Scowl, Speed, and More Drop Out of Download Festival in Boycott of Sponsor with Ties to Israel
Scowl pulling out of festivals in protest is hardly anything new. The band already dropped off of South by Southwest and Welcome to Rockville due to both of them being sponsored by the U.S. Army, with the band citing the army’s connection to the war in Gaza as their primary reason. But this time around, Scowl is not taking the lead, but following suit, as they are one of four bands (at the time of this writing) to drop off of Download Festival, which is scheduled to take place this coming weekend at Donington Park in Leicestershire, UK.
According to Stereogum the band leading the charge was a Leeds, UK-based crossover thrash band called Pest Control, who became the first to announce they were boycotting the festival. Their post on Instagram read:
“We have made the decision to pull out of our upcoming shows at Download Festival this week (Wednesday 12th June + Sunday 16th June).
“This is due to us taking part in the boycott against Barclays Bank, who are Download Festival’s payment partner and sponsor. Barclays Bank oversees billions of dollars in investments and loans to companies whose weapons and technology are are used in Israel’s onslaught against the Palestinian people. We will not take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide.
“We’re sorry to anyone who was looking forward to seeing us perform. This is something we’ve been looking forward to for the best part of a year and was a big milestone for us as a band. However, we cannot sacrifice the principles held by this band and by the scene we come from and represent, just for personal gain.”
Following Pest Control’s announcement, Scowl, Speed, and Zulu—all three of which are on Flatspot Records—announced they would be boycotting the festival as well.
Behind the boycott is the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and an associated campaign called Bands Boycott Barclays. According to the Bands Boycott Barclays Instagram account, this isn’t the first festival the campaign has targeted. The campaign has also held a boycott of The Great Escape and is working on Isle of Wight Festival, Camp Bestival, and Latitude Festival.
Just from taking a look at the lineup scheduled to play, there are a number of other acts that are likely to drop out of the festival as well. For example, I’d bet my tits that Tom Morello drops out by the end of today. But hey, if all the bands drop out, I’m sure Disturbed would be down to drop whatever they’re doing and fill in.
