It’s been less than a week since I covered Big Thief’s announcement of two new shows in Tel Aviv and their attached statement of intent for visiting Israel, and yet here I am to tell you that said shows have been cancelled and an angry response made by the venue. It’s become increasingly controversial to play in Israel over the past 10-15 years due to the growing support of BDS and other such movements that seek to boycott the country for it’s discrimination against Palestine. The origins of the conflict run deep and are a sharp source of pain for Palestinians both in Israel and around the world, creating a difficult political climate for a band or artist wishing to play in Israel.
We will be canceling our 2 shows in Tel Aviv. pic.twitter.com/ocSFtgnYz4
— Big Thief (@bigthiefmusic) June 9, 2022
Despite their best efforts to defend their decision to play Tel Aviv with an initial statement clarifying their impartiality in the ongoing conflict, it seems Big Thief have had to cancel their plans to play the Barby. A mounting amount of pressure from the band’s fans and others that support the BDS movement is likely the reason, with bassist Max Oleartchik’s father Alon Oleartchik recently telling Haaretz “they were under very heavy pressure – hateful mail and threatening posts”. It’s a tumultuous and problematic subject that often incites serious reactions from both sides, with the venue’s reaction being case and point.
In a quite stunning response, the Tel Aviv venue Barby issued an incredibly angry and spiteful response to the band for cancelling their two shows on June 6th and 7th this year. They posted a long message on their Facebook denouncing the bands professionalism and labelling them a “bunch of miserable spineless musicians who are afraid of their own shadow” before going on to say “I wish you all the evil in the world just as you did to your fans in Israel” whilst also scribbling out lead singer and songwriter Adrianne Lenker’s face in red. See below:
It’s a wild and passionate response typical of the emotional territory that surrounds Palestine and Israel. With many social media comments replying to the band’s statement labelling them anti-semites for cancelling, it seems Big Thief are stuck between a rock and a hard place in this ongoing debate.
They do however have a UK date coming up in the neutral fields of Worthy Farm at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday 25th June at 18.15 on The Park Stage. So if you’re lucky enough to have a ticket, make sure you check them out.
