The London music festival Field Day has issued an updated statement clarifying its stance on an Israeli investment firm in the aftermath of multiple acts drop out of the line-up
Field Day festival has shared an updated statement about its ties to an investment firm KKR after multiple artists pulled out of this year’s festival, citing its holdings in Israel. To date, fifteen artists have withdrawn from this year’s line-up, including multiple members of the femme music collective Sisu Crew, Midland, Spray, Roza Terenzi and Regularfantasy.
The boycott comes just two weeks after over 200 artists signed an open letter calling on the festival to publicly distance itself from KKR. KKR is a global investment firm with holdings in Israel and is the parent company of Superstruct Entertainment, the promoter of Field Day.
In an updated statement shared on May 20 – just five days before the event – Field Day made a hardened stance against KKR, saying its initial statement a few days prior didn’t sufficiently explain its position.
In its lengthy new statement, Field Day writes: “We would like to say, clearly and directly, that we stand with the people of Gaza and support the peaceful aims of the Palestinian civil organisations and everyone working tirelessly to give them a voice.”
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Field Day emphasised that it “failed” artists and audience members by not addressing the open letter earlier. It restates that partnering with Superstruct secured the festival’s future and that it had “no knowledge or influence” in KKR’s investment in Superstruct but added a condemnation of the investment firm.
“We are passionately opposed to KKR’s unethical investments in Israel,” says Field Day, adding that it respects the artists that have “taken a stance” and welcomes the other artists still on the line-up to do the same.
The open letter from artists that Field Day is responding to claimed that KKR’s investments make it complicit in genocide and “apartheid regime” and that Field Day is now “implicated” and has “an urgent and profound legal and moral obligation to take a clear stand against KKR’s complicity”. The letter called on the festival to “publicly distance itself from KKR” and make its own position clear.
The letter was penned by a coalition of DJs, led by femme collective Sisu Crew, and received over 230 signatures from artists including Brian Eno, Jyoty, Ben UFO, Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja. The letter was published on April 29 but artists began to pull out after there was no public response from the festival.
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More than a week after the letter was published, members of the music collective Sisu Crew announced it would no longer be playing the festival. The collective shared on its Instagram page that it would be withdrawing “our stage, our line-up, and our labour” from Field Day.
The Sisu Crew members who pulled out of this year’s line-up include: ex.sses, Malissa, Ariana V, inda flo, Calaida, GUYZ, Jezebelle, ŌKAMI, Chickie, izzy. and Moontalk. Only a few days later, Midland, Roza Terenzi, Spray, Regularfantasy, Voices Radio and Corsica Studios also pulled out of the event.
In its initial statement shared on May 15, Field Day opened with an apology for “taking this long” to respond to the artists’ open letter. The festival shared that it had “no say” when the company was bought by KKR in 2024, but was challenged by many artists and planned attendees.
Some ticketholders for the upcoming event are calling on the festival to issue refunds given the reduced line-up. In one comment on the festival’s Instagram page, one user wrote: “43 artists to 24 now. This is ridiculous. Ticket holders should be offered refunds, this isn’t the festival we originally paid for”.
Another wrote: “Why are we not able to refund our tickets if you’re claiming to be close to sell out??? The artists I wanted to see aren’t performing anymore – the event is not what it was advertised as.”
The festival is set to take place as scheduled in Brockwell Park on May 24, despite a recent High Court ruling put the festival at risk of being shut down. Peggy Gou will headline the festival with more acts “TBA” according to the official website.