Earlier in the year the annual ‘South By Southwest‘ event in Austin, TX saw a backlash from numerous artists and speakers, including rising hardcore outfits Scowl, GEL and more. In light of the United States Army and several defense-related companies being sponsors for the event, the aforementioned artists, along with a wave of others planned guests, withdrew from the event.
Scowl were among the more prominent to do so, with the band explaining their decision at the time:
“Scowl is no longer performing at any of our previously scheduled “official” SXSW showcases.
We came to this decision in protest of the U.S. Army’s sponsorship of SXSW. As well as the involvement of RTX (formerly Raytheon), Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems whom have direct ties to the manufacturing and supplying of weapons used against Palestinians.
We refuse to be complicit in the face of genocide in Palestine.
We refuse to participate in the war machine.We will still be performing at our scheduled unofficial showcases.”
The aforementioned military involvement was the key complaint among the various artists and guests who opted to drop off the event, with some instead choosing to stage shows and appearances of their own on the side. The controversy over the matter even made its way to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who stated on social media on March 12th:
“Bands pull out of SXSW over U.S. Army sponsorship.
Bye. Don’t come back.
Austin remains the HQ for the Army Futures Command.
San Antonio is Military City USA.
We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas.
If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”
Likewise, the U.S. Army remained proud of their involvement with the festival, with a spokesperson telling CNN in March:
“We’re proud to be a sponsor of SXSW, and to have the opportunity to showcase America’s Army. SXSW presents a unique opportunity for the Army to meet technology innovators and leaders, explore new ideas and insights, and create dynamic industry partnerships as we modernize for the future.”
Several months later, it has now been revealed that ‘SXSW‘ has ended its ties with the U.S. Army, as well as the aforementioned defense contractors. Organizers for the event recently clarified as much via the support section of their official website, offering:
‘After careful consideration, we are revising our sponsorship model. As a result, the US Army, and companies who engage in weapons manufacturing, will not be sponsors of SXSW 2025.’
Scowl staged a similar protest a few weeks after the ‘SXSW‘ incident, dropping off this year’s ‘Welcome To Rockville‘ festival due to the U.S. Army being one of the sponsors. Scowl were also among those who took a stand against this year’s ‘Download Festival‘, due to Barclays being a primary sponsor for the event.
Speed, Zulu, Ithaca and more all backed out of that annual UK festival in protest, citing Barclays involvement in providing financial services to those facilitating weapons used by Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Ultimately, Barclays withdrew as a sponsor from that fest.
