After a week of heated debate surrounding the addition of Australian rockers Sticky Fingers to their 2023 line-up, Bluesfest have waived the white flag removing the band from the event (scheduled for the Easter long weekend).
The outrage began when psych-rock band King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard withdrew from the festival after Sticky Fingers were added; the chorus of negative feedback continued with social media aflame.Then another Bluefest artist, Sampa The Great, also removed themselves from the bill.
Bluesfest Byron Bay statement regarding Sticky Fingers:
'We are sad to announce that Bluesfest has decided that Sticky Fingers is to step off the Bluesfest 2023 line-up.
'Bluesfest cannot, sadly, continue to support Sticky Fingers by having them play our 2023 edition, and we apologise to those artists, sponsors and any others we involved in this matter through our mistaken belief that forgiveness and redemption are the rock on which our society is built.
'The narrative that they continue to deserve to be cancelled, as well as anyone who publicly supports them, is difficult to accept, wherein a portion of society and media passes eternal judgment toward those, in this case, a diagnosed mentally ill person whom we feel doesn't deserve the continued public scrutiny he's being given.
'We thank everyone who has contacted us and advised their support in this matter, especially those suffering from a mental illness who feel they cannot have their illness supported in a manner whereby they feel included in society.
'Sticky Fingers has done so many good deeds that have never been reported, including building and funding recording studios and music education programmes in disadvantaged regional communities.
'We will now move on, put this behind us and continue to plan and present our best-ever edition of Bluesfest. . . proudly.'
'We are sad to announce that Bluesfest has decided that Sticky Fingers is to step off the Bluesfest 2023 line-up.
'Bluesfest cannot, sadly, continue to support Sticky Fingers by having them play our 2023 edition, and we apologise to those artists, sponsors and any others we involved in this matter through our mistaken belief that forgiveness and redemption are the rock on which our society is built.
'The narrative that they continue to deserve to be cancelled, as well as anyone who publicly supports them, is difficult to accept, wherein a portion of society and media passes eternal judgment toward those, in this case, a diagnosed mentally ill person whom we feel doesn't deserve the continued public scrutiny he's being given.
'We thank everyone who has contacted us and advised their support in this matter, especially those suffering from a mental illness who feel they cannot have their illness supported in a manner whereby they feel included in society.
'Sticky Fingers has done so many good deeds that have never been reported, including building and funding recording studios and music education programmes in disadvantaged regional communities.
'We will now move on, put this behind us and continue to plan and present our best-ever edition of Bluesfest. . . proudly.'
