Bands begin pulling out of Radar Festival in solidarity with Bob Vylan
Irish band The Scratch and Brighton-based all-female punk band ĠENN have pulled out of Manchester’s Radar Festival after Bob Vylan were dropped as headliners, following their controversial Glastonbury set.
On June 28th, Bob Vylan played an afternoon slot at Glastonbury, where they led the crowd through a chant of “Death to the IDF,” referencing the Israel Defence Forces. They also chanted “Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea”. Their next live show was set to be Radar Festival, held at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester between July 4th and July 6th, but they were dropped from the lineup after a police investigation was launched into the set.
In their post announcing their decision to pull out of the festival, The Scratch began, “The censorship and deplatforming of artists speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza is greasy, dangerous and must be challenged”.
Following the announcement that the Festival had dropped Bob Vylan, organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith stressed that it was out of her hands, and revealed that she fought to keep Bob Vylan as the Saturday night headliner. As such, The Scratch wrote, “To be clear, this decision is not a criticism of Radar Festival. We understand it was an incredibly difficult and complex situation.”
Instead, they wrote that the move “is about showing solidarity with Bob Vylan and any artist who may face similar treatment in the future.”
They continued, “Shadowy government influence and wealthy lobbying groups should not be allowed [to] dictate who is given a platform and what can be said on it. The situation will only worsen unless we, as artists, support one another and take action. Get Netanyahu to the ICJ. Up Bob Vylan. Free Palestine.”
ĠENN also pulled out of the festival in a lengthy statement that reflected on the power their presence may have in the conversation. They wrote, “As a minority on pretty much every lineup, and with a relatively modest platform, we considered whether we could use our physical presence to speak against the bullying, censorship, and strong-arming demonstrated towards the likes of both Bob Vylan and Radar.”
They continued, “However, the message and comments we’ve received tell a different story: one that has us fearful that, regardless of our intentions to act true to our values, whether we perform or not, this wouldn’t be seen as ‘good enough’. As such, for our safety and sanity, we’ve made the final decision to pull out from performing at Radar this weekend.”
Since the cancellation, Bob Vylan have continued to stress that they are being used as a distraction tactic so that the atrocities in the Middle East can continue to fly under the radar of public consciousness. “From starving children to proscribing activists as terrorist groups,” they wrote on Instagram, “Do not be distracted.”
The set has had several huge consequences for the band. Kave Fest in France has also confirmed that they will no longer host Bob Vylan, and a venue in Cologne will no longer let the band support Gogol Bordello in September. This comes after the Trump administration revoked their US visas, which will prevent them from hitting the road with the band Grandson later this year. They have also been dropped by talent agency UTA.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.