The first debate kicked off when Bluesfest announced that it wasadding controversial Sydney band Sticky Fingers to the festival line-up. The group have been heavily criticised within the music industry over a number of years for a series of incidents including allegations of violence against women aimed at one band member,and a criminal conviction against another. Bluesfest’s announcement that the band would be joining the Easter line-up referred to the group as the “bad boys” of Australian music.
The announcement was quickly met with criticism from a number of Australian musicians and within the week another band on the line-up,King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard,withdrew from the bill. It’s not exactly clear what part of this situation is “cancel culture”. Were Sticky Fingers “un-cancelled” by being added to the line-up? Was Bluesfest “cancelled” because it was criticised for hiring the band? Were King Gizzard trying to “cancel” Sticky Fingers by cancelling themselves from the bill?
Viewing the entire ordeal through the prism of who has or hasn’t been “cancelled” isn’t just flattening,it masks serious and important questions about the role of art,and how it should or shouldn’t be experienced. Bluesfest is,of course,allowed to add whatever bands to its line-up that it likes.
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And considering the whispers that ticket sales have been sluggish,you can see why they thought that a controversial,yet still popular,band might help drum up some attention. In turn,other artists and audiences are allowed to express their dismay that a festival they have traditionally enjoyed is giving space and money to a band whose values they think are out of step with contemporary standards. Those artists are also completely within their rights to withdraw their labour and not align with a festival they think has done the wrong thing,as King Gizzard have done.
Acknowledging each of these things doesn’t mean you have to agree with every decision. But it helps focus the conversation on what is actually important. Do festivals have an obligation to create a safe environment for artists who may feel threatened by others? Should they listen to audiences who don’t want their money going to an act they don’t think is deserving? What role do artists actually play in helping define appropriate behaviour? All of these questions are far more interesting,and important,than the proposition that Sticky Fingers and/or Bluesfest have been “cancelled”.
The second controversy touches on similar principles but involves other dimensions as well. The Adelaide Writers’ Week has been heavily criticised for including two Palestinian authors on its line-upwho have been accused of posting anti-Semitic tweets (though thoseaccusations are contested). One of the event’s key sponsors,law firm MinterEllison,has withdrawn its support over the issue.