Refused have explained their decision not to boycott festivals backed by the controversial US investment firm KKR.
- READ MORE: Exclusive – Refused: “In a world more fucked up than ever, we need to be that confrontational force”
In June 2024, KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) acquired Superstruct Entertainment, which owns and operates festivals including Field Day, Mighty Hoopla, Sónar and Tramlines, for approximately $1.3billion.
Since then, some artists have decided not to play festivals connected to KKR, due to the company’s alleged investment in Israeli weapons manufacturing and its connections to Israeli settlements in the West Bank amid the country’s ongoing conflict with Palestine.
One such group of 50 artists, which included Massive Attack and Brian Eno, signed an open letter urging Field Day to distance itself from KKR, while another 11 artists announced earlier this month that they were boycotting the festival in solidarity with Palestine.
Now, Swedish hardcore band Refused have spoken out on their own decision to play festivals that are run by Superstruct this summer in a lengthy Instagram post.
“So a week ago we found out that some of the festivals we’re playing this summer are backed by an entertainment conglomerate called Superstruct in which a bad bad actor named KKR is part owner,” their post began. “KKR invests in Israeli cyber security among other fucked up things.”
“Our first instinct was to immediately jump ship, to boycott. We communicated this to the festivals and the organizers wrote back saying they shared our values and felt like we did, that they loved what they did and were proud of the festivals they’d created, that the majority of their audience would be sympathetic to our position and that they were gutted that bastards like KKR had bought into Superstruct after they started working with them, staining their life’s work by extension.”
Refused added that it had been pointed out to them that Live Nation, who oversee some of the band’s other upcoming shows, are owned by Blackrock, who they say are “heavily invested in weapons manufacturing”. They also said Spotify, which streams the band’s music, “donated money to Donald Trump’s inauguration and also invests in military AI”.
“The scum of the earth basically,” the band added, before explaining that one festival had offered the band “a large amount of money” to donate to pro-Palestinian causes.
“So, the conundrum became: boycotting these festivals would make us feel good about ourselves, the band’s legacy wouldn’t be tarnished by association with these disgusting companies. It would feel nice.”
“We’ve mulled this over and although there’s a strong argument for taking a stand against KKR and this development of amoral private equity and hedge funds buying into the arts because it’s non-controversial and comparatively safe, it would be naive to think our boycott would even register for them.”
“Rather the opposite, if people like that knew what we talked about on stage they would rather have us stay home, and with the charred bodies of Palestinians burned alive stacking up in the concentration camp/graveyard that Gaza has become, we have decided to make some noise, to go meet our people, to celebrate the resistance and raise money for the Palestinian cause this summer.”
They concluded: “To us, it is the right thing to do, to get out there and be a thorn in the side of Zionists, fascists, venture capitalists and to fan the flames of discontent together with our bright, informed comrades all over Europe. A lot of you have already bought tickets and are expecting us, so we’d love to get suggestions from local organizations and activists we could work with in all the countries and cities we’re playing. Free Palestine!!!”
Several of the festivals themselves have publicly addressed their concerns about being connected to KKR. Tramlines this week said they would “never send them a single Euro”, while Mighty Hoopla stated their “clear opposition to KKR’s unethical investments”.
Boiler Room, which was also acquired by Superstruct, issued a statement in March stating that KKR “categorically don’t align with our values” while reiterating their allegiance to pro-Palestine organisations.
Superstruct is also the owner of Boardmasters, Y Not, Truck, Kendal Calling, Victorious, Flow Sziget, Lost Village, Bennicassim and more events across Europe.
Refused are playing their final ever UK and European shows this summer after announcing their split in September last year. See the full list of dates here and find any remaining tickets here.