Two different metal artists have posted on Instagram this week about shows being cancelled because of politics, albeit for very different reasons.
Death metal band Behemoth have cancelled a show in India after “credible threats” were made by religious groups there. Meanwhile Michale Graves, one time frontman of horror punk pioneers Misfits, has responded to the cancellation of a number of his UK shows after protests over his connections to far-right group The Proud Boys.
Behemoth were due to play in Bangalore, India on 3 Mar, but cancelled the show earlier this week after receiving “numerous credible threats stemming from religious Christian groups who have been applying pressure to authorities and to the promoter in an effort to stop the show from taking place”.
The Polish band were previously forced to cancel some shows in Turkey for similar reasons, saying at the time that those gigs had been axed because of “pressure from religious groups who have characterised our art as satanic propaganda and deemed it unacceptable”.
Commenting on the issues in both India and Turkey, the band’s post this week went on, “It is deeply concerning to see what feels like a growing movement toward censorship around the world. In this modern age, artists should not face intimidation, threats or the risk of imprisonment for performing their art”.
“Regardless of religion, race or culture, freedom of expression must remain a fundamental principle”, they concluded. “We believe it is important that people stand together in support of liberal values and creative freedom”.
The protests against Graves are quite different, in that they relate to his political affiliations outside of his music. He first publicly expressed support for the controversial far-right Proud Boys in 2020.
According to Searchlight - which “investigates and opposes fascism, antisemitism and racism in Britain and abroad” - the American musician has since “appeared in photographs wearing Proud Boys clothing” and “spoken in defence of members of the group” who were arrested in connection with the January 6 attacks on the Capitol building in Washington in 2021.
Graves’ support of The Proud Boys led to a campaign calling on venues hosting dates on the musician’s current UK tour to cancel those shows. Last week, Searchlight reported that “scheduled appearances in Bradford, Glasgow, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Swansea, Bournemouth, Edinburgh and Cardiff have been cancelled following pressure from anti-fascist campaigners and musicians”.
In his statement on Instagram, Graves dubbed that “an aggressive online campaign”, stating, “I respect that people may hold different opinions or choose not to attend these shows”, but “I am very concerned that venues, staff members and people simply doing their jobs are now being placed under significant pressure and distress and in some instances being threatened to simply show up at their job”.
Insisting that his shows “are about music, community and shared passion”, he concluded, “If my music is not for you, I fully respect your choice not to attend. However, I respectfully ask that disagreements remain peaceful and that the hardworking people behind these venues are treated with respect”.