Several bands who recently dropped off of this year’s ‘Download Festival‘ in protest have newly announced a benefit show for Palestine in Birmingham, UK. SPEED, Scowl, Zulu and Pest Control were among some of the groups to withdraw from the aforementioned festival, citing concerns over the Barclaycard being one of the primary sponsors for the event. As Scowl said in a statement issued yesterday, June 10th:
“We will not be playing Download Fest this year due to Barclays Bank sponsorship of the event and Barclays connection to Israel and the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine.
Free Palestine!”
Now those aforementioned four bands will be playing Centrala in Birmingham, UK this Friday, June 14th, with all proceeds to go towards Palestinian aid and charities. Cauldron, Ikhras and Transistrrr will also be on the bill for that event.
At least one other band has opted for a different approach to show their support, with Split Chain pledging their entire artists fee from this year’s ‘Download Festival‘ towards Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and Medical Aid For Palestinians. They commented:
DONATION LINKS: https://t.co/NZyTWVF0d0 pic.twitter.com/2KjlxvDueA
— Split Chain (@splitchainband) June 11, 2024
