Bluesfest has dropped Sydney band Sticky Fingers from its 2023 line-up, simply weeks out from the Byron Bay competition’s opening.
The transfer follows public outcry from music followers and two lead acts saying they might not be headlining the competition because of the previous behaviour of the Sydney band’s controversial frontman, Dylan Frost.
Bluesfest director Peter Noble had stood by Mr Frost amid the outrage, at first doubling down on the band’s inclusion.
He mentioned he can be supporting Mr Frost’s “heroic” efforts in redemption and lamented on Sticky Fingers enduring “cancel culture”.
But on Thursday, Bluesfest organisers confirmed Sticky Fingers would “step off” the April line-up.
“Bluesfest cannot, sadly, continue to support Sticky Fingers by having them play our 2023 edition,” they mentioned in an announcement.
“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.”
Controversy has adopted Sticky Fingers for years, with Mr Frost being accused of abusive behaviour up to now.
In 2016 he was accused of bodily threatening Indigenous singer Thelma Plum.
Mr Frost apologised for the incident on Instagram and later claimed he had been recognized with bipolar dysfunction.
Two years later he was kicked out of a Sydney pub after allegedly getting right into a verbal altercation.
Bluesfest has been in injury management since they introduced Sticky Fingers can be showing on the competition, shedding outstanding acts King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Sampa the Great in per week.
Thursday’s assertion referenced Mr Frost’s psychological well being difficulties whereas lamenting in regards to the band successfully being cancelled.
“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,” the organisers mentioned.
“Sticky Fingers has done so many good deeds that have never been reported, including building and funding recording studios and music education programs in disadvantaged regional communities.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
