Muse have postponed their show in Istanbul, Türkiye, after the boss of promoter DBL Entertainment criticised anti-government protesters.

The British trio had announced a performance at Festival Park Yenikapı on 11 June, but say the gig will now go ahead next year with a different promoter.

“After careful consideration and hearing the feedback from our fans whilst fully respecting their concerns, our show in Istanbul will be now postponed until 2026 so we can ensure DBL Entertainment will not be involved,” says a statement posted to the band’s social channels.

The move follows a backlash over comments by DBL chief Abdulkadir Özkan, who slammed the actions of some protesters – who have taken to the streets after the arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges – as an “act of treason”.

The protesters allege Imamoglu’s arrest is a political move by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Posting on X, Özkan wrote: “Plain and simple, this is hostility towards the capital,” but has since attempted to clarify his comments. He adds that he is taking legal action “against those responsible for defamation, incitement, unfair competition, and economic interference”.

In a statement released to IQ by the promoter’s legal counsel, Özkan says he made it clear that his remarks were aimed at “a small group of violent provocateurs and that peaceful protest is a fundamental constitutional right”. He went on to add that “while protest is vital, violence under its cover is not”.

“For years, DBL Entertainment has operated independently to bring some of the most iconic artists in the world to Türkiye”

Furthermore, Özkan says he has been subject to a “sustained campaign of disinformation and coordinated attacks” that have caused “millions of material and measurable damages, ranging from concert cancellations to reputational injury”.

“Let’s be clear: For years, his company, DBL Entertainment has operated independently – without political or government support – to bring some of the most iconic artists in the world to Türkiye,” it continues. “And yet, Mr. Özkan’s has been targeted in ways that defy both common sense and the law.

“We are actively pursuing all legal remedies available under Turkish and international law. More proceedings are imminent against anyone engaged in unlawful conduct, including contractual breaches, malicious misrepresentations, and coordinated defamation.

“Our clients have invested years in building a business that brings cultural events to Türkiye and supports a wide ecosystem of creative and technical professionals. That work will not be sacrificed to bad-faith campaigns or opportunistic misinformation.”

Nearly 2,000 people – many of them students – have been detained by police since 19 March. Turkish Minute reports the announcement of the Muse concert cancellation came on a nationwide “no-buy” day called by Turkey’s main opposition leader Özgür Özel, who encouraged citizens to halt purchases at supermarkets, restaurants, gas stations and online platforms in protest at the mass detention.

Ane Brun and Trevor Noah also joined the boycott and pulled their shows, while Robbie Williams has faced calls to axe his 7 October concert in Istanbul.

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Istanbul-based booker Burak Çekiç has given an insight into the ups and downs of the Turkish live music scene in an interview with IQ.

Çekiç, who programmes 400-cap venue Blind Istanbul and the 10,000-cap Blind Fest, points out that Turkey has defied unfavourable market conditions to attract international acts such as Scorpions, Placebo, Massive Attack, Judas Priest and Ludovico Einaudi this year alone.

“The global economic crisis and rising currency rates in Turkey made the stadium shows almost impossible and booking international acts harder compared to the past,” he tells IQ. “Some promoters focused on local acts after that and this gave local bands the opportunity to find headline shows and festival slots. However, the amount of international acts cannot be underestimated.”

The 26-year-old, who says the local scene is defined by its “passion, energy and community”, speaks warmly of the support offered by his peers, and the camaraderie that exists within the domestic sector.

“I would like to create a world where both promoters and artists – especially at the low and mid-level – earn more money”

“It is a small community, but we always feel that we are a family here,” he says. “Leading people in the industry like our founder Oytun Alatay, my colleague Can Inandim and friends from other companies, Baris Basaran and Derya Artan, have always been protective and supportive of me. This connection and solidarity in between people keep the sector alive in our country.

“I would like to create a world where both promoters and artists – especially at the low and mid-level – earn more money,” he adds. “They deserve to be in a better situation and I know that a lot of talented acts cannot make a living by doing music and even lose money to be able to play in a venue, and it is almost same in all the countries.”

Blind was founded in 2021 in Beyoglu, Istanbul, as an updated version of the iconic Babylon, which hosted the likes of Patti Smith, Marianne Faithfull, Thurston Moore, Macy Gray, Lykke Li and Diplo.

“Most importantly, we preserve and maintain this legacy,” notes Çekiç. “We haven’t changed the historical tissue of the venue such as the stone walls behind the stage and venue plan.

“As we have a limited capacity, we have to increase ticket prices sometimes more than planned to be able to cover the costs but luckily, we have a loyal crowd here willing to discover new music and would like to go to concerts. This crowd understands the reason for the increase in prices and we try and aim to keep prices affordable for everyone.”

“Within the past 12 months, 35-40% of Blind’s shows are international acts”

He continues: “The last 12 months have been memorable for Blind. We’ve been one of the most active venues in Istanbul, hosting live concerts and events five days a week regularly. We have promoted the leading alternative music bands from Turkey and also many international acts from various genres such as Beach Fossils, Portico Quartet, Emma Ruth Rundle, Puma Blue, Nation of Language, Bar Italia, Squid, Bombino and Zola Jesus.

“Many of these shows were sold out and attracted attention around the country. It is amazing that some people come to the city from different countries in the world just to attend our concerts.”

Upcoming bookings include John Maus, Pigsx7, Okay Kaya, Andy Stott, Xiu Xiu and Chassol.

“Within the past 12 months, 35-40% of Blind’s shows are international acts and we want to keep this rate for the upcoming coming years,” adds Çekiç.

Blind Fest, meanwhile, takes place annually at Istanbul’s KüçükÇiftlik Park and has featured acts including Placebo, Balthazar and Oscar and The Wolf.

“We have organised this festival every year since Blind started its operation and aim to bring all early-mid and high level acts on the same stage together with a huge crowd,” explains Çekiç. “Blind Fest has been running for three years since Blind [the venue] was founded. We are still working for the next edition and don’t have a date yet.”

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Fontaines D.C. have cancelled their upcoming concert at Zorlu PSM in Turkey in solidarity with Palestinian people.

The Irish band were due to perform at the 3,500-capacity Istanbul venue on 20 August but have dropped out as part of ongoing calls for companies to divest in Israel, amid the war in Gaza.

The venue’s naming rights sponsor, Zorlu, is a Turkish multinational conglomerate that reportedly part-owns the Dorad power plant in Israel which supplies 5-8% of the country’s energy.

“The global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement led by the largest Palestinian coalition, has called on artists to refuse to play Zorlu PSM until Zorlu fully divests from the supply of energy to Israel while it carries out what the International Court of Justice now agrees is plausibly a genocide,” read a statement from Fontaines D.C. posted on Instagram last Thursday (1 August).

“We were really looking forward to visiting and playing Istanbul, however in this instance, we must be clear in our convictions and put solidarity with the people of Palestine first. We promise to play in Turkey as soon as we can make it possible.”

The band, which is represented by Alex Bruford at ATC Live, has pledged full refunds to ticket holders.

“We must be clear in our convictions and put solidarity with the people of Palestine first”

In a statement posted last week, BDS called on international artists booked for the venue to cancel and “for all others to refuse offers, as a meaningful contribution to ending complicity in Israel’s regime of oppression”.

The movement noted that a campaign from BDS Turkey has already compelled Zorlu Energy to partially divest from the Israeli energy market.

“But until it fully divests from the Dorad plant, Zorlu Holdings and all its subsidiaries should be held accountable.”

Elsewhere, a number of acts that were scheduled to perform at Manchester Pride Festival in the UK have pulled out over the event’s headline sponsor, Booking.com, which has been accused of profiteering from the occupation of Palestine.

Drag Race UK’s Bimini Bon Boulash is the latest act to drop out, following in the footsteps of BollyWitch, Felix Mufti and Dan Chan.

Bimini, who had a headline slot last year, wrote on Instagram that it was a “tough decision” not to be involved.

“This choice is not taken lightly; I deeply value the Manchester community and the celebration of love and diversity that Pride represents,” the artist wrote on social media.

“As an artist and activist, I stand for justice and accountability”

“However, after learning of allegations against one of the event’s sponsors, Booking.com, I have decided I cannot in good conscience perform at this year’s event.”

“Booking.com list vacation homes in disputed territories and has been blacklisted by the United Nations Human Rights Council as a company that has human rights violations concerns. As an artist and activist, I stand for justice and accountability.”

Manchester Pride has said it “respects and understands” the decision, adding that they would continue to “engage in meaningful dialogue” with Booking.com.

Meanwhile, Brighton Pride is reviewing its sponsors ahead of next year’s event, after protestors blocked the Coca-Cola float during Saturday’s parade.

Protesters, and Brighton Pavilion MP Sian Berry, say Coca-Cola is an unsuitable sponsor for the city’s Pride.

Green Party literature posted to Ms Berry’s X account states: “For several years, Coca-Cola has faced calls to remove its factory from illegally occupied land in Palestine, but has refused to do so.”

Coca-Cola said it supports the right to peacefully protest and that it decided the float could not continue due to safety concerns over its staff and other attendees.

In the past few months alone, Barclays suspended its sponsorship of Live Nation UK’s remaining 2024 festivals following a raft of artist withdrawals over the bank’s ties to Israel, and South By Southwest (SXSW) discontinued its partnership with the US Army and the defense contractor RTX Corporation after more than 80 artists pulled out of this year’s event in Austin, Texas, in protest of the military’s support for Israel in the war in Gaza.

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Bulgaria’s FEST Team is set to acquire Eastern European promoter, talent buyer and artist agency Charmenko.

The deal, which is expected to close later this summer, also includes Charmenko’s live events arm, Charm Music, and its artist agency, Charmworks.

The Istanbul-headquartered firm, founded in the late 1980s, will retain its name, staff and offices in Poland, Czechia & Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Serbia.

FEST Team is a Sofia-based full-service promoter, founded in 2012, which organises festivals such as Sofia Solid series, Hills of Rock Festival, and Spice Music Festival.

The firm has also promoted concerts with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Ed Sheeran, Andrea Bocelli, Iron Maiden, Tom Jones, Lenny Kravitz, Franz Ferdinand, Editors and Pantera.

Charmenko and FEST Team have previously worked together, maintaining a co-promoting partnership in the Baltic States and Bulgaria.

“This acquisition represents a transformative opportunity for Fest Team,” says Stefan Elenkov, CEO of Fest Team. “It is a privilege for us to join forces with such renowned and respected company in the music industry. By combining Fest Team’s expertise in organising large-scale music events with Charmenko’s robust artist booking capabilities and industry know-how, we aim to create synergy that will redefine the Eastern European music landscape. This strategic integration will streamline our ability to connect artists with venues and festivals, offering comprehensive solutions that enhance the overall experience for performers and audiences alike.”

“I feel that it’s time for us to join a bigger grouping in order to take the next step towards a pan-East European promoting, talent buying and servicing organisation”

FEST Team says the acquisition marks a significant advancement in Fest Team’s growth strategy, aiming to bolster its regional presence and expand operations across Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, the Baltic regions and more.

Charmenko’s founder and owner, Nick Hobbs: “As a group of companies working throughout the East European region, we survived Covid and have returned to the growth we had towards the end of the 20 teens. The odds are stacked against independent promoters yet, with too many ups and downs to mention, the company has opened new offices and doubled in size since 2021 without incurring any debt. I feel that it’s time for us to join a bigger grouping in order to take the next step towards a pan-East European promoting, talent buying and servicing organisation which can integrate creativity, synergies and professionalism with a long-term strategy that puts artists, audience and clients foremost in our thinking.”

Hobbs founded Charmenko in London in the 1980s before relocating to Istanbul in 2003. The firm later opened offices in Czechia and Poland (2004), Serbia (2018), and Croatia (2021). The company promotes live shows and acts as a talent buyer in these markets.

Charmenko also acts as a talent buyer for events, venues and concert organisers in Finland, the rest of the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Moldova, Greece & Cyprus, the Caucuses and Egypt, as well as the Baltic States and Bulgaria.

The company adds, “As soon as the war is over, we look forward to returning to Ukraine, and as soon as the Russian and Belarussian regimes collapse, we look forward to returning to Russia and Belarus.”

Charmenko has promoted concerts with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Måneskin, The Chainsmokers, Arctic Monkeys, Marshmello, Rammstein, The National, Green Day, Die Antwoord, Central Cee, Franz Ferdinand, Sting, Tame Impala and Iron Maiden.

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The LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – IQ Magazine’s fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – has been revealed.

The ever-popular list is the centrepiece of IQ’s fourth Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each of them on the development of the industry, the challenges that are keeping them up at night and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on yesterday’s interview with Ary Maudit (they/them), a multi-instrumentalist and sound engineer at Strongroom Studio/Saffron Records in the UK.

The series continues with Buğra Davaslıgil (he/they), a senior booker and talent buyer at Charmenko in Türkiye.

Born and bred in İstanbul, Buğra has lived in Türkiye’s largest city all his life except for a two-year period spent in London as an au pair. Though they spent two years as an architect after earning a Bachelor’s degree from İstanbul Technical University, Buğra returned from London determined to pave their way in the music industry. He was inspired after various freelance opportunities and a stint at Kod Müzik, and has now worked at Charmenko since 2006.

Tell us about the professional feat you’re most PROUD of in 2024 so far.
Having booked The Smile to perform in the Baltic States, Poland, Czechia, former Yugoslavia, Romania and Bulgaria.

Tell us about the challenges of living in a country ruled by an anti-LGBTIQ+ government.
Although homosexuality has never been illegal in Türkiye — it has not been illegal since 1858 so even during the Ottoman Empire period – the predecessor of the modern-day Republic of Türkiye — and gender reassignment surgery has been legal since 1988 and we do have lots of queer NGOs, university clubs and activists, an anti-LGBTIQ+, the government wants it all to be kept under the rug and doesn’t want you to take it as an identity and be seen out and loud. It doesn’t do anything to give you the legal rights to be protected from any kind of discrimination, abuse or harassment; therefore it is a struggle in all forms (social, economic and sometimes even life-threatening), and only way is the local as well as the global solidarity and do not let those lose your hope for an equal and brighter future.

“I am optimistic that [new leadership] might bring a wind of change, and we could have more support and freedom from the cities in cultural life”

Pride events and marches have long been banned, how do you tend to celebrate Pride month?
We do celebrate Pride month with queer parties, picnics, gatherings, panels and film screenings, and even do our own guerrilla Pride Parade. The parade is declared by the Istanbul Pride March Organising Committee to be on a specific street, but it actually takes place on another street so that the cops cannot interfere as they aren’t aware of the location change.

What are the current challenges in Türkiye’s live music business?
The economic crisis in Türkiye: very high inflation and Turkish Lira’s weakness against foreign currencies.

How do you see the country’s business developing in the next few years?
Since we have just had the local elections at the end of March and the opposition party CHP (The Republican People’s Party; social democrats) have won a majority of the cities and become the leading party in Türkiye, I am optimistic that it might bring a wind of change and we could have more support and freedom from the cities in cultural life.

“We still have a lot to go to support, especially non-binary and trans rights”

Name one thing the industry could do to be a more equitable place.
I would say please stop the ‘orientalism’ and try to be more inclusive in gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. And please do mean it, and not just tick the box.

Do you have a favourite queer space?
I have a favourite party called ‘Dudakların Cengi’ where all local drag performers take the stage in İstanbul.

Shout out any LGBTIQ+ cause(s) you support.
I believe we still have a lot to go to support, especially non-binary and trans rights.

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IQ Magazine has revealed the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – the fourth annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business.

The list is once again the centrepiece of IQ’s annual Pride edition, sponsored by Ticketmaster, which is now available to read online and in print for subscribers.

The 20 individuals comprising the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 – as nominated by our readers and verified by our esteemed steering committee – are individuals that have gone above and beyond to wave the flag for an industry that we can all be proud of.

The fourth instalment comprises agents, promoters, venue directors, bookers, consultants, sustainability experts, talent buyers, managers and sound engineers from across the world.

In alphabetical order, the LGBTIQ+ List 2024 is:

Anna Sjölund, EU programming director, ASM Global (SE)
Ary Maudit, sound engineer/producer, RAK Studios/Strongroom/Saffron Records (UK)
Buğra Davaslıgıl, senior talent buyer, Charmenko (TR)
Caterina Conti, operations manager, 432 Presents (UK)
Chris May, general manager, BC Place Stadium (CA)
Dustin Turner, music marketing agent, music touring, CAA (US)
Emma Davis, general manager/agent, One Fiinix Live (UK)
Gwen Iffland, senior marketing & PR manager, Wizard Live (DE)
Jason Brotman, founder, Five Senses Reeling (US)
Joona Juutilainen, Booking Assistant, Fullsteam Agency (FI)
Luke Mulligan, director, Circa 41 (AU)
Paul Lomas, booker, WME (UK)
Pembe Tokluhan, production/founder/diversity consultant, Petok Productions (UK)
Priscilla Nagashima, VP of engineering, DICE (UK)
Rhys France, corporate & private events booker, CAA (UK)
Rivca Burns, acting head of music, Factory International (UK)
Ross Patel, green impact consultant & board member, LIVE/MMF (UK)
Sam Oldham, venue director, The O2 (UK)
Sam Booth, director of sustainability, AEG Europe (UK)
Zoe Maras, founder & artist services, Joyride Agency (NZ)

Throughout Pride Month (June), IQ will be publishing full-length interviews with each person on the LGBTIQ+ List 2024.

However, subscribers can read the full Pride edition now. Click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or see what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below.

Check out previous Pride lists from 2023, 2022 and 2021.

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At least 29 people were killed, and several more injured by a fire at a nightclub in Istanbul on Wednesday (3 April).

The daytime inferno happened as workers were in the basement of the Masquerade club, which had been undergoing renovations.

Authorities stated that the victims of the blaze were all thought to have been involved in the renovation project, which was taking place during Ramadan ahead of the club’s scheduled reopening at the Eid holiday, next week.

Situated on the ground floor and basement levels of a high-rise building in the residential Gayrettepe district of Istanbul, the venue is apparently being treated as a crime scene, with Istanbul governor Davut Gül noting that the cause of the mid-day fire was yet to be determined.

However, police issued warrants for the arrest of eight people, including the nightclub manager and a person responsible for the renovations, as part of their investigations. At press time, six people had reportedly been arrested, while warrants are outstanding for others.

Turkish television showed flames and a columns of smoke billowing from upper floor windows as the fire spread up the 16-storey building

Emergency services were alerted to the inferno at 12:47 pm and firefighters faced the grim task of finding bodies and rescuing severely injured victims as they battled for several hours to bring the blaze under control. Throughout the afternoon, the governor’s office was forced to increase the death toll in ever more shocking updates as more victims succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

Images from Turkish television showed flames and columns of smoke billowing from upper floor windows as the fire spread up the 16-storey building, but it is believed all the deaths had been individuals who were in the club premises.

As investigations began, Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, revealed that the club’s operators had not applied for the correct construction permit. “There is no application [to the local municipality] for a renovation or a construction regarding the place and as it was two floors down from the ground level, it [the work] wasn’t visible,” he said.

On a later post on X, formerly Twitter, Imamoglu added, “May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured.”

The venue could apparently host up to 4,000 people for DJ performances and stage shows

The Masquerade website notes that the club would be closed from 10 March to 10 April for “our new design renovation”. The venue could apparently host up to 4,000 people for DJ performances and stage shows, according to local reports.

The tragedy evokes memories of similar venue tragedies in the likes of Brazil, Romania, and the United States over the past decade. In January 2013, 242 people – mostly university students – died, and more than 600 others were injured when acoustic foam in the ceiling of the Kiss nightclub in the southern Brazilian city of  Santa Maria.

In December 2016, 36 people died when fire broke out in the unlicensed Ghost Ship venue in Oakland, California, while in 2003, a fire at the Station nightclub in Rhode Island claimed 100 lives, and injured 230 others, with investigators again pointing to pyrotechnics setting light to the venue’s acoustic foam.

And in 2015, 64 revellers lost their lives when pyrotechnics caused a devastating blaze at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest.

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The LGBTIQ+ List 2022 – IQ Magazine’s second annual celebration of queer professionals who make an immense impact in the international live music business – was published in the Pride edition (issue 112) last month.

The July 2022 issue, which is available to read now, was made possible thanks to support from Ticketmaster. 

To get to know this year’s queer pioneers a little better, we interviewed each individual on their challenges, triumphs, advice and more.

Throughout the next month, IQ will publish a new interview each day. Catch up on the previous interview with Georgie Lanfranchi, tour manager/production coordinator at Only Helix in the UK.

The series continues with Hatice Arici (she/her/hers), promoting director/artist agent at Charmenko in Turkey.

Tell us about a personal triumph in your career
I don’t think that I have achieved that point yet but I am working toward it every day. For 15 years, I worked mostly unpaid and unregistered since the independent underground scene is not really a part of the music world in Turkey – luckily it is changing. I believe, in such a world, even existing is a triumph, waking up every morning, breathing, and being stubborn about what you do.

What advice could you give to young queer professionals?
Be persistent, stubborn. Don’t listen to the sound around you or even in your head that tells you that you could not do that. Always believe in your guts and stay calm. It all works out.

What’s the best mistake you’ve ever made?
Mistakes are the best teachers, and I was so lucky to have many of them. It is really hard to choose, although I would like to believe that I haven’t [made] the best yet. Every day is a new opportunity to make mistakes. Maybe coming out so late might be the only thing that did not help me, but [better late than never].

Mistakes are the best teachers, and I was so lucky to have many of them

Tell us about a professional challenge you’ve come across as a queer person in the industry
This is a male-dominated industry like almost everywhere in the world, but where I am, in Turkey, it’s particularly bad. Our pride events and official marches have been cancelled for years now. Last month, 400 people got arrested just because they wanted to do the pride march. Our existence is being cancelled by the government [on a] daily basis; staying sane is the biggest challenge itself.

The queer act you’re itching to see live this year
The next possible pride march and following events without police violence in Turkey.

Your favourite queer space
Şahika, Karga, any place where I don’t feel threatened.

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Palestinian artist Bashar Murad is used to risking his life to perform. As a queer Arab and a resident of East Jerusalem, Murad has learned to live with oppression and the threat of violence, both onstage and on his doorstep. Neither, however, has deterred him from openly addressing loaded issues such as the Israeli occupation and LGBTIQ+ rights in the Middle East. “But the more vocal I become about these issues, the greater the danger is,” he tells IQ.

In 2019, Murad took one of his most daring steps when he performed in a wedding dress at an event in Ramallah, a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank. While the West Bank’s biggest draw for promoters is that it’s the only place where Palestinians from both sides of the barrier can meet, Murad says that the mixed demographic is also where the danger lies.

“Probably the biggest risk is if someone in the audience doesn’t like what I’m doing. Audience members could be from anywhere, from all over the country. There are different kinds of mentalities, people who are extremely open-minded but also people who are uneducated and attached to the traditions and the customs that we are taught in this quite patriarchal society,” he says.

Murad explains that each city in the Palestinian territories has different variations of laws relating to queer people. Jerusalem, where he lives, is under Israeli law but the West Bank is under Israeli military law as well as Palestinian civil law, which presents varying degrees of discrimination and legal challenges for queer people. To make matters more complicated, Murad says, some of the laws aren’t representative of the reality on the ground.

This minefield of laws across the territory means Murad is forced to make a risk assessment before booking a gig. While agents and promoters in liberal nations may book shows based on venue capacities, fees and convenience, Murad has to weigh up how dangerous each city is, the make-up of the audience, and how provocative his show should be. However, Murad has found refuge within the realms of the music industry, “the safe place,” having built relationships and established trust with promoters and record executives.

The international showcase at which Murad performed in the wedding dress, the Palestine Music Expo (PMX), is one such stronghold. Though Murad would not generally view Ramallah as 100% safe for queer artists like himself, PMX is something of a haven “free of oppression, for all human beings.”

PMX co-founder Rami Younis has been something of an outspoken ally for oppressed artists and is eager to give queer artists like Murad “a free and fair platform to do the show they want.” When IQ asks what he thought of Murad’s 2019 performance, Younis says: “I absolutely loved it. In general, we encourage our artists to be as creative and free as they can and to not be afraid to experiment. Murad’s show was a big success and a great example for that.”

Murad says he depends on support from alternative organisations like PMX, as the culture ministries are “too scared” to back queer artists like himself – though his talent has been verified by international press including CBC, The Guardian and the BBC. “They don’t show any support towards me because they’re worried about me being gay,” he says. “They fund music videos and productions for artists who have taken part in competitions like Arab Idol but forget about other artists who are carving their own paths and doing things their own way.”

Not only has PMX provided Murad with a safe space in which to deliver his most thought-provoking show, it has also given him a rare gateway to the international live music business and a world outside of conflict-ridden Palestine.

But establishing a platform like this, which has invited 150+ international music industry professionals each year since 2017, is no mean feat in a state where promoters, agents – and even performance venues are few and far between. “People must understand that we never had a chance to develop a proper industry simply because we never had the proper infrastructure,” says Younis. “Developing art industries organically in war zones is near impossible. So, what we do is push back against that and lay foundations for a proper and healthy infrastructure in the future.”

While agents and promoters in liberal nations may book shows based on venue capacities, fees and convenience, Murad has to weigh up how dangerous each city is

From the ground up
“I can’t believe that any queer person who is living in Poland and looking at the news doesn’t feel personally attacked,” says Kajetan Łukomski, a queer Polish artist, promoter and Keychange ambassador who goes by the name of Avtomat.

Poland is one of just a handful of countries in Europe that is yet to legalise same-sex marriage, and already bans same-sex couples from adopting children. As of June 2020, some 100 municipalities, encompassing around one-third of the majority Catholic country, have adopted resolutions declaring themselves “LGBT ideology-free.”

In a campaign speech when he stood for re-election, President Andrzej Duda called the promotion of LGBT rights an ideology “even more destructive” than communism. Elsewhere, the Archbishop of Kraków recently warned of a neo-Marxist “rainbow plague.”

“We just don’t feel safe in our own country anymore,” says Łukomski. “I started carrying tear gas with me on the street, and every time I go out with my boyfriend and we hold hands, we have to keep looking over our shoulder because there have been occurrences of queer people getting knifed in the street. This is why we need to work so hard to change the status quo.”

According to Łukomski, a shift in paradigm is also needed in the mainstream music scene, which has eschewed queer artists like himself. This segregation has forced queer artists to adopt a do-it-yourself mentality and promote their own shows and establish their own performance spaces. Back in 2017, Łukomski co-founded the Warsaw-based Oramics collective, which acts as a promoter, in a bid to “level the playing field for under- represented groups.”

“No one had really thought of that. All of the line-ups were male and there was no real push towards making women and queer people and so on visible in the scene, so it had to happen as a grassroots movement,” he says. “We’ve had to carve out our own space in the music industry.” Developing their own queer underground scene has also been a means of protecting the artists and fans within it because, like Murad in Palestine, Łukomski has to be selective about where he performs.

“It would be easy to go ‘I’m playing in this huge prestigious club’ but then my community may be in greater danger of, say, harassment. I make it a point to play in spaces that I deem safe for my community,” he says. Łukomski says that as Oramics’ reputation has grown, they have had greater bargaining power to talk to clubs about their safe-space policies and line-up balances. The collective has even brought workshops to smaller, less tolerant cities to show queer people how to organise their own spaces – though Łukomski says they had to organise their own security for these visits.

While the queer community in Poland may be safer existing on the fringes, their exclusion from mainstream culture creates a glass ceiling for artists, which prevents them from performing at larger capacity venues, earning bigger fees or securing representation. On a broader scale, if queer people and creatives aren’t able to assimilate with the rest of society, the oppression will likely perpetuate.

Warsaw-based promoter Follow The Step (FTS), however, is sensing some progression in the acceptance of queer people, which is allowing them to expand their portfolio of queer artists. Next year, the company will promote its first-ever show by a queer artist – American drag star Sasha Velour at Warsaw’s Palladium (1,500-cap.) – which FTS’s Tamara Przystasz says has been a long time coming. “We’ve been trying very hard to promote queer artists, but a lot of agents were saying Poland is not ready for it. But finally, people are much more open-minded than they were before,” says Przystasz. “To do something for the first time, after so many hard months, was a huge risk, but we thought let’s just do it, and it’s going well already. We didn’t expect such amazing feedback,” she adds.

Przystasz says FTS are keen to use Warsaw as a litmus test before promoting queer artists in more rural cities. “We are so lucky because we are living in Warsaw and it always works differently with capital cities, but in the smaller cities, it is hard; we have to fight for their rights. Education via music; I think that is the best option for us.”

Kostrzyn-based festival Pol’and’Rock, which has been running for more than 25 years and typically attracts an audience of almost half a million people, has had a little more time to establish a portfolio of queer artists, and hopes to lead by example. Originally inspired by Woodstock, the community- based festival deems itself an outlier in creating a refuge within the country’s conservative society.

Over the past three decades, the festival has played host to performances by queer artists such as Skunk Anansie and Polish children’s artist Majka Je owska, as well as Polish singers Ralph Kaminski and Krzysztof Zalewski – some of which have incorporated demonstrations for queer rights into their shows.

“We want to show Poland as an open place, a place where people can be themselves, which becomes more and more difficult each year,” says Olga Zawada from Pol’and’Rock. Zawada says that the festival has encountered many challenges since the recent government came into power, including reportedly being saddled with “high-risk” status four times since 2016.

The high-risk label, according to Polish law, applies to events where acts of violence or public disorder are expected to take place, though Pol’and’Rock has never encountered anything of the sort. Zawada believes that this is the government’s way of indirectly jeopardising the festival: “I don’t want to speculate on the government’s motivations, but we’re quite unpopular with the very conservative ruling party.”

The high-risk status means that Pol’and’Rock has been required to introduce different safety measures such as a fence around the perimeter, which Zawada says tarnished the festival’s aesthetic as a free and open festival and proved to be a “massive expense.” Does she think that the government was taking aim at the festival’s Achilles heel – its budget? “Yes. The fence was the biggest thing in our budget and from a crowd management point of view it was completely pointless. But the guests respected the fences and even used them creatively, to dry their laundry and things,” she says.

“We want to show Poland as an open place, a place where people can be themselves, which becomes more and more difficult each year”

Against all odds
“Turkey is a place where two times two doesn’t make four,” says queer senior talent buyer Bura Davaslıgil of Istanbul-based booking agency/promoter Charmenko. “On paper, it hasn’t been illegal to be homosexual since 1858, the Ottoman Empire, but it’s still a taboo.”

Taboo is a light way of putting it. Hate speech, violence, and discrimination have already put Turkey second to last on the advocacy group ILGA-Europe’s ranking of LGBTQ equality – no surprise considering that there is no solid law against discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation. Gay Pride has been banned in Istanbul for several years, on pretexts of public order. “Even if a municipality is pro-LGBTQ rights and they want to, say, put on a festival, they wouldn’t dare to do it because of the current political climate,” says Davaslıgil.

According to Davaslıgil, the conservative party, which has been in power for the last two decades, tends to “look the other way” about queer culture, as long as it’s kept relatively quiet. “The discrimination against queer people is not systematic. If Morrissey, Pet Shop Boys or Elton John performed, it wouldn’t be a problem; if an artist’s queerness is not too overt then it’s fine.”

The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC), however, was one artist the government could not ignore. In 2015, the Chorus found themselves at the centre of a political storm ahead of their concert at Zorlu Performing Arts Center in Istanbul. Conservative Islamist papers described the group as “perverts” and thousands of people signed a Change.org petition calling on Zorlu’s owners to cancel the show because it would take place on the tenth day of Ramadan. The venue, reportedly owned by a close confidant to Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan who, at the time, was running for re-election and campaigning to get the conservative vote, had reportedly asked the chorus to take the “Gay” out of their name but the group refused. “We weren’t going to let prejudice win… visibility saves lives,” says Craig Coogan, executive director of the BGMC, adding that the group has had the same name since 1982.

The government withdrew their previously issued permit allowing BGMC to perform at Zorlu and no other government agency would issue one. In an admirable display of allyship, the LGBTQ student group at Bosphorus University – a privately held institution, which didn’t need a permit for performances – stepped in and offered the Chorus their outdoor space. In order to keep the group safe, the buses were unidentifiable and the routes that each bus took to the same destinations were varied. Members were encouraged to be cautious on social media, not posting location information in real-time. According to Coogan, the group even collaborated with the US secret service on security issues, and a diplomatic note was sent to the government underlining the importance of the group’s safety to US relations. On the day of the concert, sharp-shooters were stationed around the area, drones surveyed the crowd, and audience members had to go through airport-style security to get into the concert.

The media frenzy, the political tension, and the logistical rigmarole would’ve been enough to discourage any artist from going ahead with the concert but the group found allies in the most unexpected of places. According to Coogan, The Nederlander Organization, which manages Zorlu, were “mortified” that political considerations forced them to cancel their contract. “In fact, to prevent an expensive lawsuit, they paid for the production costs at Bosphorus,” says Coogan. It was not difficult to find supportive professionals to work with. The issues we ran into were political, not with the professionals.”

BGMC hasn’t returned to Turkey since 2015 – the group has been busy touring elsewhere, including other anti-gay territories such as Poland, the Middle East and South Africa. But IQ wonders: could an incident like the one with the Chorus happen in 2021? “As long as this government stays in power, yes,” says Davaslıgil. And would Charmenko ever book BGMC, in spite of all the political and logistical issues? “I wouldn’t think twice,” he answers, underscoring the importance of allyship in the industry.

“Everywhere that we perform is an opportunity to dismantle prejudice and preconceptions about LGBTQ people”

Music as an act of resistance
Queer artists like Murad, Łukomski and the BGMC put their safety on the line again and again to perform in anti-gay countries, but what’s the pay-off?

“Everywhere that we perform is an opportunity to dismantle prejudice and preconceptions about LGBTQ people,” says BGMC’s Coogan. “Live music as a social activism tool works. It did in Istanbul, as it did in so many other cities around the world. I saw the joy and transformation on the faces of thousands of locals. “Music builds bridges, enhances communication, breaks down stereotypes and humanises the ‘other’ in powerful ways. It has the power to transcend boundaries and create connections among people from different backgrounds, languages, and beliefs, and has long been a central part of social justice movements.”

In all three stories, the live music industry has proved itself to be the antithesis of the political wars waging outside of it, thanks to real allyship from promoters and festivals like PMX, Follow the Step, Pol’and’Rock and Charmenko. But what they want, quite simply, is for their respective countries to be recognised for the budding talent, not the conflict. “I want people to know that Palestine isn’t just war, apartheid, and occupation; it’s also music, cinema, art; it’s life,” says PMX co-founder Younis. “There are actual people living here with hopes, dreams, and culture. There’s talent in Palestine and it is just waiting to be discovered. We don’t want to be seen as victims but as equal people who deserve to have their culture and music represented everywhere.”

Pol’and’Rock’s Zawada has a similar message for the international live music industry: “Poland is more than politics and oppression.

It’s important for us to say: ‘You know what? There is this community of people that has a different opinion. There are people who are tolerant and welcoming and accepting, and they would have your back, and everyone else’s.”

Read this article in its original format in the digital edition of IQ 101:

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Work will begin later this year on a new entertainment and sports arena in Turkish tourist hotspot Bodrum.

The Bodrum Arena project will begin in around five months with more than €70 million public-private investment, Akhmet Palankoev, head of the Russian-Turkish Business Council, tells Anadolu Agency, adding that the arena will feature “Russian technology”.

Work is expected to take around 15 months. When open, the arena, located the heart of the ‘Turkish Riviera’ on the Aegean Sea, will host concerts by “world stars”, as well as ice-hockey and skating events, and employ 300 people.

Tourist hot spot Bodrum on the “Turkish Riviera” is set to become home to a massive complex that will be built with the help of Russian technology, the head of the Russian-Turkish Business Council said Sunday.

It is hoped the arena will be used year-round and reduce Bodrum’s reliance on seasonal tourism

The arena is expected to have a capacity of 20,000, according to SportInvest Bodrum, which is leading the project, and will be built on a 30,000m² site that also includes shops, a restaurant, a hotel, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and a mosque. “We also want to open a school where young people interested in ice hockey, ice skating and other ice sports can receive education,” says Palankoev.

It is hoped the arena will be used year-round and reduce Bodrum’s reliance on seasonal tourism.

If the capacity ends up being 20,000, it will be the one of the largest indoor arenas in Turkey, exceeded only by the 16,000-seat Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul, which has a capacity of up to 22,500 for concerts.

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