Calls to boycott The Great Escape Festival over controversial sponsorship deal
Queercore punk band The Menstrual Cramps have called for artists to boycott The Great Escape Festival in Brighton next month as a result of the festival’s sponsorship by Barclays. The banking corporation is responsible for investing in arms manufacturing and supplying weapons to Israeli forces, currently being used in the conflict in Gaza.
In a statement shared to social media last week, The Menstrual Cramps wrote, “As a band we have consistently been against Israel’s genocidal assault on Palestinians and fully support the Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s ongoing calls to boycott Barclays bank.” Barclays has a problematic history in general, arising from its founders and their roots in the slave trade, which makes it a particularly uncomfortable festival sponsor for many artists.
The Bristol band continued in their calls to boycott the festival, sharing, “[The Great Escape] are aware that if they do not pull Barclays from their sponsors and make a statement acknowledging why and moving away from these sponsors going ahead, we will be boycotting The Great Escape Festival,” adding, “we will not play The Great Escape and we will encourage others to do so.”
At the time of writing, it is not clear whether the band’s boycott will spread throughout the rest of the line-up, which features artists like Kneecap and Lambrini Girls, who pulled out of South By Southwest last month over the festival’s ties to arms production. Artists including Benefits and Crywank have endorsed The Menstrual Cramps’ decision to boycott the festival.
Austin’s SXSW festival witnessed a mass exodus of artists last month after it was revealed the festival received funding from the US Army and an arms manufacturing company. Upwards of 80 artists and speakers due to appear at the festival dropped out as part of the boycott, having a detrimental effect on the success of the event.
In addition to The Great Escape festival, Barclays is also a major sponsor of the Isle of Wight Festival and Latitude. The bank also has ties to Download Festival, Camp Bestival, Lytham Festival and shows at The Piece Hall in Halifax. So, if this boycott started by The Menstrual Cramps takes hold, it could have a colossal impact on the entertainment industry.
In a final call for the boycotting of Barclays as a festival sponsor, The Menstrual Cramps wrote, “As a political punk band, we cannot be complicit in glorifying the industries that fund this violence. […] We hope that us taking a stand enables and empowers other artists to take a stand!”
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