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Bloodstock director steps back after “uninformed” tweet

The director of one of the UK’s biggest heavy metal festivals has “taken a step back” after coming under fire for an “uninformed” tweet.

Vicky Hungerford of Bloodstock Open Air (cap. 20,000) was criticised for tweeting: “If you are going to start putting pronouns on your emails so I can refer to you as he/him she or her I’m binning your emails.”

The festival booker deleted the comments after a backlash on Twitter, and said: “I would like to be clear that I fully support everyone in the LGBTQI+ community and am happy to learn more about how to be a better ally.

“I am genuinely upset that I have caused upset to these very people today, which was in no way my intention.”

A statement from Bloodstock Festival, which is owned and run by independent promoter Amust4music, says: “We are deeply sorry to everyone affected by these uninformed comments.

“For now, Vicky has taken a step back from Bloodstock effective immediately, and will be taking the time to properly educate herself for a better understanding.”

Hungerford has worked for Bloodstock Open Air since 2001. In 2004, she became a director of the festival and took over the booking of all artists for the main stage, and later on, for the second stage too.

In the wake of the director’s tweet, the festival’s entertainment manager Paul Watling has resigned from his role effective immediately.

In a post on Facebook Watling said: “I’ve left Bloodstock as entertainment manager tonight for obvious reasons. There are hundreds of people who make that festival happen, they’re all amazing, and I’ve been so proud to be a small part of it but this is not an isolated incident. You can not promote a festival of inclusivity without including everyone.”


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