The effects of the Brexit vote in 2016 remained unclear for many. Now years on, we begin to discover the repercussions of the seminal vote, particularly for those in the music industry. New data from the campaign group Best For Britain, has informed us that the number of British acts appearing on European festival bills has fallen nearly by half post-Brexit.
BFB stated yesterday (the 21st of July) that the number of British artists set to perform in Europe for this year’s festival season has decreased by 45 per cent when compared to 2017-2019 (pre-Brexit). The incursions largely being down to a lack of visa-free travel and work permits that are applicable across Europe for musicians and crew. Artists attempting to set out on tour once again after Covid have found themselves tangled in the red tape created by Brexit.
The CEO of Best For Britain, Naomi Smith broke down the meaning behind their discovery; “The Beatles famously made their name in Europe and it’s on tour that many musicians gain the formative experiences and audiences they need to take off. With their dud Brexit deal, our lame duck Government has not only robbed emerging British talent of these opportunities abroad, but has also made international acts think twice before including Glasgow or London in their European tours.”
Deborah Annetts, The Chief Executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians and UK Trade and Business Commissioner, stated; “Previous witnesses to our commission have described how, if you’re a festival organiser in Barcelona who needs to fill a last-minute slot, British bands will be at the bottom of your list due to new barriers created by this botched Brexit deal. Whoever ends up replacing Boris Johnson must commit to removing this needless bureaucracy which is stifling the prosperity and creativity of the next generation of British musicians.”
The Ealing-born band White Lies are a prime example of the toll Brexit is taking on acts and artists in the UK. As they were forced to cancel their 2022 European tour in Paris in April 2022, with their equipment being held for 2 days after issues with; “Brexit legislation”.
Jack Lawrence- Brown, the band’s drummer elaborated on the situation; “We’d done our best to ensure that we’d be prepared in any circumstance. It’s very frustrating when you prepare for as long as we have to then rock up to the first venue and find that your equipment has been stuck in a 25-mile-long queue on the M20 through no fault of your own, and no fault of the trucking company either. It wasn’t the plan that we’d worked hard to get right.”
