Lambrini Girls boycott SXSW festival: “We won’t be going to Austin whatsoever”
Lambrini Girls are the latest artist to boycott South By Southwest Festival (SXSW) this year after releasing a statement saying that they “can’t affiliate” with the American festival.
The punk band from Brighton aren’t the first to pull out of the festival that takes place in Austin, Texas, from March 12th until the 14th. Also refusing to perform include Scowl, Okay Shalom, Gel and Squirrelflower with further artists joining the boycott.
The reasons bands are pulling out is because they have taken severe issues with the event and its sponsorship ties to the US Army and the way the US Army has conducted itself during the current Israel-Palestine crisis. People are also against the festival’s ties to RTX Corporation, a defence contractor that has supplied weapons to Israel.
“We are pulling out of SXSW tomorrow,” wrote the Brighton band in a statement on social media. “We won’t be going to Austin whatsoever.”
They continued, “For transparency, the reason it’s taken us a few days to pull out the festival is because we received funding from PRS Foundation to play. We were trying to find a way to out of the situation whilst keeping our moral integrity in tact and not having to repay thousands of pounds at the same time.”
Adding: “Money has to be repaid and we can’t affiliate ourselves whatsoever with SXSW. Without our solidarity becoming totally inauthentic… We were considering going to the festival and protesting on stage, but there isn’t a way to do that doesn’t feel performative or inherently exploitative.”
Whether or not any other bands will pull out of the festival remains to be seen. Still, given how vocal the musical community has been regarding the Israel-Palestine crisis, it’s likely there will be further protests. This remains a developing story.