Gavin James and fellow Irish acts Sprints and Soda Blonde have joined Belfast rap trio Kneecap in a boycott of the South by Southwest Festival in Texas due to the event's links to the US military and the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Kneecap were due to play three shows at the prestigious arts festival, which takes place from 8-16 March.
Yesterday, the band posted a series of messages on social media platform X with backdrops of the colours of the Palestinian flag.
In the messages, they wrote: "We have made the decision to cancel our three shows at SXSW and not travel to Austin as planned on Tuesday.
"It is done in solidarity with the people of Palestine and to highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the US military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population."
We will not be appearing at @sxsw festival. 👇 pic.twitter.com/nt5hEMH2GM
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) March 10, 2024
The statement continued: "We cannot in good conscience attend an arts festival that has 'The U.S Army' as a 'Super Sponsor' and is platforming RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE systems, the very companies selling the weapons that have murdered 31,000 Palestinians, over 21,000 of them women and children."
The band said that people killed in the conflict are "ten times the number of people killed in a 30-year war in the North of Ireland… in five months."
"These organisations are literally profiting from and facilitating war crimes."
They added that their decision to pull out of the festival will have "a significant financial impact" on the band, "both on lost income and on logistical costs already incurred", but "it isn't an iota of hardship when compared with the unimaginable suffering being inflicted" on the people of Gaza.
They added that the organisers taking "the decision to mix the arts with the military and weapons companies is unforgivable."
Kneecap said they had considered playing "unofficial events" at the festival, but felt this would "still contribute to the festival indirectly" and said to fans who bought tickets to their shows, "we know you understand our decision."
Meanwhile, Dublin solo act Gavin James posted a statement on Instagram, saying, "I have decided I will not be performing or traveling to SXSW this week.
"Music & art should always stand on the side of peace and humanity. I will never support any event that is associated with weapons of war.
"For anyone who may have planned to attend my shows, I hope to see you later in the year," he wrote.
Alt-pop band Soda Blonde have also said they will now not play the festival, posting a statement on Instagram saying, "We have officially withdrawn from SXSW," claiming the festival "has formed partnerships that starkly contracts with out band's core principles and values."
Several acts from various countries, including American musician Squirrel Flower, have also said that they will be boycotting this year's festival.
