The Pop Corporation

The situation in Gaza has bled into the world of music, with some inevitability. Fresh off the back of ringing boos and counter-protests at the Eurovision Song Contest, now we see over 100 acts pulling out of the Great Escape festival. The show was to start today in Brighton, showing off up-and-coming artists. However, many of these acts have boycotted, garnering support from Massive Attack.

The reason for the boycott is a sponsorship issue, as the festival has been funded by Barclays, and of course, they have a financial investment when it comes to arms supply to Israel.

On their decision to pull out, Lambrini Girls said: “We will not be appearing at The Great Escape festival this year. This is a targeted approach of a cultural boycott, considering Barclays sponsorship. Barclays provide financial services of over £1bn pounds to companies supplying military technology and weapons to the IDF, perpetuating the horrors unfolding in Gaza.”

Around a quarter of the bands and artists have now stated their intent to not play The Great Escape 2024 show,

Songwriter Delilah Bon added: “Seeing the horrors happening currently in Gaza, Palestinian solidarity should be at the forefront. I’m shocked that The Great Escape festival have not responded to calls to drop their partner Barclays, who are actively funding genocide, forcing artists like myself to pick between ‘business’ and my own ethics.”

“I stand with the BDS movement and Palestinian solidarity and will sadly no longer be performing at the festival.”

Massive Attack have thrown their support behind all this, saying: “We’ve endless, special respect for younger artists or artists at earlier stages of their careers who choose to take a stand against corporate support for apartheid and now genocide in Palestine. It’s extraordinary to think that in 2024, promoters and festivals still don’t understand that as artists, our music is for sale but our humanity and morality is not. The truth is, while the boycott of events sponsored by toxic corporations like Barclays is courageous, the motives behind it are totally uncontroversial: everyone can see what’s happening in Gaza and no one should accept it.”

“Whether it’s apartheid and genocide in Gaza, or the funding of new fossil fuel extraction worldwide, Barclays has repeatedly proven it is without conscience. Barclays therefore has no place in any music festival or any cultural event. Solidarity with and total respect to all musicians who’ve taken this stand.”

The festival themselves have been quiet on the whole matter, in what must be an incredibly tense week for bookers, promoters and casual staff who sympathise with the boycott and have little sway over the decision making process that’s being made over their heads, while trying to pay their bills at the same time.

The Musician’s Union have spoken up for the artists in a statement, saying “in solidarity with members and non-members who are boycotting this year’s Great Escape Festival”, adding: “The boycott is an act of solidarity with the people of Palestine, and one of the few instruments that freelance musicians have to call attention to practices that they disagree with.”

Of course, this echoes the boycott at SXSW which we covered at the time. There’s a host of musicians backing the BDS movement (more info here) who have stated: “Israel’s cultural institutions are part and parcel of the ideological and institutional scaffolding of Israel’s regime of occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid against the Palestinian people. These institutions are clearly implicated, through their silence or active participation, in supporting, justifying and whitewashing Israel’s occupation and systematic denial of Palestinian rights.”

“When international artists perform at Israeli cultural venues and institutions, they help to create the false impression that Israel is a “normal” country like any other. The absolute majority of Palestinian writers, artists and cultural centers have endorsed the cultural boycott of Israel, and there is a growing number of anti-colonial Israelis who support BDS, including the cultural boycott of Israel.”

Naturally, there’s opposing views. Nick Cave has not joined any boycott saying: “I do not support the current government in Israel, yet do not accept that my decision to play in the country is any kind of tacit support for that government’s policies,” adding that the boycott was “partly the reason I am playing Israel – not as support for any particular political entity but as a principled stand against those who wish to bully, shame and silence musicians.” Radiohead have also shown keenness to play in Israel, saying “playing in a country isn’t the same as endorsing its government.”

One thing is for sure is that no-one can accuse any young musicians of being apolitical, which they have been so regularly accused of in recent years. The atrocities that have unfurled in that bit of the world has seen lines drawn and views are becoming more entrenched as the weeks go on.