Iggy Pop and Nick Cave have joined the growing ranks of music acts, including Inhaler and Green Day, who have cancelled their shows in Russia after the country invaded Ukraine.
— Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (@nickcave) March 1, 2022
English band Bring Me The Horizon have also cancelled their gigs in Russia amid a growing backlash from the arts and entertainment world against the invasion, which has seen Russian conductor Valery Gergiev dismissed as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Hollywood halt movie releases in Russia and Irish writers pen a letter in protest at the war.
The festival appearance of @IggyPop in Moscow on the 10th of July 2022 is cancelled. In light of current events, this is necessary. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainians and all the brave people who oppose this violence and seek peace. pic.twitter.com/MepShgvsM9
— Solo Music Agency (@SoloMusicAgency) March 1, 2022
Music veteran Iggy Pop was due to perform a headline show at the Park Live festival in Moscow, which also includes appearances by The Killers, My Chemical Romance, Placebo and Slipknot between June 16 and July 17, but in a Twitter update on Tuesday, promotors confirmed that that his gig would not go ahead.
"In light of current events, this is necessary," they said. "Our thoughts are with the Ukrainians and all the brave people who oppose this violence and seek peace."
— Bring Me The Horizon (@bmthofficial) March 1, 2022
Bring Me Horizon said they "must cancel" their planned live shows in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine because of Russia's invasion.
In a statement the Sheffield band, who have played in Ukraine previously, spoke about "the atrocities being committed by Russian leadership", adding that "Ukraine is an incredibly special place for us".
"We are in awe of the bravery demonstrated right now by the Ukrainian people, and pray for a return to peace as soon as possible," they said.
"Russia, we also want to acknowledge that the atrocities being committed by Russian leadership does not reflect the ideals or beliefs of the incredible people we have met there.
"We will be using our platform and voice to do what we can to support Ukraine in these incredibly difficult times."
We are sorry we have to cancel our tour of Moscow, Kyiv and Vilnius. Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine, Russia and Lithuania.
— Inhaler (@InhalerDublin) February 28, 2022
Wishing for Peace.
Inhaler
Yungblud, Inhaler, Green Day and Franz Ferdinand have all cancelled shows in Russia.
Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment last week, Rory Friers of acclaimed Belfast band And So I Watch You From Afar, who have a strong fanbase in Ukraine, spoke about his worries about the country.
"I remember our last show was in Kyiv in 2015 and we had an amazing day," he said.
"Afterwards, I sat down to have a heart to heart with the promotor and I said, `this is incredible. You have an amazing scene here, the kids are so down for live music . . . ' and I remember so starkly, he said, `war is coming. You don't understand. We’re enjoying this so much now but it’s not going to last very long’."
