Mull It Over 012: Austin, We Have a Problem
Irish artists stand together in solidarity to boycott the world's largest music conference, SXSW.
As our politicians schmooze their way around Washington D.C. this St. Patrick’s weekend, Irish musicians 1,500 miles away in Austin, Texas have commendably put morality over ambition in their collective stand against the US Army-sponsored music mecca South by Southwest (SXSW).
In an incredible show of solidarity with the people of Palestine, all 12 Irish artists who were booked on showcases at this year’s SXSW pulled out after it emerged that the world’s largest music conference counted the US Army and affiliated defence companies amongst it’s sponsorship ranks.
Following Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap’s lead on Tuesday, all remaining acts who received funding from both the British and Irish governments (PRS for NI, Music From Ireland for ROI) followed suit. A full list of the artists who have decided to boycott the festival is below:
Chalk
Conchúr White
Enola Gay
Gavin James
Kneecap
Mick Flannery
Robert Grace
Soda Blonde
SPRINTS
Gurriers
NewDad
Cardinals
Belfast based band Enola Gay said of their decision to boycott the festival:
‘We have withdrawn from SXSW. It is impossible to perform at a festival where the US Army are a “super sponsor” meaning, SXSW will be platforming defence contractors such as RTX (Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, BAE Systems - directly tied to manufacturing and supplying weapons used in Gaza against Palestinians.’
In lieu of performing at their booked showcases, the Irish contingent will be making statements today (Thursday 14th) at 8pm local time and also tomorrow (Friday 15th) at 1pm local time.
Enola Gay will also now be performing at a SXSW fringe gig hosted by the Austin 4 Palestine Coalition.
For their part, SXSW have sought to defend their sponsorship partners by highlighting how they bring ‘forward ideas’ and ‘innovation’. The festival also appeared to support the stance of the bands who have boycotted by claiming it ‘welcomes diverse viewpoints’ and that it ‘fully respects the decision these artists made to exercise their right to free speech’.
Charlotte Dryden, CEO of the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast rightly explained to the BBC this week that many of these artists had taken a very tough decision in proceeding with the boycott. There is a lot of money behind sending artists to SXSW and in the cut throat world of the music industry, it can be like getting a golden ticket. It makes the stand taken from these artists all the more commendable.
"I think it makes it all the more admirable… collectively they've made a decision that they will not be complicit," Charlotte told the BBC.
It is one thing for Bono to pontificate about world tragedies as he jets off to dinner with Bruce Springsteen or for our Northern Irish politicians to speak about shared futures while drinking champagne in the White House this week. It is another thing entirely for working, struggling musicians to give up what could be their only path to a sustainable career in music, in support of a better world.
All of the 12 artists mentioned above can be found below on the Mull It Over playlist: