Jarvis Cocker was due to give a keynote speech at the Great Escape festival, but it is no longer listed on the event’s website.Jarvis Cocker was due to give a keynote speech at the Great Escape festival, but it is no longer listed on the event’s website.
The festival’s opening showcase and a keynote speech have been scrapped after performers joined Bands Boycott Barclays, a campaign that claims Barclays Bank – which sponsors several UK festivals includingThe annual event has become a key part of the UK’s music calendar since its launch in 2006, with about 500 artists performing in various locations around Brighton. This year about 25% of the booked performers have backed out in support of the campaign.
Massive Attack, Idles and Eno were among dozens of artists who were not booked to play at the Great Escape festival but signedMassive Attack’s statement said: “It’s extraordinary to think that in 2024 promoters and festivals still don’t understand that as artists, our music is for sale but our humanity and morality is not.”
In the last week dozens more artists have joined the boycott, with more than 120 acts backing out of performing. Alfie Templeman, one of the most established artists due to play at this year’s event, confirmed he would not perform and said his “morals cannot and will not align with the amalgamation of entertainment and human suffering”.said: “Barclays is bankrolling the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and then laundering its reputation by partnering with music festivals like the Great Escape. As musicians, we think that’s despicable.