Bands Continue Exiting Radar Festival Following Bob Vylan Controversy

Manchester’s Radar Festival is seeing a growing wave of artist withdrawals in the wake of Bob Vylan’s controversial Glastonbury performance and subsequent removal from the Manchester event’s lineup.

The latest act to announce their exit is Dublin metalcore band Hero In Error, who announced on Instagram that they would no longer perform at the independent event, set to run through July 6 at Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. “We will not be performing at Radar Festival this weekend,” they began in a statement.

“After speaking with Radar’s organisers, it’s clear they’re facing the same pressures that many de-platformed artists are currently experiencing. They are good people, and it’s evident they stand for progressive ideals.”

They continued, “Both they and the artists being targeted are caught in a wider effort to deflect attention from the reality of what’s happening. We respect the work Radar has done, but we believe that stepping back from this year’s event is the right decision at this time.”

Their departure follows similar moves from The Scratch and ĠENN, who also withdrew over the weekend in protest of Bob Vylan’s removal. Meanwhile, The Scratch shared their own message with fans, explaining their decision to withdraw as an act of solidarity.

“The censorship and de-platforming of artists speaking out against the ongoing genocide in Gaza is greasy, dangerous and must be challenged,” they wrote. “To be clear, this decision is not a criticism of Radar Festival. We understand it was an incredibly difficult and complex situation. This is about showing solidarity with Bob Vylan and any artist who may face similar treatment in the future.”

They continued, “Shadowy government influence and wealthy lobbying groups should not be allowed to dictate who is given a platform and what can be said on it. This situation will only worsen unless we, as artists, support one another and take action.”

ĠENN echoed a similar sentiment, citing concerns about “bullying, censorship, and strong-arming” directed at Bob Vylan and Radar Festival.

“As a minority on pretty much every line-up, and with a relatively modest platform, we considered whether we could use our physical presence to speak against the bullying, censorship, and strong-arming demonstrated towards the likes of both Bob Vylan and Radar,” the band said. “For our safety and sanity, we’ve made the final decision to pull out from performing at Radar this weekend.”

“Our fight should not be focused on the policing of those who are trying to spread awareness within their means. This is a distraction from a wider picture. Pressure needs to be placed on those who are instigating the censorship of a genocide happening in real time.”

Bob Vylan were pulled from Radar earlier this week after leading chants of “death to the IDF” during their Glastonbury set on June 28. The duo also criticised the BBC, the U.S. and U.K. governments, and more, sparking widespread backlash. Glastonbury organisers said the chants “crossed a line,” calling it “anti-Semitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.”

In the days since, Bob Vylan have been dropped by their agency, lost multiple international festival slots, and had their U.S. visas revoked. The duo maintain that their remarks were not calling for harm to any group but rather “the dismantling of a violent military machine.”

Radar Festival organiser Catherine Jackson-Smith has been vocal about the pressure placed on the event, saying it was “categorically one of the most horrendous professional discussions I’ve ever had” to remove Bob Vylan. “I cannot express clearly enough that I wanted Bob Vylan to perform at our festival,” she told the Two Promoters One Pod podcast but revealed the decision was made to avoid jeopardising the festival’s entire Saturday program.

Meanwhile, Massive Attack and other artists including Amyl and The Sniffers and Soft Play have publicly supported Bob Vylan, urging the media to focus on “what is happening daily to the people of Gaza” rather than silencing artists who speak out.

Radar Festival has yet to confirm a replacement for Bob Vylan’s headline slot.