Tindersticks call off Israel gig
Another cancellation: British alternative band won't perform in Tel Aviv due to political pressure
British alternative band Tindersticks, which was scheduled to perform two concerts in Tel Aviv's Barby club, has called them off.
In an official statement the band said: "It is with sadness that Tindersticks announce the cancellation of their forthcoming concerts in Tel Aviv.
"When agreeing to play our music in Israel we, perhaps naively, believed that the music we make is beyond political considerations," the band said. "Over the past weeks, the pressure exerted on us by people and organisations, some close to us, has shown us that this is not the case. It is difficult to defy a rapidly growing movement with whose aims we agree, even if we are not wholly convinced by their methods.
"The songs we looked forward to playing and singing have already been tainted and their enjoyment stifled, if not completely drowned out by the political furore," the band added.
"We sincerely look forward to a time when we, and others, can make our music for the people in the Middle East for the pure joy of the music itself," the statement read.
Performance Producer Asi Ron said that he was very disappointed by this cancelation and "mostly surprised, because this entire time the band and its managers never mentioned politics or being pressured by different organizations, and have said that they plan to arrive in Israel as planned."
"I believe that music is, and has always been, a way to bring people together and not the other way around. The stage is the ultimate weapon for an artist to present his art to his fans. I am sorry that these artists and others like them are giving into political pressure from different organizations, which exploit music for the wrong purposes," he said.
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