Is it OK to book bands who sing about killing Tories?

[dentalplan]

32 minutes ago, Ommadawn said:

I suspect that if it was a right wing festival who had booked a band whose lyrics called for the killing of Socialists, there might be a different response here.

Really? If a ‘right wing festival’ popped up, you think that, instead of mercilessly ripping the piss out of it, folk would examine the lyrics of late night acts to see if they’ve said anything about killing people on the left and call for those acts to be removed from the bill of the ‘right wing festival’?

[Mash011]

5 minutes ago, dentalplan said:

Really? If a ‘right wing festival’ popped up, you think that, instead of mercilessly ripping the piss out of it, folk would examine the lyrics of late night acts to see if they’ve said anything about killing people on the left and call for those acts to be removed from the bill of the ‘right wing festival’?

Yeah the right wing festivals that exist are like. Garden parties where someone's kid plays guitar and a tory mp talks for a bit.

(Of course, the message is still 'kill poor people' . They just have a way of making the language palatable.)

[John the Moth]

I take it their song about killing children is ok? It doesn’t specify children of Tories does it?

[CaledonianGonzo]

6 hours ago, Ommadawn said:

I suspect that if it was a right wing festival who had booked a band whose lyrics called for the killing of Socialists, there might be a different response here.

This starts from the assumption that people were genuinely concerned about it and not just using it as a tool to take a pop at a festival they hate. But I'm a bit cynical of their motives. 

As for a right wing festival - depends on how far right it was.  Something centrist would just get roasted tp oblivion. Something further along the spectrum with bands like Bound for Glory would actually be cause for concern.

[Cooter]

I see this lot have now been banished from the festival, shame. Does that mean any performance with rebellious lyrics will also be withdrawn from the festival too.

[Keithy]

Utterly shameful decision by Glastonbury and Shangri La. Sets a horrible precedent.

[Fred Zepplin]

Why weren’t primal screamed banned from playing? They’ve a song called kill all hippies and it they sing it in their lyrics :

‘Hello this is gorgeous, anybody out there read me?
10-4 I read you.
My handle's gorgeous, pretty vacant, eh
Subvert normality
Fuck you!
Punk is not sexual, it's just aggression
10-4 old buddies
Destroy, Kill all hippies
Anarchy! Disco sucks
Subvert Normality’

 

they played this song on the pyramid in 2005

[Thunderstruck]

Stupid decision! What next?

[chatty]

They should write and sing whatever they want. Take away the bands freedom to write and you night as well start voting Tory.

If you don't like it just don't go and see them, it's up to you whether to be offended or not, it's not on them, you can bypass it easy enough, there's like 99 other stages to go to.

[whitehorses]

Dumb decision.

But welcome to a new age of censoriousness. In this new age hard won free speech principles have been thrown under the bus so people can pour over 10 year old tweets in order to get people banished from public life for once uttering any wrong-think about politics/gender/race/religion. So it’s no surprise bands are also on the receiving end of this stuff. 

[chatty]

They actually been kicked off the festival?

Ohz that's a really poor decision. I mean if your that upset then ask them not to play the song ffs. What a woeful decision.

I suppose at least we'll have to get a different headliner now as can't be having a band called The Killers headlining, What sort of message is that sending?

[Sasperella]

Wow. I actually can't believe they've banned them. It's just a song!! About austerity FFS. 

I assume they've only banned Kildren and not Fat White Family?

[eFestivals]

4 minutes ago, Sasperella said:

I assume they've only banned Kildren and not Fat White Family?

correct. 

So far, anyway.   

[Cooter]

This calls for a petition. Must admit, this morning I fell just a tiny weeny bit out of love with Glasto.

Edited June 3, 2019 by Cooter

[CaledonianGonzo]

Looks like this has all been autonomously done within Shangri-La rather than anything that's been decreed by the wider festival.

[The_Amazing_Oblong]

Shame, Shame, Shame..

[Nobody Interesting]

Motorhead wanted to Eat the Rich and suggested homicide in the lyrics but that was OK so it seems.

[Cooter]

Ahhh Lemmy we love you 

 

Also. hasn't Stormzy got a few questionable lyrics?

[eFestivals]

35 minutes ago, CaledonianGonzo said:

Looks like this has all been autonomously done within Shangri-La rather than anything that's been decreed by the wider festival.

to be fair, when the Jo Cox Foundation get on case about the booking it's probably a good idea to reconsider.

[Keithy]

13 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

to be fair, when the Jo Cox Foundation get on case about the booking it's probably a good idea to reconsider.

I was quite disappointed in them to be honest. I thought it was a missed opportunity for them to draw a distinction between 'extremist' songs as a form of protest and direct action.

[eFestivals]

17 minutes ago, Keithy said:

I was quite disappointed in them to be honest. I thought it was a missed opportunity for them to draw a distinction between 'extremist' songs as a form of protest and direct action.

I'm a bit conflicted by the whole thing, but...

When the lyrics are explicitly "kill a tory" it's no surprise they've taken offence. 'Kill a Labour MP' is what actually happened and I reckon if someone was singing that they'd be less excusing of it by people here.

For anyone wanting to make a verbal protest there's an infinite number of other ways to do it.

Edited June 3, 2019 by eFestivals

[dazednconfused]

4 minutes ago, eFestivals said:

I'm a bit conflicted by the whole thing, but...

When the lyrics are explicitly "kill a tory" it's no surprise they've taken offence. 'Kill a Labour MP' is what actually happened and I reckon if someone was singing that they'd be less excusing of it by people here.

For anyone wanting to make a verbal protest there's an infinite number of other ways to do it.

I am with Neil and @pie_and_a_pint and very much conflicted. Generally, totally agree, what else are certain genres therefor, however, in the light of the current legitimisation of incitement to violence all over (social) media, politicians, in general, having to live with weekly death threats and the fact that some lunatic already killed an MP, this becomes too thin a line for comfort. 

There's a ton of ways of protest that do not explicitly call for murder. (on that note, need to think about good t-shirt to print for this year, too many choices really....)

 

[priest17]

I notice they were happy for Dead Kennedies to play Kill The Poor a couple of years ago.

[anditmakesmesmile]

I think they should ban Let’s Eat Grandma. Familicide, cannibalism and shiitake mushrooms.

[Chris Wilders Moretti]

Zac Goldsmith, an actual racist who used dog whistle tactics to purposefully whip up racial tensions during the London mayoral campaign has been invited to talk at the festival

I wager the rhetoric used by him has resulted in a lot more actual violence being inflicted, than the lyrics to any song ever have