Dublin musicians boycott Texas arts festival

10 Irish musicians and bands have boycotted the South by South West festival in Austin, Texas, in protest of the festival being linked to the American military.

A number of Dublin acts, such as Sprints, Soda Blonde and Gavin James were due to perform at the cultural event as part of the Music From Ireland showcase. 

The showcase of Irish music receives funding from the Arts Council, but all Irish artists have since decided to cancel their appearances.

Controversy arose after it was discovered that American military companies RTX, Collins Aerospace, and BAE Systems were funding the festival.

Austin for Palestine called for the festival to be boycotted, and called on the organisers to “evaluate the inclusion of agencies in the Department of Defense in events and discussions hosted by the festival.”

The group stated that RTX, Collins Aerospace and BAE Systems are arming the Israeli military in their war against Gaza.

A statement from Music From Ireland and Culture Ireland read “we respect their decision and are cancelling the Music From Ireland Ireland official showcase, as well as the Full Irish Breakfast official daytime showcase.”

“Minister for Arts Catherine Martin met with the bands this morning and expressed her respect for their artistic freedom of expression.”

Minister Martin has been criticised for still attending the festival, with the Social Democrats calling for her to not attend the festival. 

Arts minister Catherine Martin says she will not boycott planned events at the SxSW festival in Texas tomorrow – there had been calls from the SocDems for her to skip a panel in solidarity with the Irish bands who have pulled out over the conference’s Israeli links

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— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) March 12, 2024

Texas governor Greg Abbott said “bye, don’t come back,” in response to the artists boycotting the festival.

“We are proud of the U.S. military in Texas. If you don’t like it, don’t come here.”

Dublin band Sprints published a statement on Twitter that read “in solidarity with the Palestinian people and as a stand against the US Army sponsorship and defence contractor involvement in this years festival we will no longer be performing at SXSW or taking part in any official showcases or shows.”

The group said they would use their time in Texas to perform at a food bank fundraiser in Austin.

Dublin group Soda Blonde said playing at the festival would “starkly constrast with our band’s core principles and values.”

Stating they would likely take a financial hit from the decision as an independent band, the group stated it was important to boycott.

“Music is about unity, healing, and the power of shared experience, not about endorsing or normalising the machinery of war.”