Punk band Killdren have today come out in defense of themselves and their song lyrics after being dropped from the festival line-up following outrage over a certain selection of their song lyrics. The band had been criticised in an article written in The Sunday Times for their song “Kill Tory Scum”
The song in question features the lyrics “Tory genocide is a perfect outcome” and has been criticised for spreading a message of hate and aggression. The Jo Cox foundation said of the song that “The direct incitement of violence and abuse, on any platform and in any sector, is wrong. All of us need to call out this kind of language, until we return to a more civil way of being able to debate difference of opinions – without having to resort to threats and intimidation.” This then led to the decision from festival organisers to cancel their apperance and release the following statement.
— Shangri-La Glasto (@ShangrilaGlasto) June 2, 2019
Killdren told the BBC they were “disappointed” by the decision, defending the song as “crude satire” “The piece would not exist at all if the destructive and violent policies of the Tory party hadn’t taken such a long and devastating toll on the UK, The band does not condone the killing of Tories or children, or anyone for that matter – regardless of political beliefs.”
“One glance at our website and the artwork that represents our music would surely indicate the cartoonish and over-the-top nature of everything we do “We are disappointed that Glastonbury and the Jo Cox Foundation were upset enough by our music and video that they cancelled our set, buckling under pressure from the right-wing media. We know that there are other acts on the line-up who are spreading a radical political message and hope the spirit of rebellion lives on at the festival.”
Statement regarding #Killdren Glasto furore:
#1 – the full title of the song in question is Kill Tory Scum (Before They Kill You) and the video questions state-sanctioned violence— Killdren (@KilldrenMusic) June 2, 2019
#3 – people don’t like our shitty music, so they never make it to the end of the video, which makes the above very clear
— Killdren (@KilldrenMusic) June 2, 2019
#5 – there is no way we can compete with #4
— Killdren (@KilldrenMusic) June 2, 2019
Fans were also quick to point out the potential irony and hypocrisy in Glastonbury’s decision, with previous bands with openly confrontational previous opinions headlining the festival. They also pointed out how over a week ago very few people had heard of Killdren and now they are national news all across different medias.
Bloody hell. Can you imagine if they’d have found out Chumbawumba (who’ve played glasto a fair few times) released an ep celebrating Thatcher’s death… they’d have gone proper apeshit.
You can’t buy publicity like this. I, like thousands of others will check you out.
— Mr G (@Taffinexile) June 3, 2019
