Artists withdraw from SXSW over Israel-Gaza war

A number of artists are boycotting this year’s South By Southwest (SXSW) in protest of the event’s sponsorship deal with the US Army.

The BBC reports that acts including Kneecap, Lambrini Girls, Sprints, Proper, Eliza McLamb, Mamalarky, Scowl, Gel, Okay Shalom and Squirrel Flower have pulled out of the conference and showcase festival in response to the military’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza.

The army is listed as a “super sponsor” of SXSW, which is currently being held in Austin, Texas, from 8-16 March.

Belfast rap trio Kneecap, who were due to play three shows, say they will no longer perform “in solidarity with the Palestinian people”.

“We cannot in good conscience attend an arts festival that has ‘the US Army’ as a ‘super sponsor’ and is platforming RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems,” says in a series of statements shared by the group on social media.

“We did consider only playing ‘unofficial events’ but this would still contribute to the festival indirectly.”

“We can’t affiliate ourselves whatsoever with SXSW without our solidarity becoming totally inauthentic”

The band say the decision will have “a significant financial impact on Kneecap, both on lost income and on logistical costs already incurred”, but add: “it isn’t an iota of hardship when compared with unimaginable suffering” of the people of Gaza.

Earlier, Brighton duo Lambrini Girls announced their withdrawal, tweeting on X: “We won’t be going to Austin whatsoever. For transparency, the reason it’s taken us a few days to pull out the festival is because we received funding from PRS Foundation to play. We were trying to find a way out of the situation whilst keeping our moral integrity intact and not having to pay thousands of pounds at the same time.

“That really just isn’t possible. Money has to be repaid and we can’t affiliate ourselves whatsoever with SXSW without our solidarity becoming totally inauthentic.”

In addition, Squirrel Flower tweeted that she was pulling out of her official SXSW showcases “in protest of SXSW’s ties to the defence industry and in support of the Palestinian people”, while Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Okay Shalom posted on Instagram: “There’s always a right thing to do and it’s almost never as complicated as the establishment wants you to believe. and sometimes it costs you a dream, but a dream is a dream and not a life.”

The US Army tells the BBC it was “proud to be a sponsor of SXSW, and to have the opportunity to showcase America’s Army… explore new ideas and insights, and create dynamic industry partnerships,” while SXSW did not respond to a request for comment.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.