Swedish band Refused urge people not to boycott KKR owned festivals
Swedish hardcore band Refused have released a statement explaining why they are not boycotting festivals backed by KKR investment firm.
KKR became the parent company of Superstruct Entertainment after acquiring the company in a deal reportedly worth $1.3 billion in 2024. KKR are involved in the Coastal GasLink pipeline and several Israeli corporations operating in the occupied Palestinian territories. The company is the parent company of over 80 UK and European events, including Lost Village and Sziget.
Many artists have decided to boycott festivals funded by KKR. In one case, over 200 artists signed an open letter, such as Brian Eno, Ben UFO and Robert Del Naja of Massive Attack, and called for London-based day festival Field Day to distance itself from the investment firm.
Refused do not share this position. Taking to Instagram, they wrote: “So a week ago we found out that some of the festivals we’re playing this summer are backed by an entertainment conglomerate called Superstruct in which a bad bad actor named KKR is part owner. KKR invests in Israeli cyber security among other fucked up things.”
Once they expressed their first instinct, which was to “jump ship” and boycott, the festivals retaliated and questioned their own associations within the industry. For example, Live Nation, who oversee some of the band’s other upcoming shows, are owned by Blackrock, who they say are “heavily invested in weapons manufacturing.” Spotify, which they also use, donated money to Donald Trump’s inauguration and invests in military AI. “The scum of the earth, basically.”
They continued: “So, the conundrum became: boycotting these festivals would make us feel good about ourselves, the band’s legacy wouldn’t be tarnished by association with these disgusting companies. It would feel nice.”
However, the boycott wouldn’t “do any good”. They wrote astutely, “being morally superior doesn’t put food in the mouths of starving Palestinians.” Therefore, the band announced that “we have decided to make some noise, to go meet our people, to celebrate the resistance and raise money for the Palestinian cause this summer.”
They concluded: “To us, it is the right thing to do, to get out there and be a thorn in the side of Zionists, fascists, venture capitalists and to fan the flames of discontent together with our bright, informed comrades all over Europe. A lot of you have already bought tickets and are expecting us, so we’d love to get suggestions from local organizations and activists we could work with in all the countries and cities we’re playing. Free Palestine!!!”
It is a big decision for a band who are set to play their last shows soon. The group, which formed in 1992, initially split in 1998 before eventually reuniting in 2012. However, in September, they revealed that Refused would split up once again following a series of farewell shows in North America, which have now been extended into the UK and Europe.
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