Field day festival issues statement amid as top acts drop out boycott shows

Field day festival issues statement amid as top acts drop out boycott shows


Play all audios:


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 08:00, 22


May 2025Updated 08:36, 22 May 2025 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 To date, fifteen artists have withdrawn from this year’s line-up, including multiple members of the femme music collective Sisu Crew, Midland, Spray, Roza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.” READ MORE: London's Brockwell Park music festivals to proceed despite High Court ruling 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. Article continues below “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. READ MORE: All the Brockwell Park music festivals and events still going ahead this month 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.” Article continues below 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.