, commenters online posted responses such as: “This is worshipping Satan as far as I’m concerned… just a whole demon ritual at this point.”
8. The Mary Wallopers Flag Incident
Irish folk group The Mary Wallopers had their microphones turned off mid-set at the Victorious Festival in the UK for flying a Palestinian flag, leading to several other acts pulling out in protest. The event’s organizers eventually issued a statement saying the decision was in line with their longstanding “no flags policy” and pledged a donation to Palestinian humanitarian causes.
9. Cancellations of Dudu Tassa and Jonny Greenwood Duo Shows
Performances by Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa were cancelled by UK venues under political pressure in 2025. Ironically, the two musicians were scheduled to perform works from their album Jarak Qaribak (translated to “Your Neighbor Is Your Friend”), an album that includes Middle Eastern vocalists from Iraq, Egypt, Syria, and Tunisia.
10. Many Artists Boycott and Withdraw From Festivals and Events Due to Political Reasons
In 2025, just as in 2024, numerous artists globally issued protests of festivals and events by withdrawing from live performance lineups, expressing discontent over organizers’ connections with the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, as well as the Trump administration’s immigration policies in the US. Festivals impacted by artist boycotts and withdrawals in 2025 include:
- Michelada Fest (Chicago, US): The festival was canceled entirely for 2025 due to “uncertainty surrounding artist visas and the rapidly changing political climate” under the Trump administration, affecting primarily Mexican corrido artists.
- Sónar Festival (Barcelona, Spain): Over 70 artists withdrew from the event in May and June 2025. The boycott targeted Sónar’s ownership by Superstruct Entertainment, a live events company acquired by KKR, a global investment firm reportedly linked to Israeli tech and weapons manufacturers.
- Lost Village (Lincolnshire, UK): Multiple DJs, including ANOTR, Hunee, and Mr. Scruff, pulled out of the festival lineup in August 2025, also due to its ownership by Superstruct Entertainment/KKR.
- Field Day (London, UK): At least 15 acts withdrew from this festival in May 2025 for the same reasons related to its KKR ownership.
- Boiler Room/Listen Out (Australia): Over 700 artists and DJs from Australia’s dance music scene signed an open letter in August 2025, committing to not play at events owned by Superstruct/KKR, including Boiler Room and Listen Out.
- Victorious Festival (Portsmouth, UK): A string of bands, including The Last Dinner Party and The Academic, boycotted the festival in August 2025 after Irish folk band The Mary Wallopers claimed their set was cut short for displaying a Palestinian flag and leading a chant. Organizers later apologized and pledged a donation to humanitarian relief efforts.
- Radar Festival (Manchester, UK): After the festival dropped the band Bob Vylan following a pro-Palestine performance at Glastonbury in 2024, several other acts withdrew in solidarity with Bob Vylan in July 2025.
- Earth Frequency Festival (Queensland, Australia): The festival removed Israeli psytrance duo Infected Mushroom from its October 2025 lineup following sustained pressure from activists and a public campaign.
