More artists to boycott Brighton’s Great Escape amid Barclays sponsorship
Earlier this month, Bristol punk band The Menstrual Cramps called for fellow artists to participate in a boycott of The Great Escape in Brighton, over the event’s sponsorship by Barclays Bank. Now, dozens of other artists have followed suit, and dropped out of the festival.
Barclays has been a source of controversy for decades, going back to its roots in the slave trade, but has been criticised recently due to their ties to companies which supply arms to Israeli forces in Gaza. As such, many of the artists initially on the line-up for The Great Escape have made the decision to boycott the festival in solidarity with Palestine.
Initially, the boycott took the form of a petition, organised by The Menstrual Cramps and promoters How To Catch A Pig. Quickly, the petition garnered over 300 signatures, including the likes of Kneecap, Mary In the Junkyard, Lambrini Girls and Wunderhorse.
Now, the protest has taken the next step, with many artists and record labels pulling out of the event. The latest artists to take a stand against the festival include Cherym, Mui Zyu, Zheani, Rett Madison, Sarah Crean, LVRA, Hongza, Van Zon, Ideal Living, Borough Council, COMRAD, Other Half, and Lambrini Girls.
Following their decision to remove themselves from The Great Escape, Lambrini Girls shared a post to social media, explaining their decision. Writing on Instagram, they explained, “Barclays provide financial services of over £1BN pounds to companies supplying military technology and weapons to the IDF, perpetuating the horrors unfolding in Gaza,” adding, “We will not be appearing at The Great Escape festival this year. This is a targeted approach of a cultural boycott, considering Barclays sponsorship”.
At the time of writing, the organisers of The Great Escape festival have not commented on the boycott or the potential to cut ties with Barclays. It is worth noting, though, that the Brighton-based festival is not the only live music event with ties to the controversial bank. Both Latitude and Isle of Wight Festival have Barclays as a major sponsor, while smaller events such as Download Festival, Camp Bestival, Lytham Festival and shows at The Piece Hall in Halifax are connected with the bank too.
Over half of the festival’s line-up have signed the petition condemning the festival. Now, with more and more artists pulling out altogether, it is unclear in what capacity the festival will go ahead next month. Presumably, it will be difficult to find replacement acts at such short notice, who do not mind their reputation being tarnished by appearing at the festival.
This is a developing story.
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