Artists pull out of Be Reyt festival after Tom Meighan announced as headliner
On May 6th 2023, Sheffield’s Be Reyt Festival is scheduled to take place, yet the organisers are currently facing a wave of backlash following their decision to book disgraced ex-Kasabian member Tom Meighan as a headliner. Many people are calling for a boycott of the festival, and several bands scheduled to appear have decided not to perform.
Meighan, who co-formed Kasabian in 1997, enjoyed a prolific career in one of England’s most significant indie rock outfits until he was convicted of domestic abuse charges in 2020. He pleaded guilty to abusing his girlfriend Vikki Ager, whom he has since married, and he was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid labour.
The singer left Kasabian following his crimes, which he has since claimed in a blog post (via Check Your Soul: Why it’s never too late) to be “deeply ashamed” of. He also wrote, “I did something I will never forgive myself for: I physically assaulted my now wife Vikki in [a] row fulled by alcohol. It was totally unacceptable. In fact, it makes me feel sick every time I think about it.”
Since then, Meighan has begun a solo career, landing a headline spot at Be Reyt Festival. The organisers, including Record Junkee, issued a statement defending their decision. “Tom Meighan has suffered in the past with publicised mental health issues and admitted to allegations of abuse towards his partner, which contributed to him stepping down from his role as the singer and frontman of Kasabian.”
They continued, “In no way do our companies believe domestic abuse or abuse of any type is acceptable. Nobody should have to suffer any type of abuse,” adding, “we do believe that people deserve a second chance.” They also highlighted that Meighan will support artists like Noel Gallagher and Razorlight later this year.
However, there has been widespread backlash over this defence. The domestic abuse charity IDAS wrote, “The festival organisers defend their decision based on giving Meighan a ‘second chance’… We disagree.”
They added, “In choosing to headline a convicted abuser, the festival risks sending a message to music lovers that abuse is ‘not that bad’, that it is somehow excusable. This decision could reinforce their abuser’s behaviour and prevent survivors from getting help. There are many incredible performers out there that could have headlined the festival instead.”
Elsewhere, a collection of artists have opted out of performing at the festival. The Rills took to Twitter to write, “A lot has changed since we were first booked,” and Rhianne Downey also shared a message on the platform: “I do not and will not stand by or sympathise with the headliner or his previous actions.”
Nice Guy commented on their decision not to play, writing, “Due to the nature of his convictions, we feel this is the right decision.” Trampolene wrote on Instagram, “we as a band do not feel it is right.”
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